House Republicans on Wednesday criticized Columbia University President Dr. Nemat “Minoush” Shafik for hiring a professor who praised the Oct. 7 Hamas attack as “amazing.”
During a House Education and Labor Party hearing discussing anti-Semitism on Columbia University campuses, Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., condemned Columbia University tenured professor Joseph Massad’s “perverse” comments. . College of Liberal Arts Academic Review Committee.
In the aftermath of October 7, Massad wrote an article praising Hamas militants as a “revolutionary Palestinian resistance movement” that attacked Israel and glorified Hamas’ massacre of nearly 1,200 Jews. He described the terrorist attacks in southern Israel as “astonishing,” “surprising,” “amazing” and “unbelievable.”
“Professor Massad is also known for calling Israelis ‘brutal, bloodthirsty colonialists.’ End quote. And who will join them? The Israeli military is known to call ‘baby-killing Zionists, ‘Jewish volunteers for Jewish supremacy in Israel,’ quote, end quote,” Wahlberg said. “A 2005 Columbia investigation confirmed allegations that Massad yelled at Jewish students who questioned his opinions, telling them to ‘get out of the classroom.'” Freedom of Speech on Campus Can you imagine the diversity?”
Columbia University students occupy campus, president faces criticism from Congress
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
Walberg blasted how Massad, as chair of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Academic Review Committee, oversees the regular review of all departments, centers and institutes within the school. The MP asked Shafiq whether he faced any consequences for Massad’s comments.
“He is being talked to,” Shafiq replied.
Asked whether Massad faced any further consequences, Shafiq said he had been removed as chairman of the committee. Later, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., chair of the House Republican Conference, said Massad was still listed as the school’s president on the school’s website. Mr Shafiq said he needed to confirm whether he was still serving in the role. Mr. Stefanik asked Ms. Shafik if she would remove him from the position if he was indeed still in the position, to which she ultimately said, “Yes.”
Noting that Massad is a tenured professor, Walberg told Columbia Board of Trustees co-chairs Claire Shipman and David Greenwald that if a decision were made today, Massad would be granted tenure. I asked if I would approve of tenure. Both said they wouldn’t.
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A statue of his alma mater on the Columbia University campus in New York, October 10, 2007. Four months after a controversial congressional hearing that led to the resignations of two Ivy League presidents, Columbia University’s president is scheduled to appear before the same committee on the issue. The issue of anti-Semitism and the school’s response to escalating conflict on campus. (AP Photo/Diane Bondarev, File)
Mr. Stefanik also pressed Mr. Shafik on Dr. Mohamed Abdou, a visiting professor of modern Arab studies. The lawmaker said Abdou was hired after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, and on Oct. 11 he posted, “Yes, I stand with Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.” Professor Stefanik said he also “denounced false reporting that accuses Arabs and Muslims of beheading people, beheading children, and accusing them of being rapists.”
“We know that babies, innocent Israeli citizens, and elderly women were beheaded. There were rapes, and yet Columbia University hired this person as a professor. Their hiring process. How did it work? Were you aware of these statements before you were hired? ” Stefanik demanded to know.
Congressman Elise Stefanik slammed Columbia University President Nemat “Minoush” Shafik over inflammatory anti-Israel comments made by Columbia University professors. (Jiang Haiyun/Bloomberg)
Under pressure, Shafiq admitted that Abdou would not be returning after this semester and would “never work for Columbia again.”
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In December, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives asked the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology whether calls for the genocide of Jews violated rules against bullying and harassment in the school’s code of conduct. Unlike the presidents of those three universities, Columbia University’s president and board co-chairs all answered a resounding “yes” to the same question from Democratic Rep. Suzanne Bonannisi of Oregon.
