Last Friday afternoon, Harvard hosted a discussion “in ‘response’ to Donald Trump’s recent election” in order to “highlight” prejudice and discrimination faced by Muslims in the US.
Anwar Omeish, director of external relations for the Harvard Islamic Society (which hosted the event), identified people and groups which allegedly “comprise a ‘network of Islamophobia’” — including her own university.
Claiming Harvard is “a generator and amplifier” for “Islamophobic rhetoric,” Omeish said
When we [at Harvard] talk about rescuing women and children, when we talk about whether or not Islam is compatible with democracy, or about bringing democracy to the Muslim world, that is imperialist rhetoric that… continues to reify Islamophobic discourse.
She also criticized Harvard for hosting Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Dutch-American author and outspoken detractor of Islam who in 2013 became a fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School’s “The Future of Diplomacy Project.” Omeish said Ali is one of a group of activists who “lead the efforts to spread misinformation” about Islam in America.
“She was leading study groups [at Harvard] on the radicalization of Muslims without being academically qualified in any way to do so,” Omeish said. “She’s called Islam ‘a destructive nihilistic cult of death.’” …
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Attendee Henry S. Atkins ’20 said he was surprised to learn of Ali’s involvement with Harvard. “I can’t say that I think that her views have any credibility,” he said. “Those kinds of views just plain and simple don’t belong on campus.”
In addition to Ali, Omeish identified Walid Phares, one of Trump’s top foreign policy advisers, as a vocal critic of Muslims. Phares, who often appears on Fox News to discuss radical Islam, is “one of the people anti-Muslim people turn to for validation of their views,” she said.
Like numerous outlets across the country have reported, The Crimson notes “some” Harvard students (and faculty) have reported “hate speech and harassment” in the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory.
As The College Fix has pointed out, however, the key word is “reported.”
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