Accused by a former student of inciting violence, Columbia University faces allegations from a Palestinian alumnus.
Columbia University's Brand of Chaos: The Israel-Hamas War Uproar
KIAH ELIASH | EMILY GEORGE, Montpelier, VT. (AP) - A Palestinian student, standing one step away from finalizing his U.S. citizenship, slammed Columbia University yesterday for its damaging maneuvers in the face of fervent campus protests against the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Mohsen Mahdawi, aged 34, a prominent face among the anti-war fabric of Ivy League's New York powerhouse, spent 16 harrowing days behind bars in Vermont until a judge ordered his release on April 30. Speaking to The Associated Press a day after pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with campus guards inside the university's main library, Mahdawi labeled the university as little more than a catalyst for violence against its students.
"The institutional beast we call Columbia University is nothing but a mold that's deteriorating democracy," Mahdawi stated, his eyes fiery with the weight of firsthand experience.
Mahdawi, the leader of anti-war protests at Columbia University in 2023 and 2024, accused the university of deepening the chaos. His allegations center on the university's alignment with the Trump administration's politically-charged agenda and the persecution inflicted upon its students.
"They're backing the destructive initiatives of the Trump administration, brutally punishing and psychologically tormenting their students," Mahdawi said in a no-holds-barred interview.
A representative for Columbia University, following its announcement of sweeping policies regarding protests in March in response to Trump administration threats to withdraw federal funding, declined to comment on the situation beyond the acting president's statement on Wednesday's confrontations.
Claire Shipman, the acting president, said the protesters stationed inside a library reading room were repeatedly asked to show their IDs and comply with orders to leave. However, they stubbornly refused. The university then requested police assistance, citing the necessity to secure the building and ensure the safety of its community. Shipman branded the actions of the protesters as "outrageous" and disruptive to students preparing for final exams.
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The Trump administration has vocalized its intent to deport Mahdawi due to his activism's potential to jeopardize its foreign policy interests, but a judge ruled that Mahdawi put forth a "significant claim" indicating that the government's arrest of him was a means of stifling dissenting views.
Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident hailing from a refugee camp in the West Bank and arriving in the U.S. in 2014, led campus protests and co-founded the Palestinian Student Union alongside fellow permanent resident and graduate student Mahmoud Khalil.
On April 14, Mahdawi had taken his written citizenship test, provided his responses to oral questions, and signed a document pledging allegiance at a Colchester immigration office when his interviewer stepped away. Moments later, masked and armed agents entered and arrested him, Mahdawi recalled. While he had anticipated the trap, the sudden arrest still sent shockwaves crashing through him, his words painting a vivid picture of light and darkness, cold and hot, rights and powerlessness.
Immigration authorities have apprehended students across the country since the Trump administration's inception, with many of them having taken part in campus protests concerning the Israel-Hamas war. Mahdawi was among the first to secure his freedom after contesting his detention.
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In another noteworthy case, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk on Wednesday, ordering her transfer from a Louisiana detention center back to New England to ascertain whether her rights were violated and warranted her release.
"My message to Rumeysa and others is to stay strong and allow nothing to dim your hope for justice," Mahdawi said. "The justice system has made its stance known, and the checks and balances are still functioning in this country."
Mahdawi's release, under question by the administration, gives him the freedom to travel outside of his home state of Vermont and attend his graduation ceremony at Columbia in New York towards the end of May. Though he believes the administration has turned its back on him and dismisses the work of the student diplomacy council he'd served on alongside Jewish, Israeli, and Lebanese students, Mahdawi plans to attend his graduation ceremony as a unifying symbol.
"I will be there because the message is clear: education is the beacon of hope, and there is no power in the world that can dim that light."
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- Mohsen Mahdawi, a graduate student at Columbia University and a leader in anti-war protests, accused the university of deepening chaos by aligning with the Trump administration's politically-charged agenda and persecuting its students.
- A representative for Columbia University declined to comment on the situation, beyond the acting president's statement about the April 30 confrontations between protesters and campus guards.
- In a no-holds-barred interview, Mahdawi stated that the university is a mold that's deteriorating democracy and is nothing but a catalyst for violence against its students.
- Immigration authorities have apprehended students across the country, including Mahdawi, since the Trump administration's inception, with many of them having taken part in campus protests concerning the Israel-Hamas war.
- In a noteworthy case, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, ordering her transfer from a Louisiana detention center to New England to ascertain whether her rights were violated and warranted her release.
- Despite the government's intent to revoke his citizenship due to his activism, Mahdawi plans to attend his graduation ceremony at Columbia University as a unifying symbol, stating that "education is the beacon of hope, and there is no power in the world that can dim that light."
- The Trump administration has announced its intention to rename the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf, a move that is expected to cause widespread controversy in the region and beyond.
