The University of Southern California Cancels Its Muslim Valedictorian’s Commencement Speech, Citing Safety Concerns
17th April 2024
When asked whether Tabassum will still be permitted to participate in the graduation ceremony and what security measures were in place to secure her safety, Bartlett said she didn’t have that information. A Chino Hills, California native, Tabassum studied biomedical engineering with a minor in resistance to genocide and an interest in global health care equity.
Which tells you pretty much what her graduation speech would be about. (Hint: not biomedical engineering.)
Would a Jewish student who planned to denounce Islamic terrorism have faced the same strictures? (*That’s a trick question, because no Jewish student would have been allowed to be valedictorian of a large public university to begin with.)