Press Conference Highlights Rising Islamophobia at UC San Diego

IQNA – A press conference was recently held at University of California, San Diego, to highlight the rising Islamophobia in the past year.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a nonprofit Muslim civil liberties organization, held a press conference on October 11 in front of Geisel Library to address the increasing incidents of anti-Islamic racism. The event featured speeches from students and faculty discussing the Islamophobia faced by Muslim students on campus.

The press conference, announced by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on social media, drew around 30 in-person attendees and 20 viewers on SJP’s Instagram live stream, the university's press service reported on Thursday.

Mamoun Mraish, president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), opened the event with a prayer and expressed the Muslim community's frustration with the UC San Diego administration. “Either our emails go unanswered or we get empty responses that lead to nothing,” Mraish stated.

He emphasized that the MSA has sought support through various means, including providing safe spaces for dialogue and addressing hateful rhetoric, but has seen little action from the administration.

Gary Fields, a professor in the department of communication, spoke next, recounting the law enforcement response to the Gaza solidarity encampment during the previous Spring Quarter.

Fields, whose research focuses on Israel and Palestine, called for action against injustice. “We’re here today to protest against this assault on our dignity, on our rights as students, as faculty, as citizens of a so-called free and democratic society,” Fields said. He demanded an end to the bias and false accusations against Palestinians seeking justice and equal rights.

A student passionate about Palestine criticized the university's inadequate support for Muslim students. “As [the] public, we call the university to make a public commitment to [stand] with marginalized communities by working with Muslim students to release statements with tangible and actionable goals to keep transparency with the rest of the student body,” the student urged.

They also called for partnerships with external advocacy organizations like the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and CAIR to ensure continuous support and education.

Leslie Meyer, representing Faculty for Justice in Palestine, highlighted actions taken by the Council of UC Faculty Associations against the university for violating free speech. “In September, the Council of UC Faculty Associations took the historic step of filing a formal complaint against the UC System,” Meyer said. The complaint alleges that the university has violated laws, its own policies, and both state and U.S. Constitutions.

An anti-Zionist Jewish speaker from Jewish Voices for Peace criticized the conflation of Israel and Judaism, stating, “This is not a religious issue. This is not Muslim versus Jewish people. This is power against people. This is a genocide. So, we say again, not in our name.”

In closing, CAIR representative Omar Abusham emphasized the importance of student voices and representation, urging the university to take meaningful action. “UCSD, which champions itself as a space for inclusion and equity, must match this by action,” Abusham said. “We must demand more from our institution because our students — all students — do not deserve anything less.”

Members of the administration present at the press conference declined to comment.

Source: Agencies