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The Intercept
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Intercept
A Harvard Commencement Speaker Mentioned Gaza. The School Refused to Publish Her Speech.
Support Us © THE INTERCEPT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Harvard University's campus in Cambridge, Mass., on May 27, 2025. Photo: Sophie Park/Bloomberg via Getty Images Harvard Divinity School broke precedent by refusing to publish a video of its commencement speech after a speaker went off-script to call attention to the perilous conditions in Gaza, The Intercept has learned. 'There are no safe zones left in Gaza after 600 days and 77 years of genocide,' said Zehra Imam, who graduated from the Harvard Divinity School this spring and participated in the embattled Religion and Public Life program. Imam, who is Muslim, was speaking with two other students from Christian and Jewish faiths who had cleared a draft of their planned remarks with the school — and agreed that Imam should go off-script to address the ongoing genocide. 'I center Palestine today, not just because of its scale of atrocity but because of our complicity in it,' Imam said. 'Class of 2025, Palestine is waiting for you to arrive. And you must be courageous enough to rise to the call because Palestine will keep showing up in your living rooms until you are ready to meet its gaze.' Harvard did not publish a video of the speech on its website or YouTube page, as it did with commencement speeches in past years. When Imam and her co-speakers asked why, the school told them the decision was made due to 'security concerns.' The decision runs counter to the public perception that Harvard is crusading against President Donald Trump's threats to cut university funding to crush speech, according to seven Harvard Divinity School students and staff who spoke to The Intercept. While the university has been publicly praised for fighting back against Trump, its efforts to censor Imam's speech and wipe out the civic engagement she took part in have raised concerns among students and staff that the school is actually capitulating to pressure from the White House. The school made a password-protected version of the speech temporarily available to people with a Harvard login, a Harvard spokesperson confirmed to The Intercept. But choosing not to release it publicly 'feels to a lot of students suspicious and just contradictory,' said Perlei Toor, a second-year divinity school student. 'That's not what happened last year or the year before that.' Behind the scenes, the school has been quietly dismantling the Religion and Public Life program from which Imam graduated. Until recently led by the Divinity School's only Palestinian staff member, the program has drawn Trump's ire — and criticism from some alumni, campus leaders, and students. Imam ended her portion of the speech with a poem from a student in Gaza — one of several refugees to whom she offers poetry lessons via an organization she founded connecting U.S. students with students in refugee camps. She and her co-speakers received a standing ovation. 'I had a dream / I went back home / slept in my bed / felt warmth again,' she read. 'I had a dream / My eyes forgot the blood, the loss, the patience … My nose forgot the smoke smell, the deaths, the corpse rotten … My body skipped what I had lived.' Read our complete coverage The suppression of Imam's speech capped off a chaotic year for the Divinity School's Religion and Public Life program. As of last month, Harvard had pushed out the program's three leaders, canceled a class, suspended one of its initiatives, and cut most of its staff. The program itself is still relatively new: Harvard launched Religion and Public Life in late 2020, following worldwide protests against police brutality to focus on 'educating leaders to understand the civic consequences of religion, in service of building a just world at peace.' During a time of uncertainty, the program would 'shape our character and trajectory both in the years to come as well as in our tumultuous present.' After the October 7 attacks, the program's troubled trajectory began to take shape. Program leaders, faculty, and staff sent a newsletter urging affiliates of the Divinity School to 'challenge single story narratives' that justified retaliation against Palestinians. Harvard Divinity School Dean David F. Holland disavowed the statement, as the Harvard Crimson reported, saying it did not represent the school and described it as 'unproductive.' The following year, the group Students Against Antisemitism sued Harvard over claims that the school had failed to stop antisemitism on campus. The suit criticized the Religion and Public Life program for hosting a screening of the film 'Israelism,' which documents changing Jewish attitudes toward Israel, and took aim at the program's flagship course, which took students on a trip to Israel and the West Bank. Harvard agreed to a confidential settlement in the suit last month. Last May, the Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance released a report on campus antisemitism that took further aim at the letter program faculty sent after the October 7 attacks. It also criticized the program's Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative, which ran the flagship course and examines how religion can promote peace in situations of violent conflict and mass displacement. The initiative, the report claims, 'appears to focus entirely on the Palestinians.' According to Toor, the second-year student, this framing is emblematic of misconceptions about the Religion and Public Life program. News stories and discourse about the program often miss 'just how much Religion and Public Life does besides Palestine and Israel,' she told The Intercept. The program provides opportunities for students to connect religious studies to the public sphere through tracks in government, journalism, and humanitarian aid, among other topics, and to take on related internships. It also plans more than half of the school's programming and events. Late last year, facing political pressure and security concerns, program leaders decided not to take students on the trip to Israel and the West Bank or offer the flagship course this spring. Shortly after, the departures of several program leaders were announced. In January, Assistant Dean Diane Moore, who built the program and taught the course, announced she would leave the program early. The next day, Assistant Dean Hussein Rashid announced he would leave the program at the end of the academic year because of what he described as the school's anti-Muslim bias and a 'hostile environment to Muslims and Arabs.' Moore did not respond to a request for comment. Rashid declined to comment on the record. According to Toor, the program has been a necessary home for people of all faiths. 'Because of the diversity of the staff and because of the range of topics that students were able to explore,' Toor said, 'especially since the inauguration of Trump, [the program] has been a real space of ministerial comfort.' But in April, Harvard's much-anticipated report on antisemitism presented a narrative closer to the one from the Jewish Alumni Alliance. Released just after the school said it would not comply with a letter with Trump's demands, the April report was a result of the efforts of Trump's antisemitism task force. The school had just pushed out leaders of its Center for Middle Eastern Studies and ended its partnership with Birzeit University in the West Bank. The new report identified the Religion and Public Life program as one of several offenders that contributed to the 'frequency and intensity of treatment of Israel as an oppressor state and the Palestinians as an oppressed people in courses and public events throughout the campus.' This, according to the report, was 'indicative of institutional bias and hostility.' 'While the program was publicly launched with what seemed like a broad mandate to explore the intersection of religion and various aspects of public life, in practice, it focused heavily on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, presenting a perspective widely perceived as consistently anti-Israeli and aligned very narrowly with a strand of pro-Palestinian politics,' the report read. 'This narrow focus on this exceptionally polarizing topic appears to have stemmed from the decision, made soon after RPL's founding, to center its programming around a multi-year case study on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.' The program focuses on a wide range of topics like the economy, democracy and voting rights, education, and humanitarian aid, said Toor. Topics related to Israel and Palestine are a fraction of the work it does on campus. The program continued to shrink, this time with cuts. Shortly after the report was published, the school began notifying staff and other program leaders — including its only Israeli professor — that their contracts would not be renewed due to budget cuts. The school also announced it was pausing the program's Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative. One of the staff cut was Hilary Rantisi, the program's Palestinian American associate director who co-taught the flagship course. 'They terminated the only Palestinian employee that they had,' said Preston Iha, a first-year student in the Masters of Divinity program. 'Which is, again, signaling and makes people wonder who is really welcome at a school that claims to welcome everybody.' Last month, the day after the commencement, the school notified program staff about additional cuts. Four staff members' jobs were eliminated, and a fifth staffer was given a three-month extension of their contract, which is set to end June 30. A new program director, Terrence L. Johnson, will take over at the end of June — but students and staff told The Intercept it's not clear what the program will consist of after its staff was gutted. 'It seems like, yes, there could be budget cuts,' said Toor. 'But for you to target one program so specifically, and for that program to also be heavily mentioned in the antisemitism report and the Islamophobia report, it seems like too much of a coincidence.' Imam, the commencement speaker, was one of three students who told The Intercept the Religion and Public Life program was one of the major reasons she attended Harvard in the first place. 'It's very, very frustrating to see this censorship and attack on academic freedom,' Imam said. Shir Lovett-Graff, a Jewish spiritual leader who graduated from the Divinity School last year, said the attacks on the program were part of a long-running pattern at Harvard. 'Far before the Trump administration targeted Harvard and any university, far before Trump was elected into office for his second term, Harvard itself, internally, has a legacy of cracking down on pro-Palestine voices,' said Lovett-Graff, who helped found the student group Jews for Liberation, the largest Jewish student organization at Harvard Divinity School. 'It is not out of the ordinary or unexpected in any way for Harvard to crack down on pro-Palestine or even Israel-critical spaces on campus. That is part of Harvard's legacy,' Lovett-Graff said. They said they were grateful the program had been 'a place of connection for Jewish students, staff, alumni and faculty who are not represented by the Jewish mainstream of Harvard and beyond.' Toor, the second-year student, told The Intercept she feared that with the program gutted, students would lose a comforting space on campus. 'Students have been flocking to the office just to hang out and vent and have a safe space where they could be a person of color, where they can be Muslim, where they can be an international student in times when that is really needed and has felt really limited,' Toor said. 'This is a home that's being lost for a lot of students.' 'It's definitely sending the wrong message for Harvard Divinity School,' said Iha, the first-year student, 'which touts itself as being a moral center, to capitulate to these really immoral demands.' Imam said given everything she'd seen Harvard do to gut the program and censor speech on Palestine, she was concerned that the school would not approve her speech if she showed them what she planned to say about Gaza. 'Having seen everything in my time at Harvard Divinity School, I was worried that if I had shared those exact things in my speech and submitted that version, that I would not have been allowed to actually share what I wanted to,' Imam said. 'I wanted Gaza to have the last word. I wanted to center Palestine.' Join The Conversation
Time Magazine
7 days ago
- General
- Time Magazine
Raúl E. Zegarra
Zegarra is Assistant Professor of Roman Catholic Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School. His most recent book is A Revolutionary Faith
Wall Street Journal
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Harvard Also Has Christian Antisemitism
'As queer and trans people, political radicals, abolitionists and anti-Zionists, imagination is our calling,' a Harvard Divinity School student pronounced on campus. She denounced Israel's 'state violence, settler colonialism, fermented trauma and religious nationalism.' The setting wasn't an encampment, an unauthorized graduation speech, or a foreign-funded Middle East studies seminar. It was a sermon at morning prayers inside Harvard's Memorial Church. The university owns and operates the church, which occupies a prominent position in the physical center of campus. The Harvard Corp. selects and employs its minister. The church website, with audio and transcripts of sermons, has a address. Contributors to the church get a tax receipt that says 'thank you for donating to Harvard University.' Memorial Church calls itself 'an interdenominational Protestant church' and 'a community of social critique and human compassion.' When it comes to Israel and the Jews, as the Divinity School student's speech indicates, Harvard's main campus church has been heavy on critique and light on compassion. Hostility has come from professors and professional clergy, too.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What is Eid al-Adha? Why is it celebrated? The Islamic holiday explained
Eid al-Adha, a period of "communal enjoyment" for Muslims worldwide, is officially underway. Over two billion Muslims are currently, or preparing, to celebrate the "Feast of Sacrifice," a major Islamic holiday that commemorates a profound act of faith. The festival, which spans a couple of days, is marked by prayer, the ritual sacrifice of animals and feasts. One of the most significant and well-known traditions is Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which every Muslim has to do once in their lifetime. "Just as Christians perform the communion in honor of the sacrifice of Jesus [Christ] and they have bread and wine together, the flesh and blood of Jesus. Muslims do this sacrifice in honor of the sacrifice of Abraham, of his son, which is either Isaac or Ishmael," Mohsen Goudarzi, assistant professor of Islamic Studies at the Harvard Divinity School, said in a Thursday interview with USA TODAY. Here's what to know about the Islamic holiday, including when and how it is celebrated. Eid al-Adha commemorates Prophet Abraham's commitment to his faith, as he was "willing" to sacrifice his son. Traditionally known as Ishmael, because God asked him to. God intervened at the last moment, presenting a ram to be sacrificed in the son's place. Eid al-Adha, regardless of the day, always falls on the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah, the final and most sacred month of the Islamic calendar. This year's "Feast of Sacrifice," specifically the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, began at sunset on June 5, authorities in Saudi Arabia recently confirmed to Al-Jazeera. The date provided by the Saudi Arabian government holds relevance to those who are making the Hajj."Around the world, people do [observe] this far from Mecca, they just face the Meccan sanctuary during their prayers and rituals," Goudarzi said. Muslims who are not participating in the Hajj, or holy trip, typically observe Eid al-Adha starting June 6. The date of Eid al-Adha may also vary from country to country. "If people in Iran, for example, or in Indonesia or in Pakistan, their government can say, 'You know what the 10th day is this Friday. And so, this is the day when we come together, those who are not going to Mecca, which is the vast majority of the public,'" Goudarzi said. "They would get to define which day is the festival." Though devotion plays an important role in how Muslims observe Eid al-Adha, there is also room to come together and have fun. "The whole festival is very much geared towards communal enjoyment," Goudarzi said. While the day may start off with a special prayer service at a mosque, Muslims make time to visit with loved ones on the "Feast of Sacrifice," exchanging greetings, gifts "Eidi" and food, including homemade sweets. Muslims also follow the way of the Prophet Muhammad, also known as Sunnah on Islam, by engaging in certain practices on Eid. (Sunnah is followed every day, not only on Eid.) Some of these practices include taking a bath or shower in the morning, wearing one's best clothes and perfume, taking a different path home from attending Eid prayer, or saying 'Takbeer' ("Takbir") to praise God on the way to Eid prayers. Those with the means may present a Qurbani, or animal sacrifice, comparable to the sacrifice that Prophet Abraham was willing to make. Goats, cows, sheep, lambs and camels are some of the animals permitted to be sacrificed. "If you can afford it, you can perform the sacrifices, or have some people perform the sacrifice on your behalf and distribute the meat, either for yourself and for charitable purposes," Goudarzi said. While the participation in the Qurbani and the consumption of the Qurbani is not required, it is encouraged. The meat from the Qurbani is split three ways: one-third for you and yours, one-third for family and friends and one-third for the needy. Some Muslims go to slaughterhouses that practice zabiha, the prescribed method of slaughter for halal animals for their Qurbani sacrifice or donate to charities that distribute meats to communities affected by food insecurity. "Generally, the highlight is really the 10th day, when you go to a mosque, oftentimes the big mosque in your town or city, and you perform the rituals and you come together and so on," Goudarzi said. "It does have a very festive atmosphere." Contributing: Mariyam Muhammad, The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eid al-Adha: The Isalmic holiday's origins, traditions
USA Today
06-06-2025
- General
- USA Today
What is Eid al-Adha? Why is it celebrated? The Islamic holiday explained
What is Eid al-Adha? Why is it celebrated? The Islamic holiday explained Eid al-Adha, a period of "communal enjoyment" for Muslims worldwide, is officially underway. Over two billion Muslims are currently, or preparing, to celebrate the "Feast of Sacrifice," a major Islamic holiday that commemorates a profound act of faith. The festival, which spans a couple of days, is marked by prayer, the ritual sacrifice of animals and feasts. One of the most significant and well-known traditions is Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which every Muslim has to do once in their lifetime. "Just as Christians perform the communion in honor of the sacrifice of Jesus [Christ] and they have bread and wine together, the flesh and blood of Jesus. Muslims do this sacrifice in honor of the sacrifice of Abraham, of his son, which is either Isaac or Ishmael," Mohsen Goudarzi, assistant professor of Islamic Studies at the Harvard Divinity School, said in a Thursday interview with USA TODAY. Here's what to know about the Islamic holiday, including when and how it is celebrated. What is the significance of Eid al-Adha? And when is it celebrated? Eid al-Adha commemorates Prophet Abraham's commitment to his faith, as he was "willing" to sacrifice his son. Traditionally known as Ishmael, because God asked him to. God intervened at the last moment, presenting a ram to be sacrificed in the son's place. Eid al-Adha, regardless of the day, always falls on the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah, the final and most sacred month of the Islamic calendar. This year's "Feast of Sacrifice," specifically the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, began at sunset on June 5, authorities in Saudi Arabia recently confirmed to Al-Jazeera. The date provided by the Saudi Arabian government holds relevance to those who are making the Hajj. Stories of identity across the country: Sign up for USA TODAY's This is America newsletter. "Around the world, people do [observe] this far from Mecca, they just face the Meccan sanctuary during their prayers and rituals," Goudarzi said. Muslims who are not participating in the Hajj, or holy trip, typically observe Eid al-Adha starting June 6. The date of Eid al-Adha may also vary from country to country. "If people in Iran, for example, or in Indonesia or in Pakistan, their government can say, 'You know what the 10th day is this Friday. And so, this is the day when we come together, those who are not going to Mecca, which is the vast majority of the public,'" Goudarzi said. "They would get to define which day is the festival." More news: D-Day in photos: See historic images from the Normandy landings How do Muslims observe Eid al-Adha? Though devotion plays an important role in how Muslims observe Eid al-Adha, there is also room to come together and have fun. "The whole festival is very much geared towards communal enjoyment," Goudarzi said. While the day may start off with a special prayer service at a mosque, Muslims make time to visit with loved ones on the "Feast of Sacrifice," exchanging greetings, gifts "Eidi" and food, including homemade sweets. Muslims also follow the way of the Prophet Muhammad, also known as Sunnah on Islam, by engaging in certain practices on Eid. (Sunnah is followed every day, not only on Eid.) Some of these practices include taking a bath or shower in the morning, wearing one's best clothes and perfume, taking a different path home from attending Eid prayer, or saying 'Takbeer' ("Takbir") to praise God on the way to Eid prayers. Those with the means may present a Qurbani, or animal sacrifice, comparable to the sacrifice that Prophet Abraham was willing to make. Goats, cows, sheep, lambs and camels are some of the animals permitted to be sacrificed. "If you can afford it, you can perform the sacrifices, or have some people perform the sacrifice on your behalf and distribute the meat, either for yourself and for charitable purposes," Goudarzi said. While the participation in the Qurbani and the consumption of the Qurbani is not required, it is encouraged. The meat from the Qurbani is split three ways: one-third for you and yours, one-third for family and friends and one-third for the needy. Some Muslims go to slaughterhouses that practice zabiha, the prescribed method of slaughter for halal animals for their Qurbani sacrifice or donate to charities that distribute meats to communities affected by food insecurity. "Generally, the highlight is really the 10th day, when you go to a mosque, oftentimes the big mosque in your town or city, and you perform the rituals and you come together and so on," Goudarzi said. "It does have a very festive atmosphere." Contributing: Mariyam Muhammad, The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network
