The University of Southern California of America canceled the speech of the smartest Muslim student. The new academic session at the university was, according to tradition, to begin with a speech by Atna Tabasim. It would have been a great honor for him, but the university administration apparently canceled the speech out of fear that Tabassum would mention Palestine and condemn Israel in the speech.
The university says the decision has been taken due to security concerns. University of California Provost Andrew Guzman said in an online campus letter that the consultation had been ongoing for several days. The debate and criticism in this regard had intensified. He also said that due to the situation in Gaza and the trends on social media, the situation has worsened so much that security concerns have arisen for the university.
21-year-old Athna Tabasim, who is originally from South Asia, was scheduled to deliver the speech on May 10. In May 2020, Athna was declared the smartest student of her school, but then due to the Corona epidemic, she did not get the opportunity to give a speech.
Expressing deep grief over this decision, Athna Tabsam also regretted that the university administration surrendered to the hate campaign launched to suppress my voice. In a statement released to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Los Angeles), Tabassum said, “I’m not surprised by people who spread hate. It’s sad that my own university, which has been my home for four years.” It’s like, I’ve left.