BUZZ
‘When I wear my keffiyeh, my hijab, it feels as if I’m taking a deathly risk’ — graduate student
Last Tuesday at Rutgers University, approximately 450 people, 50 of whom were graduating students, attended the “2026 People’s Convocation for Palestine” as an “alternative” to the “system of oppression” the school allegedly has established.
According to The Daily Targum, previously canceled School of Engineering convocation speaker Rami Elghandour gave a speech, as did several graduates and faculty.
Rutgers had said it cancelled Elghandour’s original appearance due to a few graduates expressing concern over his social media posts … and wanted to “keep the focus on […] students and honor the celebratory spirit” of the convocation.
According to The Targum, a university official pointed specifically to a tweet in which Elghandour accused Israel of “committing genocide,” “running dungeons,” and “train[ing] dogs to sexually assault prisoners.”
As he promised, Elghandour posted his planned speech to social media (below) shortly after the cancellation. In it, he says “instead of getting [Rutgers’] institutional backing,” pro-Palestinian students get “doxxed, fired, and blacklisted [and] such is the imbalance of privilege.”
He further laments that instead of “recoiling in horror at the unconscionable and inhumane treatment of Palestinians, [Rutgers] focused on [his] tweet.” He calls Rutgers’ leaders “morally bankrupt” and “racist” which “render them unfit for office.”
During his “Convocation for Palestine” speech, Elghandour told the crowd. “You stood on business, you stood by your convictions and you truly, truly turned the tide. When they say they don’t believe in you, what they’re actually saying is they are terrified if you actually believed in yourself and we believed in each other.”
Professor Noura Erakat, whose research includes human rights law, social justice, and critical race theory according to her faculty page, referenced Elghandour in her speech: “We are so sorry that the university that molded you has been outpaced by your vision. The university tried to silence you, but they forgot about us.”
Erakat also brought up the recent shooting at a San Diego mosque, claiming the incident is a “reminder that none of this is abstract.”
Biomedical Engineering Professor Troy Shinbrot told the crowd “Vietnam is free, South Africa is free, Chile is free and Palestine will be free.”
Aseel Abukwaik, member of the Palestinian Youth Movement of New Jersey and student in the Graduate School of Education, spoke about the fear she experienced as a Muslim and called Rutgers out for contributing to it.
“When I wear my keffiyeh, my hijab, it feels as if I’m taking a deathly risk that will put a target on my back due to the false narrative that Palestinians and Muslims are fanatic terrorists,” said Abukwaik. …
Tasnim Seif, a graduating student in the School of Arts and Sciences and advocacy chair of the Muslim Public Relations Council, said discussions of Palestine were suppressed in her political science classes.
“When I proposed my topic on the illegal imprisonment of children in the West Bank, (I) was told, ‘It may be better if you choose something that you’re less personally and emotionally attached to,'” said Seif.
In an on-stage interview following his speech, Elghandour said “I’ve been really successful without compromising who I am … because it turns out if you’re just consistently yourself, most people love you for who you are.”
MORE: Canceled Rutgers speaker defends Israel ‘trains dogs to sexually assault prisoners’ comment
