Initial offer made ‘prematurely, ’ school says
Harvard University withdrew a scholarship to a Columbia University doctor, saying the university made the offer “prematurely. ”
But, Professor A. Kayum Ahmed alleges he lost the present because of his opinions on Israel and Palestine.
The Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights rescinded the offer next year.
“According to [ Harvard Kennedy School ] director Daniel B. Harsha, Ahmed’s give — for an paid, non-resident place at the Carr-Ryan Center — was extended ‘prematurely without going through Harvard Kennedy School’s complete assessment and screening process, ’” The Harvard Crimson reported. “Once the dean’s company completed the evaluation process, HKS chose to change course and remove the scholarship offer, Harsha said. ”
Ahmed even works for Human Rights Watch, which has been critical of Israel’s reaction to the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack by Hamas.
He wrote on Linked In:
Despite initial understanding, Harvard University Kennedy School reversed its decision after what I understand to be stress from pro-Israeli groups—because of my voice and philosophical support for Israeli liberation. The administration has cited “a method failure ” in its justification. But we know that method is usually weaponized to defend power and silence dissent.
But let’s be honest: the actual error—according to those pulling the strings—was that I refused to be silent in the face of murder.
The doctor also said there is a “growing assault on anyone who dares to condemn Jewish racism, U. S. involvement, and the regular crime inflicted on Palestinians. ”
“It’s about Coral Mission watchlists, operational gaslighting, and wealthy organizations bowing to political pressure, ” Ahmed alleged.
He said his “hope for Arab independence remains strong. ”
“They does list me, disinvite me, try to remove me. But I am not alone. The battle continues—and but do I, ” he concluded.
The Columbia doctor has previously dismissed censure of his remark by accusing his detractors of white privilege.
As The Crimson reported:
In lesson audio obtained by the Wall Street Journal and described in a March 2024 content, Ahmed identified Israel as a settler-colonial condition and used the experience of displaced Zionists as an example of how colonization harms the health of indigenous populations.
The post included complaints from some individuals that Ahmed’s training was “indoctrination. ” Ahmed responded, in a speech to the Journal, by deriding them as “a bunch of wealthy, white students ” unused to examining how they benefit from white power and capitalism.
Soon after the article’s release, Ahmed was removed from the teaching staff for Columbia’s Core Curriculum, and his health and individual rights training was canceled. His commitment at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health was never renewed past the end of 2024.
Harvard Kennedy School, which houses the Carr Center, originally faced criticism for withdrawing an offer to Kenneth Roth, the former chairman of Human Rights Watch.
HKS immediately made another present to Roth, but he already had taken a position at the University of Pennsylvania, as The Fix reported in 2023.
Further: Trump cuts funding to UMaryland violence centre that listed quiet pro-lifers
IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Columbia University Professor A. Kayum Ahmed; A. Kayum Ahmed/Linked In
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