IU asked Hillel to postpone Mosab Hassan Yousef’s talk until the fall, citing unnamed security concerns.
(Lucas Gonzalez / WFIU-WTIU)
Earlier this week, Indiana University urged the Jewish organization IU Hillel to postpone an event due to take place Wednesday with a pro-Israel Palestinian speaker over security concerns.
Although activist Mosab Hassan Yousef’s event was postponed, both IU Hillel and pro-Palestine protestors went ahead with separate plans Tuesday night.
Yousef said he was informed about Saturday about the postponement of the event called, “The Truth About Hamas and Israel.”
Yousef, who is the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, speaks at universities on behalf of Israel and against the Hamas government in Gaza.
But his statements on social media about Muslims have drawn accusations of Islamophobia.
According to Yousef, his agent said the FBI was worried about security issues at IU.
I just received this note from my agent...
"Indiana University is postponing the event on 3/26 due to serious and credible security issues involving the Muslim community and several White supremacist groups according to the Chicago/Midwest offices of the FBI.
IU spokesperson Mark Bode shared a statement on the university’s decision: “IU, as a public research university, must serve as a home for the free exchange of ideas while simultaneously ensuring the safety of all members of our campus community.”
In an email Monday, Hillel said Yousef is “far from an ‘Islamophobe’” and that its invitation was based on its “belief that it is important to counter the hate speech we have seen on campus.” Hillel added that it looks forward to working with IU to reschedule in the fall.
Although Hillel postponed Yusuf’s event, a protest led by pro-Palestine organizers went ahead as scheduled at IU’s Dunn Meadow Wednesday. A sizeable crowd of students and community members arrived wearing keffiyehs, holding signs and waving Palestinian flags.
Protestors unfurled "divest from genocide" banners at the protest. (Lucas Gonzalez / WFIU-WTIU)
Yazan AbuSeini is a Bloomington resident whose mom comes from Palestine. He heard about the protest and Yousef’s talk on Instagram.
“I was surprised that they initially gave him the platform, because I thought, as a college, they should bring people together rather than spreading hate and misinformation,” AbuSeini said.
References to the rally on several pro-Palestinian Instagram accounts were removed Tuesday and replaced by statements distancing the organizations from the protest. At a Hillel event later that night, Doug Booher, Associate Vice President for Events and Conferences at IU, said certain organizations that day hadn’t followed planning policies for an event but didn’t go into specifics.
Daniel Segal, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace Indiana, turned out to protest Hillel’s choice of speaker. He said he believes every speaker at IU should be protected by the First Amendment, but that “the university should not be sponsoring and endorsing hate speech.”
“This is somebody who is clearly a hate speaker, and it reveals the truth about Hillel as a large organization and its local chapter,” he said.
Hillel initially advertised the event with the logo of the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion but later removed the post. Bode said the event was not sponsored by the OVPDEI but didn’t respond to a question about other forms of support.
The original post on Hillel's Instagram including the OVPDEI logo.
But Rabbi Sue Silberberg, Executive Director of the Hillel Foundation at IU, said she was surprised at the reaction on campus to Yousef’s invitation. She said she hasn’t seen Yousef’s tweets but believes they were taken out of context.
“He talks about being a proud Palestinian, he wants to save his people,” Siberberg said. “He is anti-Hamas because he sees them as a terrorist organization, and I think his message is inspiring.”
Silberberg said the recommendation to invite Yousef came from the parent of a student. She said his interview with Piers Morgan and speeches at Columbia University and University of Michigan convinced her he would be a good fit.
Hillel held an alternative event Wednesday night with Betsy Borns, a television producer and Executive President of the Jewish Studies program at IU. Associate Vice President for Public Safety Benjamin Hunter also addressed the small crowd, as did Booher.
Betsy Borns spoke to an audience at Hillel about the Israel-Palestine debate, as well as her experiences as a television producer. (Lucas Gonzalez / WFIU-WTIU)
Booher told attendees he looked forward to working with Hillel to reschedule the Yousef event in the fall. He added that it is “unfortunate when events that challenge and expand our thinking aren’t allowed to take place.”
The Anti-Defamation League Midwest chapter criticized IU leadership for “giving in” to intimidation.
“The postponement of tomorrow’s event at IU is another disappointing example of a double standard that allows hate and antisemitism to manifest while silencing opposing voices,” it said on X (formerly Twitter).
Our statement on Indiana University requesting the postponement of an IU Hillel event tomorrow featuring a speaker condemning Hamas.
It is a "another disappointing example of a double standard that allows hate and antisemitism to manifest while silencing opposing voices." pic.twitter.com/OzkVT6VbYX
