Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), pressed Columbia University’s president about pro-Hamas professors on campus during a congressional hearing Wednesday.
Stefanik, a senior member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, had numerous rounds in which she attacked the Columbia president for antisemitism on campus under her watch.
“I’m talking about the faculty members who are supporting terror,” Rep. Stefanik said while questioning Dr. Nemat “Minouche” Shafik, Columbia’s president since July.
One of the professors, Joseph Massad, called Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel “awesome” in an opinion article the day after the attack. A petition with over 70K signatures calling for Massad’s firing back in October was “ignored” by the university, according to critics.
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Stefanik presses Columbia University president about pro-terrorism on campus.
“I think [Massad] was told [by his department] that that language was unacceptable,” Shafik told Stefanik.
As for whether there was disciplinary action taken, the president said, “In his case, he has not repeated anything like that ever since.”
“You have no action? No disciplinary action,” Stefanik asked.
The congresswoman also addressed the hire of Islamic anarchist Mohamed Abdou, who was hired as an “Arcapita Visiting Professor in Modern Arab Studies” professor for the Spring 2024 semester.
According to his biography, Abdou “is a North African-Egyptian Muslim anarchist interdisciplinary activist-scholar of Indigenous, Black, critical race, and Islamic studies, as well as gender, sexuality, abolition, and decolonization with extensive fieldwork experience in the Middle East-North Africa.”
“Abdu… was hired after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel,” Stefanik said.
She went on to say that Abdou had posted on Oct. 11, “I’m with Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.”
Columbia professor Joseph Massad and visiting professor Mohamed Abdou. (Fox News Digital)
“He also decried false reports accusing Arabs and Muslims of decapitating the head, decapitating the heads of children and being rapists. We know that there were decapitations of babies, of innocent Israeli citizens, of seniors, of women. There were rapes. And yet Columbia hired this individual as a professor. How did that process work? Were you aware of those statements before the hiring?” Stefanik asked.
“I share with you your repugnance at those remarks. I completely understand that on my watch, faculty who make remarks that cross the line in terms of antisemitism, there will be consequences for them.,” Shafik responded.
Stefanik asked, “What are the consequences in this case at the moment?”
“I have five cases at the moment [of employees] who have either been either taken out of the classroom or dismissed,” the president said. “He will he will never work at Columbia again.”
Stefanik responded, “So he has been terminated?”
Protestors demonstrate near Columbia University on February 02, 2024 in New York City. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
“He has been terminated,” the president said. “And not just terminated, but his files will show that he will never work at Columbia again.”
However, Shafik stated Abdou would continue to work at the university to finish class work.
“He is grading his students’ papers and will never teach at Columbia again,” the president said.
Stefanik then asked about how the Islamic anarchist’s alleged proclamation of U.S.-desginated terror groups went under the radar during the hiring process.
“I agree with you that I think we need to look at how to toughen up those requirements,” the president said.
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Later in the hearing, Stefanik rebutted the notion that Abdou was busy grading papers.
“Just to let you know, Mr. Abdou is not grading papers right now. He’s on campus on the unsanctioned anti-Israel, antisemitic event that is being supported by pro-Hamas activists on campus. So that’s what Professor Abdou is doing at this time.”