Young Muslims in US feel unsafe expressing support for Palestine

CHICAGO (AA) – Participants of the congress organized by the Muslim American Society (MAS) and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) told the media that they hesitated to express their views on Israel’s attacks on Palestine.

They hold the Biden administration responsible for the increasing pressure in all areas, from social media to university campuses, against expressing pro-Palestinian views.

As the countdown begins for the November 2024 US Presidential Elections, all eyes are on the crucial role of young people in the ballot and campaign process.

Despite feeling pressured by the Biden administration’s Gaza policy, Muslim youth look forward to taking a more active role in US politics.

Tarek Khalil, the American Muslim Education Coordinator for Palestine, has been actively involved in US politics since his student years.

In his current role, closely connected with university students, Khalil said that students feel under attack.

“Students are under attack, and the reason why they’re under attack is not because they’re ineffective. Quite the opposite, it is because they are effective with the grassroots organization that they’ve been doing for the past decade,” Khalil said.

“I think it’s crucial that we as activists, we as educators, we as political agents here in the US and elsewhere that we provide the students the tools and provide them the legal defense and political defense that is necessary so that they don’t feel stifled so they are they’re able to continue their work,” Khalil added.

He mentioned Muslim youth who face the risk of losing their scholarships, academic careers, and jobs due to accusations of “anti-semitism” resulting from their support for the Palestinian cause.

“This new generation is willing to put up with those consequences because it’s just a different mindset has grown in these days. Because they are the future leaders, they are the ones that are going to eventually create a free environment for Palestinians and create a free Palestine,” he added.

– Angry, sad but hopeful –

Medical student Rend Nayfey, who volunteered to go to Gaza in August, said that throughout the summer, she provided support to local healthcare teams in many hospitals there along with her colleagues.

The young medical aspirant described the US administration’s policy on Gaza and its unconditional support for Israel as a “disappointment.”

“These are people with lives, the people with hopes with futures with dreams and just a drive to help other people and they’re being treated like there are nothing like dirt,” she added.

Texas Medical School student Elias Nasser, originally from Gaza, recalls an incident where three young people were attacked with weapons for wearing Palestinian keffiyehs and speaking Arabic as they headed to a Thanksgiving dinner.

“As a student myself, I called for our Representatives, our leaders to protect us, to protect us as students, protect our rights as students, and support the work that we do as students to support the people in Gaza,” he said.

Muslim youth want to exert pressure on American politicians with their votes, but they also face pressure in their daily lives.

The youth are hesitant to participate in protests and carry concerns about losing their scholarships, academic careers, and jobs due to their social media posts.

Another Muslim youth, who preferred not to be named, said: “I know it’s a pressure that I had to deal with and I spoke to my dean personally about it. It’s one thing to be pro-Zionist and speak up and it’s another thing to be pro-Palestinian and speak up. While in the middle of the applications and applying for residencies, we just heard about a resident who got kicked off his program for being pro-Palestinian.”

Oussama Jammal, the Secretary-General of the Council of American Muslim Organizations (CMO), one of the major Muslim umbrella movements in the US and a participant in the MAS-ICNA congress held in Chicago, underlined that non-Muslim youth are also disturbed by the Biden administration’s Gaza policy.

“The polls show almost 70% of the youth are not happy and disfavor Biden on his policy. That is significant. That is not just the Muslim youth; it is the nationwide youth. I think that’s something that the president has to pay attention to.”

Despite the one-sided coverage of the occupation of Gaza by the US media, Jammal believes that social media play a significant role in revealing the reality of what is happening.

He added that Americans had the chance to access the truth through social media, which allowed them to see what was happening in Gaza, leading to a significant change in the American perspective, especially among the youth.

Jammal said that the US government’s supportive stance towards Israel has left the youth disappointed and angered.