House Republicans grill Columbia president over employment of prof who called Oct 7 Hamas attack ‘awesome’

House Republicans connected Wednesday grilled Columbia University President Dr. Nemat "Minouche" Shafik regarding nan employment of a professor who celebrated nan Oct. 7 Hamas attacks arsenic "awesome." 

During nan House Education and nan Workforce’s proceeding to talk antisemitism connected Columbia’s campus, Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., condemned what he called nan "perverse" statements by a tenured Columbia professor, Joseph Massad, who is listed arsenic nan chair of nan School of Arts and Sciences Academic Review Committee. 

In nan aftermath of Oct. 7, Massad penned an article praising "the innovative Palestinian Resistance" and Hamas militants for attacking Israel and glorifying Hamas's bulldoze of astir 1200 Jews. He described nan panic onslaught connected confederate Israel arsenic "awesome," "astonishing," "astounding," and "incredible." 

"Professor Massad has besides been known to person called Israelis, quote, ‘cruel and bloodthirsty colonizers,’ extremity quote. And who subordinate them? Israeli subject as, quote, ‘baby sidesplitting Zionists, Jewish volunteers for Israeli Jewish supremacy,’ extremity quote," Walberg said. "In 2005, an investigation by Columbia corroborated allegations that Massad yelled astatine a Jewish student who questioned his views to, quote, ‘Get retired of my classroom.’ Can you ideate free reside diverseness connected campus?" 

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(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

Walberg blasted how, arsenic chair of nan School of Arts and Sciences Academic Review Committee, Massad oversees nan periodic reappraisal of each departments, centers and institutes and successful nan school. The congressman asked Shafik if Massad had faced immoderate consequences for his words.

"He has been spoken to," Shafik replied.

When pressed astir whether Massad had faced immoderate further consequences, Shafik said he had been removed arsenic chair of nan committee. Later on, House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., stated that Massad was still listed arsenic chair connected nan school's website. Shafik said she would person to corroborate whether he was still serving successful that role. Stefanik pressed Shafik connected whether she would region him from that domiciled if he was so still successful that position, and she yet said, "Yes."

Walberg noted that Massad is simply a tenured professor, and asked Columbia Board of Trustees co-chairs Claire Shipman and David Greenwald if they would o.k. tenure for him if they could make that determination today. Both said they would not.

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The statue of Alma Mater connected nan field of Columbia University successful New York, Oct. 10, 2007. Four months aft a contentious legislature proceeding led to nan resignations of 2 Ivy League presidents, Columbia University’s president is group to look earlier nan aforesaid committee complete questions of antisemitism and nan school’s consequence to escalating conflicts connected campus. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, File)

Stefanik besides pressed Shafik connected different professor, Dr. Mohamed Abdou, a visiting professor successful Modern Arab Studies. According to nan congresswoman, Abdou was hired aft nan Oct. 7 violent onslaught successful Israel, and connected Oct. 11, posted "Yes, I'm pinch Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad." Stefanik said nan professor besides "decried mendacious reports accusing Arabs and Muslims of decapitating nan head, decapitating nan heads of children and being rapists." 

"We cognize that location were decapitations of babies, of guiltless Israeli citizens, of seniors of women. There were rapes. And yet Columbia hired this individual arsenic a professor. How did that hiring process work? Were you alert of those statements earlier nan hiring?" Stefanik demanded to know. 

Rep. Elise Stefanik grilled Columbia University president Nemat "Minouche" Shafik regarding inflammatory anti-Israel remarks made by Columbia professors. (Haiyun Jiang/Bloomberg)

Under pressure, Shafik confirmed that Abdou will not beryllium returning aft this semester, and he "will ne'er activity astatine Columbia again." 

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The House GOP chair questioned nan presidents of Harvard, UPenn and MIT successful December connected whether calls for nan genocide of Jews violated rules against bullying and harassment of their schools’ codes of conduct. Unlike nan presidents of those 3 universities, nan Columbia president and committee of trustee co-chairs each answered definitively "Yes" erstwhile asked nan aforesaid mobility by Democratic Rep. Suzanne Bonanici, of Oregon.