Columbia University — an institution whose radicalism frequently spills out into the streets of Manhattan — is trying to distance itself from Columbia University Apartheid Divest after the coalition of student extremists echoed Iranian dictator Ali Khamenei’s go-to motto following his assassination on Saturday.
CUAD, a coalition of anti-Israel student groups that purportedly operates “outside of the purview of a registered student organization,” didn’t take the news of Khamenei’s death particularly well, calling it “devastating news.”
‘Columbia has not, and will not, recognize or meet with the group.’
In another social media post, which has since been deleted, the student group wrote, “Marg bar Amrika.”
This Persian phrase, which means “Death to America,” was one of the dead ayatollah’s go-to slogans.
“The slogan and shout of ‘Death to the U.S.’ by the Iranian nation has strong logical and rational support and stems from the Constitution and fundamental thoughts that brooks no injustice and oppression,” Khamenei stated a decade ago. “This slogan means death to the policies of the U.S. and arrogant powers and this logic is accepted by every nation when explained in clear terms.”
CUAD noted in a subsequent tweet that was taken down by Elon Musk’s X for violating the platform’s rules, “X forced use[sic] to delete our ‘marg bar amrika’ tweet in order to gain back access to our account but the sentiment still stands.”
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Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images
The university — which had its accreditation threatened last year over its alleged “indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students” and is paying the federal government over $220 million to settle investigations into alleged discrimination on campus — rushed to denounce CUAD’s “violent, abhorrent language.”
Columbia emphasized that “‘CUAD’ is not a recognized student group and is not affiliated, in any fashion, with the University”; “the matter has been referred to law enforcement for further investigation”; and “there is no evidence, at this point, that anyone currently in control of this social media account is a Columbia student, staff, or faculty member.”
While it is unclear who presently mans the radical group’s social media accounts, Mahmoud Khalil — a Syrian-born radical and former Columbia University graduate student who is presently fighting potential deportation by the Trump administration to Algeria — previously identified himself as a spokesman for CUAD.
The university, which has been home to anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests in recent days, noted that it denounced the group last July, making clear “Columbia has not, and will not, recognize or meet with the group that calls itself ‘Columbia University Apartheid Divest’ (CUAD), its representatives, or any of its affiliated organizations.”
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Iran, Khamenei, Columbia university, Divest, Apartheid divest, University, School, Radical, Radicalism, Islam, Iranian, Death to america, New york city, Politics