We, the Arab and Muslim student body of Johns Hopkins University, condemn the state of Israel, and its history of war crimes and countless human rights violations—we are deeply disturbed by the reluctance of our administration to do the same. Palestine’s opposition to Israel does not occur in a vacuum and can only be understood within the context of the last 75 years of occupation and oppression. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International both condemn Israel’s occupation of Palestine and designate it as an Apartheid State (ICJ, UN, Amnesty, HRW). The Gazan Blockade has been cited as one of the most densely populated areas on Earth and is functionally an open-air prison.
Since October 7:
- Israel murdered 2,750 Palestinians (Reuters), including over 800 children, injured 10,000, and wiped out 41 entire families as reported by the Gazan Health Ministry.
- Israel used illegal white phosphorus incendiary rounds on civilians (Human Rights Watch).
- According to the World Health Organization in the occupied Palestinian territory, Israel attacked healthcare facilities on 111 occasions, killing 12 healthcare workers on duty (AlJazeera).
- By denying essential commodities like electricity, food, water, fuel, and humanitarian aid, Israel is collectively punishing and committing a war crime against Gazans, denying them their basic human rights (AP News).
- Israel told 1.1 million civilians to evacuate Northern Gaza along a designated safe route, giving them 24 hours to do so and claiming the route would not be attacked. The Israeli Air Force then bombed this path as civilians evacuated, killing more than 70 Palestinians (AP News).
- Israel threatened all entities that tried to provide aid to Palestinians, including threatening to target and bomb Egypt's efforts to provide humanitarian aid (AP News).
None of this violence, or its impact on us students, was acknowledged by the administration.
A number of incidents on this campus have shown us Arabs and Muslims that our oppression is a taboo that remains unacknowledged. Hijabi women on campus have been targeted: followed around campus, photographed without consent, and called derogatory racist terms such as “terrorists.” While painting the Blue Jay Statue we were called “genocidal maniacs.”
In President Ronald Daniels's letter, we are reminded that Palestinians are not “brutally murdered” like Israelis but rather just happen to be killed.
Discrimination from the upper levels of JHU leadership was further shown when President Daniels met personally with Jewish organizations on campus but did not respond to the Arabs and Muslims who emailed him.
As members of a leading university, we are encouraged to have nuanced discussions and an earnest desire to search for truth and objective fact, yet the partial narrative propagated by our university, paired with the ongoing discrimination against Muslims and Arabs on campus and more widely in America, denies us our rights of free speech and muzzles the voices that would otherwise engage in a discussion of the Israel-Palestine.
The inadequate protection for, and intimidation of, students advocating for Palestinian citizens is a concern, especially when faced with threats of defamation on college "terror" lists, which could jeopardize their future employment opportunities. This atmosphere fosters the unchecked spread of Islamophobia and racism, reminiscent of the post-9/11 era's pervasive prejudice. The same toxic sentiments recently culminated in the tragic killing of 6-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea Al Fayoume in Chicago, a reflection of the ongoing Gaza-Israel conflict's broader societal impact. In light of these events, we emphasize the paramount importance of acknowledging Israel’s crimes against humanity and advocating for free speech for all to ensure the safeguarding of our democratic rights, principles, and practices.