USC's pro-Palestinian valedictorian tears into the college for 'silencing' her ... trends now
USC's valedictorian who was banned from making a speech during a university ceremony has said she stands by her views, after being criticized for anti-Semitic posts.
Asna Tabassum, from Chino Hills, California, had been selected as this year's valedictorian at the University of Southern California.
Pro-Israel groups criticized her selection after it emerged she had made posts questioning the Israel-Hamas conflict, with links that promoted antisemitism.
The college removed Tabassum, who is a Muslim, from their lineup stating that 'tradition must give way to safety'.
Speaking for the first time since she was banned from speaking, Tabassum has told ABC7 that she stands by her views.
She told the outlet: ''I stand by exactly what I stand by, I don't believe it is ironic for me to minor in something called resistance to genocide, and then speak out on it and then be revoked because I'm penalized for something that people have an issue with.'
Speaking for the first time since she was banned from speaking, Tabassum has told ABC7 that she stands by her views
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Pro-Israel groups criticized her selection after it emerged she had made posts questioning the Israel-Hamas conflict, with links that promoted antisemitism
Tabassum also said that she wasn't buying the safety claim made by the university officials after they offered her no specifics.
She told the outlet: 'That was a primary emotion, pride and humility and humbleness. Very quickly it turned into shock and surprise.'
When she pressed officials at the school further, she said: '[It was] almost a one-way conversation - and then the next day they came to me.
'They gave me a call and said 'it's unfortunate, but you don't get to speak'. It has been a roller coaster, and I would say that's the best way to describe it.
'When people are using this particular issue as a way to discuss issues of free speech, of security, of first amendment, of racism, of hatred, of ideological debate.
'That is exactly what a university is supposed to do, that is exactly how we learn as college students.
'It's not about the speech, it's about the representation, it's about the principle.'
Tabassum, who is majoring biomedical engineering with a minoring in resistance to genocide, would have addressed 65,000 people at the ceremony.
USC officials chose her from nearly 100 student applicants who had GPAs of 3.98 or higher.
In letters sent to administrators, critics accused her of posting a link to a website that 'takes a swinging bat at over 10% of the USC student body and mudslings by calling Zionists 'racist-settlers.'
Tabassum was been barred from speaking at the commencement ceremony due to alleged anti-Semitic social media posts
Tabassum's pro-Palestinian stance and links promoting the abolition of Israel led to sites with prose, seen above
Tabassum has shared pro-Palestinian views and 'likes' expressed through her Instagram account which she has since made private and removed her postings
A link from Asna Tabassum leads to a website containing various antisemitic sentiments
Tabassum has shared pro-Palestinian views and 'likes' expressed through her Instagram account which she has since made private and removed her postings.
Tabassum's current Instagram bio links to a landing page that says 'learn about what's happening in Palestine, and how to help.'
'Ms. Tabassum unabashedly and openly endorses the link's calls for 'the complete abolishment of
