Harvard reports reveal deep-rooted fear, bigotry among Jewish and Muslim students

UPDATED: Apr 30, 2025 02:50 IST

Harvard University on Tuesday unveiled two comprehensive reports addressing incidents of bigotry and abuse experienced by Jewish, Israeli, Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian students during a tumultuous year marked by campus protests. The reports highlighted concerns about exclusion and fear among students when expressing their political views, reports Reuters.

The findings stem from two task forces established in January 2024 — one focused on combating antisemitism and anti-Israel bias, and the other on addressing anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian bias. Both groups conducted extensive reviews to understand the challenges faced by these communities.

The reports made recommendations that Harvard review its admissions, appointments, curriculum, and orientation and training programs, as well as change its disciplinary processes.

The report came at a time when Harvard is facing extraordinary pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration, which last month said it was freezing more than $2.2 billion in grants, mostly for medical and other scientific research.

Trump has said Harvard and other US universities foster anti-American, antisemitic and Marxist ideologies. Harvard has since sued the government, saying its actions violate its constitutional free speech rights and academic freedom.

Harvard's president, Dr. Alan Garber, said the reports included "searing personal accounts" drawn from listening sessions held last year.

"Jewish, Israeli, and Zionist community members reported experiencing our campus climate as unwelcoming," he wrote in a letter accompanying the reports. "In some cases, they hid overt markers of their identities to avoid confrontation. Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and pro-Palestinian community members reported feeling judged, misrepresented, and silenced."

He wrote that Harvard would do more to teach its students how to have "productive and civil dialogue" with people from different backgrounds and would promote "viewpoint diversity."

(With input from Reuters)

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