A new damning report released on Monday highlights the rise of antisemitism, anti-democratic ideologies, anti-Americanism and intimidation tactics at Columbia University.
The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) report's release comes amid significant and ongoing antisemitic protests at Columbia University following the October 7 massacre carried out by the terror group Hamas.
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Pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University
(Photo: Spencer Platt / Getty Images North America / AFP)
The report, entitled "Columbia University: From the Classroom to the Campus - The Normalization of Antisemitism, Anti-Democratic Politics, Marginalization, and Intimidation," reveals how the institution has become a breeding ground for extremism. It documents how university members openly advocate for violence against Israel and Jewish students and faculty.
The ISGAP report indicates that support for terror at Columbia goes beyond classroom rhetoric, representing a dangerous ideology taking root within academia, threatening the safety and well-being of Jewish students and faculty, and stifling the principles of academic freedom and diversity.
A significant portion of the report focuses on the intellectual support for antisemitism at Columbia University. Prominent faculty members such as Edward Said, Rashid Khalidi, Joseph Massad and Kayum Ahmed have been instrumental in fostering an environment that demonizes Israel and the Jewish people. This discourse, initially prevalent in Middle East studies, has permeated into the social sciences and humanities, influencing antisemitic rhetoric and activities on campus.
Following the October 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel, over 100 Columbia faculty members endorsed the student group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which publicly aligned itself with Hamas. The report explores how this endorsement included defending the attack as a legitimate response to the occupation.
Notably, Columbia Prof. Joseph Massad described the October 7 attack as "awesome" and "astounding," reinforcing his long-standing views against the existence of the Jewish state and his antisemitic worldview.
The ISGAP report also details how Jewish students and staff at Columbia have reported a significant increase in antisemitic hostility since October 7, 2023. This hostile environment includes physical assaults, harassment, and pervasive hate speech. In response, legal actions have been taken, including a Title VI Civil Rights Act lawsuit filed in February 2024, alleging severe and pervasive antisemitism on campus.
On April 17, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a Congressional hearing to investigate Columbia University’s "failure to protect Jewish students" amid an explosion of on-campus antisemitism following October 7.
The report also exposes the insidious influence of foreign funding, primarily from Qatar, on Columbia University. Despite legal obligations, the university has failed to disclose significant Qatari funds to the Department of Education (DOE). Crucially, the report uncovers the extent of Qatar's financial contributions and their role in fostering antisemitic discourse, anti-democratic values, and support for terrorism within the university.
ISGAP Executive Director Dr. Charles Asher Small said, "The revelations in the ISGAP report highlight a troubling trend of growing antisemitism and extremism at one of the elite American universities. The normalization of hate and support for terrorism within Columbia University's academic and social environment is not only an affront to American democratic values but poses a direct threat to the principles of academic freedom, safety and diversity that should define our higher education institutions. The unchecked influence of foreign funding, particularly from sources like Qatar, exacerbates this problem, embedding antisemitic and anti-democratic values into the fabric of the university.
"Columbia University must be held accountable for its failure to disclose these foreign funds and for allowing an environment where Jewish students and staff feel unsafe and marginalized. Immediate and transparent action is required to rectify these issues and ensure that Columbia University reclaims its role as a place of inclusive and respectful academic discourse."
In response to the findings, ISGAP has put forward a series of policy recommendations aimed at promoting transparency, safeguarding academic integrity, and combating foreign influence on university campuses. These recommendations include calling for federal investigations into the non-reporting of foreign donations, banning SJP/NSJP, and enacting transparency laws to ensure full disclosure of foreign funding.