Walberg Stunned By Columbia Pres's Response To Professor Who Made 'Perverse' Statement After Oct. 7

8 months ago

At today's House Education Committee hearing, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) grilled Columbia University President Minouche Shafik about a professor who celebrated the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.

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Transcript

00:00Mr. Ticano, Mr. Wahlberg, you're recognized for five minutes.

00:03Thank you, Madam Chair, and thanks to the panel for being here.

00:05The day after the October 7th attack, Professor Joseph Massad, and I only single him out amongst

00:11numerous others that I could single out because he particularly is a tenured professor and

00:18chairs the School of Arts and Sciences Academic Review Committee, he wrote in an article praising,

00:24and I quote him, the innovative Palestinian resistance, end quote, for attacking Israel

00:32and glorifying Hamas's slaughter of nearly 1,200 Jews as, and I quote again, awesome,

00:41astonishing, astounding, and incredible.

00:47What perverse statements.

00:49A tenured professor who's been saying these type of things for 20 years at Columbia.

01:04Professor, President Shafik, you recently said, and I quote, it is absolutely unacceptable

01:09for any member of the Columbia community to promote the use of terror and violence, end

01:15quote.

01:16Do you condemn Professor Massad's statement, and has he faced any consequences for it?

01:21Congressman, I do condemn his statement.

01:24I am appalled by what he said.

01:27Any consequences?

01:28He has been spoken to, and I think you could-

01:32So support of terrorism is acceptable if you're a Columbia professor?

01:38Not at all.

01:39And I should say-

01:40He's been spoken to?

01:41I didn't get to finish.

01:43I have your answer.

01:46Let me move on here.

01:48Professor Massad has also been known to have called Israelis, quote, cruel and bloodthirsty

01:54colonizers, end quote, and foreigners who joined the Israeli military as, quote, baby-killing

02:00Zionist Jewish volunteers for Israeli Jewish supremacy, end quote.

02:06In 2005, an investigation by Columbia corroborated allegations that Massad yelled at a Jewish

02:13student who questioned his views to, quote, get out of my classroom.

02:18Can you imagine free speech, diversity on campus?

02:25Let's move it over.

02:28Let's intentionally disregard the feelings of a Jewish student as being less than human

02:34in this classroom, to someone like myself who might be given this to wear, to remember

02:43and bring home the hostages now, to quietly take it off so my professor wouldn't see it,

02:54a professor who holds my academic career in the palm of his hands.

03:01That's free speech?

03:04That's diversity?

03:08President Shafik, I'm concerned that that isn't happening here.

03:14So let me ask this question.

03:17As the chair of the School of Arts and Sciences Academic Review Committee, Professor Massad

03:21is responsible for, quote, overseeing the periodic review of all departments, centers

03:27and institutes in the school.

03:30Do you stand behind Professor Massad, remaining chair of the Academic Review Committee, giving

03:35his support for terrorism and harassing Jewish students?

03:38Congressman Walbrook, I just want to confirm that when faculty behave in any discriminatory

03:44fashion at Columbia, you talk to them, there are consequences.

03:47No, we take them out of the classroom if necessary.

03:50We see out of the classroom leadership posts if necessary.

03:54We allow students to leave those classes if they feel at all uncomfortable.

03:58Is he out of the classroom?

04:00He is, I believe to answer your question, he is no longer chair of that committee and does not have a leadership role.

04:08But not in the classroom?

04:09Let me move over to the trustees.

04:14As trustees, would you approve Professor Massad for tenure if the decision were before you today?

04:25I would not.

04:26Nor would I.

04:28Then why is he still in the classroom?

04:31You are trustees of this preeminent institution of diversity, of free thought,

04:38and you talk to professors who make horrific statements like this.

04:45And as I said, I could have addressed other professors.

04:49You, in fact, even pointed out that there were numerous professors that you're looking at right now.

04:55If they're only going to get it talking to, I'm concerned.

04:59I yield back.

Walberg Stunned By Columbia Pres's Response To Professor Who Made 'Perverse' Statement After Oct. 7

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