Columbia University President Minouche Shafik testified before a House committee regarding a controversial article written by Professor Joseph Massad, labeling Hamas’ attack as a “resistance offensive.” Some lawmakers at the hearing took issue with Massad’s use of the word “awesome” in describing the attack and his support of Palestinian resistance fighters. Shafik condemned Massad’s statements and confirmed he was under investigation for allegedly making discriminatory remarks, which Massad claimed he was unaware of until Wednesday.
During the hearing, Shafik stated that Massad had been spoken to by the head of his department and his dean regarding the unacceptable language used in the article. However, Massad disputed this claim, stating that he had not been reprimanded and had received support from his chair and deans due to death threats and campaigns against him. When CNN reached out to confirm Massad’s statements with his department chair and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, there was no response from the chair and the dean referred inquiries to a university spokesperson who provided no comment.
Shafik initially stated that Massad was no longer the chair of the Academic Review Committee at Columbia, but Massad contradicted this by stating he remained chair of the committee until his term expires in a few weeks. Another Columbia spokesperson later told CNN that Massad had chaired his final meeting of the committee, but did not clarify if he had been removed. When CNN reached out to other professors criticized during the hearing, Mohamed Abdou, who expressed support for Hamas on social media, did not respond to requests for comment. Additionally, Columbia Business School assistant professor Shai Davidai, under investigation for harassment, claimed he was being targeted for his social media tweets.
The investigation into Massad and other professors has sparked controversy and differing accounts of the disciplinary actions taken at Columbia University. Massad maintains he has not faced any consequences for his article, while Shafik asserts he was spoken to about his language. Other professors criticized during the hearing, such as Mohamed Abdou and Shai Davidai, have not provided comments on the allegations made against them. The conflicting statements from university officials and the professors involved have raised questions about the handling of disciplinary issues related to antisemitism and controversial statements on social media at Columbia. The investigation and response to these issues continue to be a point of contention among the university community.
