Statement on the Antisemitic Remarks from Visiting Speaker at Duke

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 7, 2022

Contact: Avi D. Gordon, Executive Director Alums for Campus Fairness

917-512-4585, [email protected]

 

Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF) strongly condemns Mohammed El-Kurd for his hateful and antisemitic remarks during an event titled “Resistance and Agency.” We cannot stand by as outside speakers bring antisemitism to our alma mater.

At the event, El-Kurd was asked what would happen to Israelis if Palestinians took all the land “from the river to the sea” and he replied, “I don’t care, I truly, sincerely, don’t give a [expletive],” which was met with applause. In addition to these blatant displays of hatred, El-Kurd mocked Jewish students’ concerns about his history of antisemitism.

“The DSG’s funding of Mohammed El-Kurd’s anti-Israel message was a grave disappointment,” says ACF Duke Chapter Leader Mike Ross. “El-Kurd has a right to voice odious opinions. Even though such an attitude is an obstacle to reconciliation and inevitably fuels Jewish-hatred. Duke had no compelling reason to provide him a stage and sadly lowered its reputation by doing so.”

The Duke administration must make it clear that there is no place for hate on campus.

 

About ACF: About ACF: Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF) leverages the unique power of alumni to combat antisemitism on college campuses. ACF helps organize and cultivate alumni chapters for colleges and universities across the country, equipping members with tools, tactics, and training to proactively engage with administrators. Learn more at www.campusfairness.org.