CAIR-NY Calls on NYU to Release Diploma Withheld Over Anti-Genocide Graduation Speech

(NEW YORK, NY, 5/15/25) – The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today strongly called on New York University (NYU) to release a diploma withheld from a student over his pro-Palestinian, anti-genocide commencement address.  

 

SEE: Twitter Post 
SEE: Statement by NYU Spokesperson John Beckman  

SEE: Full Speech (X) 

 

On Wednesday, May 14, NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study hosted its commencement ceremony. The 2025 student speaker, Logan Rozos, used his speech to bring attention to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and U.S. complicity over the last eighteen months.

Later that day, NYU Spokesperson, John Beckman, published a statement explaining how the university plans to withhold Rozos’s diploma as they proceed with disciplinary action against him. This follows an established trend of punitive measures that NYU has taken against their students for expressing solidarity with Palestine. 

 

In a statement, CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher, Esq. said:

 

“We commend Logan for using this opportunity to demand an end to the bloodshed in Gaza. In a world where the word ‘Palestine’ has become wrongfully criminalized, it is individuals like Logan who keep Palestine in our consciousness and at the forefront of our actions. We demand that NYU formally release Logan’s diploma, which he rightfully earned, and suspend any disciplinary proceedings against him.” 

 

CAIR-NY continues to reaffirm the rights of pro-Palestinian speech at NYU.  

 

SEE: CAIR-NY Calls for Hate Crime Probe of Vandalism Targeting NYU Library Muslim Prayer Space  

SEE: CAIR-NY Condemns NYU Law’s Retaliatory Ban on Students During Finals, Urges Immediate Reversal of Sanctions Over Anti-Genocide Activism  

SEE: CAIR-NY to Respond to Firing of Speech Over Pro-Palestinian Comments in Award Acceptance Speech 

 

CAIR launched its “Unhostile Campus Campaign” aimed at fostering a campus environment in which Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, and other students, faculty, and staff opposing the genocide in Gaza enjoy free speech and academic freedom and are not subjected to state force or university discipline due to their viewpoints.  

  

CAIR previously designated NYU as an institution of particular concern due to reported incidents, policies, and discriminatory practices targeting Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, and other individuals opposing the occupation, apartheid, and genocide. 

 

Other institutions of particular concern may be found at: https://islamophobia.org/category/hostile-campuses/  

   

SEE: CAIR Designates NYU and Northwestern as ‘Institutions of Particular Concern’ for the Mistreatment of Anti-Genocide Voices   

 

Students, staff, and faculty who wish for their university or college campus to be considered as a potential “institution of particular concern” should complete the ‘Report a Hostile Campus’ form.    

 

The organization adds a disclaimer that the form is intended solely to inform CAIR’s ‘UnHostile Campus Campaign.’ Students, faculty, and affiliates seeking CAIR’s legal and advocacy services should continue to contact their local office or chapter, or in the event that there is no local chapter, file a formal report with CAIR’s National Civil Rights Department.   

CAIR-NY's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.   

La misión de CAIR-NY es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.   

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CONTACT: Afaf Nasher, Esq., Executive Director, anasher@cair.com, 917-669-4006; CAIR-NY Communications Team, comms@ny.cair.com