US settles anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian complaint against Emory University By Reuters
Written by Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The US Department of Education on Thursday expressed concern about discrimination against Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and reached an agreement with the institution to resolve the issue.
The university agreed to review its non-discrimination policies and procedures, including those related to protests and the definition of harassment including harassment based on actual or perceived ancestry. The university also agreed to improve training and surveys while evaluating its response to college protests that erupted last year against US support for Israel’s war in Gaza, the Department of Education said.
The university said no wrongdoing was found on its part, adding that it had voluntarily signed a resolution to improve anti-discrimination policies.
Rights advocates have noted an increase in anti-Palestinian, Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents since Israel launched its offensive on Gaza following a deadly attack by the Islamist group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits racial discrimination in federally funded US educational programs.
American universities have seen months of protests as protesters demand an end to US support for Israel and college investments in companies that allegedly support Israel’s invasion of Palestinian territories.
In April of last year, law enforcement officers ordered by university administrators deployed Tasers and tear gas on students protesting at Emory University, activists said at the time.
The Department of Education said it is “concerned that the unprovoked violence of law enforcement personnel seen in widely circulated videos of arrests during the April 2024 protests may have created a hostile environment in the campus community for members of the university who are Palestinian, Arab, or Muslim.”
US government agencies have reached out to other institutions and firms since the start of the Gaza war, including universities such as Johns Hopkins University and the University of California.
On Thursday, the Department of Justice reached an agreement with the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Orlando at SeaWorld (NYSE: ) in Florida to resolve allegations of discriminatory policy against Arabs in charge.
