CAIR-NY Condemns SUNY New Paltz’s Event Hosting Israeli Soldiers During Gaza Genocide
(NEW YORK, NY, 2/28/2024) - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned a SUNY New Paltz event hosting Israeli soldiers on campus while their far-right government is carrying out genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
SUNY New Paltz today host three Israeli soldiers in an event presented by student organizers. The university also allegedly changed the event’s location last minute to a smaller, less accessible part of campus to minimize visibility of a student protest being held in response to the event.
In a statement, CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher said:
“SUNY New Paltz's decision to host an event with Israeli soldiers in the wake of the Palestinian genocide is a grave affront to the rights of SUNY students to feel protected in their place of education.
“The impact of having Israeli soldiers on campus signals that the University condones the ongoing murders of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, including women and children, babies and the elderly. Their event displays a clear and callous disregard to Palestinian students who have lost family and friends or otherwise endured the trauma of this ongoing genocide. We stand in solidarity with Muslim and Palestinian students of SUNY New Paltz and call on the institution to show respect for the lives lost.”
She added that CAIR-NY and the Muslim American community stand in solidarity with all those challenging racial supremacy, religious bigotry, xenophobia, and all other forms of hatred.
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., CAIR-NY Executive Director, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com;
Rabea Ali, CAIR-NY Communications Coordinator, 347-651-0954, rali@cair.com;