The University of Southern California (USC) faces backlash from the country’s largest Muslim civil rights group after the school announced on Monday that its valedictorian will not be allowed to speak at her commencement.
Asna Tabassum, a first-generation South Asian-American Muslim biomedical engineering major, with a minor in genocide studies, was told by USC officials that the university would not accommodate her valedictory speech, after unprecedented threats were levied towards her and the institution.
In an email to students and faculty explaining the decision, USC Provost Andrew Guzman said discussion over her appointment took on an “alarming tenor,” and had “escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement.”
