Meet Nemat Shafik – Columbia President who called Police to curb pro-Palestine protest
The use of force to curb right to protest at the Columbia University escalated further after the varsity President, Dr Nemat Shafik, called in police to arrest the students rallying for Palestine and against Israeli barbarism in Gaza, and announced to suspend Lawmaker Ilhan Omar’s daughter.
New York: The use of force to curb right to protest at the Columbia University escalated further after the varsity President, Dr Nemat Shafik, called in police to arrest the students rallying for Palestine and against Israeli barbarism in Gaza, and announced to suspend Lawmaker Ilhan Omar’s daughter.
The Columbia University President’s decision to allow the use of force not only failed to dampen the spirit of the pro-Palestine students but also left Dr Nemat herself to criticism by the American Association of University Professors - a professional faculty organization which in a strongly worded condemnation said it has lost faith in her.
“We have lost confidence in our president and our administration, and we pledge to fight to reclaim our university,” the group said in a statement, according to The New York Times.
Who is Dr Nemat Shafik?
Dr Nemat Shafik, also known as Minouche Shafik, is an Egyptian-born American Economist. She is 20th President of the prestigious Columbia University in New York and is on the post since July 2023. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Nemat Talaat Shafik earlier served as President and Vice-Chancellor of the London School of Economics from 2017 to 2023.
Birth and Early Education
Nemat Shafik was born in Alexandria, Egypt. Her father was a Scientist. Her father faced the brunt of the establishment. The land he owned was seized by the Egyptian government. He therefore migrated first to Savannah, Georgia then to Miami and Raleigh in North Carolina when Nemat Shafik was 4-year-old.
Nemat Shafik received her early education from Schutz American School. She graduated Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, with a major in Economics and Politics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1983. She obtained Master of Science degree in Economics from the London School of Economics in 1986 and Doctorate of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Oxford, in 1989.
Nemat Shafik also held various positions at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. During this period she married her colleague, Economist Mohamed El-Erian, in 1990 but the marriage did not last. In 2002, Nemat married Scientist, Raffael Jovine, with whom she has twin children and three stepchildren.
Nemat Shafik's views about Palestine Solidarity
Protests against Israel on university campuses across the United States are on the rise since Oct 7, 2023 after the Israeli murderous military campaign in Gaza. But, for Nemat Shafik, any voice in solidarity of the Palestinians facing Israeli barbarism in Gaza is “anti-semitism”.
Shafik called in police to demolish the camps installed by the pro-Palestine students, arrest around 108 of them and announced to suspend Ilhan Omar’s daughter a day after asserting at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday April 18, 2024 that “the university could do more against anti-semitism.”
During the Congressional hearing, Nemat Shafik also found pro-Palestinian slogans like “From the river to the sea”, “Palestine will be free”, “incredibly hurtful” and “upsetting”, according to The Times of Israel.
She is also of the view that the campaign to boycott Israel, is “a political movement”. For her, call to“globalize the intifada” is also antisemitic.
Columbia University students unfazed
Meanwhile, the pro-Palestine students instead of retreating after the demolition of their camps, arrest of over 100 of them and suspension of some including Ilhan Omar’s daughter Thursday brought-in blanket and water bottles and food to continue their pro-Palestine sit-in on the campus.
Nemat Shafik is also accused of resorting to "most violent use of force against students" and breaking the decades old practice of on campus protests.
"An Egyptian born president of Columbia Nemat Shafik (who is also a dual Egyptian/US citizen) was responsible for what some argue was the most violent use of force against university community in decades when she ordered the clearing of the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus", a social media user wrote on X.
Criticizing Nemat Shafik's decision to use force against the students, Law Professor, Richard W. Painter, demanded her resignation from the post.
"The President of Columbia, Nemat Shafik, used the NYPD to arrest over 100 students just to put on a show for Congress. She accomplished nothing. Now the campus is in chaos. Shafik should get fired or resign", he wrote on X, social media platform originally launched as Twitter.
[The writer, Naif Abdullah Faizee, is Special Correspondent ummid.com.]
Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.
For all the latest News, Opinions and Views, download ummid.com App.
Post Comments