IDS Thursday, March 28, 2024
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
INSIDE, P. 9
Mellencamp performs an evening of nostalgia
Battery reported at Briscoe Quad on March 3
Students rally against Islamophobia By Christy Avery and Marissa Meador news@idsnews.com
When a handful of counter protesters approached the rally against Islamophobia in Dunn Meadow on March 26, no harsh words were exchanged. Instead, Esteban Hernandez, standing with the pro-Palestinian demonstrators, began to play the violin. A brief feeling of tension swept across the crowd, but Hernandez continued playing, cutting through the silence with “Leve Palestina” by Kofia — a 1970s Swedish song that translates to “Long Live Palestine” in English — and “Mawtini,” an Arabic poem set to music that serves as an unofficial Palestinian anthem. The proPalestinian demonstrators chanted “free Palestine” for a moment before the tension cleared and the protesters began marching toward Kirkwood Avenue, away from the counter protesters. The protesters had gathered in the meadow after months of violence in Gaza and a series of decisions by IU that left Muslim and Arab students feeling unsupported. But the inciting event for the protest was a now postponed IU Hillel event featuring Hamas member-turnedIsraeli-spy Mosab Hassan Yousef, whose derogatory comments about Muslims sparked criticism from the Palestine Solidarity Committee and the Middle Eastern Student Association. “We’re here to show them and show ourselves that hate does not triumph. Love remains,” PSC graduate advisor Bryce Greene said. IU asked Hillel to cancel the event a few days prior due to credible security concerns. According to a post from Yousef on X, IU told Yousef’s agent the security concerns involved “the Muslim community and several white supremacist groups.” Hillel officially postponed the event in an email March 25 night, saying it will be rescheduled to the fall, but no
By Madelyn Hanes
mrhanes@iu.edu | @madelynrhanes
MICHELLE REZSONYA | IDS
Protesters hold signs in support of Palestine during a rally March 26, 2024, at Dunn Meadow in Bloomington. The inciting event for the protest was a now postponed IU Hillel event featuring Hamas member-turned-Israeli-spy Mosab Hassan Yousef.
exact date has been set. In the email, Hillel rejected criticism calling Yousef Islamophobic and reiterated the false narrative that the event was supported by the IU Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The office’s logo was on Hillel’s original event flyer posted to Instagram, which has since been deleted. However, the office was never an official sponsor according to Mark Bode, executive director of media relations at IU. Bode did not provide a comment by publication. The Anti-Defamation League Midwest repeated Hillel’s claim that the event was supported by the office in a statement released on X on March 25, where they also condemned IU’s decision to ask Hillel to postpone the event. “We are dismayed by the forced postponement of Tuesday’s IU Hillel event featuring Mosab Hassan Yousef. The event was sup-
ported by the IU Department of Diversity and Inclusion and was cancelled at IU’s request based on the threat of protests by individuals who harass and intimidate to spread their extreme, hateful, and antisemitic views. We are disappointed IU leadership gave in,” the statement read. “The postponement of tomorrow’s event at IU is another disappointing example of a double standard that allows hate and antisemitism to manifest while silencing opposing voices.” Malkah Bird, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace Indiana who traveled from Indianapolis to attend the rally, said she was relieved to hear the office was not sponsoring the event but is still extremely concerned Hillel would attempt to platform Yousef. “This speaker that the Hillel group was trying to bring is a notorious Islamophobe, and the idea that he was being brought here in the name of Jewish people,
we are strongly opposed to that,” Bird said. “It’s not something we would ever want to be associated with.” Bird said IU computer science professor Amr Sabry sent a letter, which JVP co-signed, to OVPDEI about their supposed sponsorship of the event. Also copied on the email were Maliha Zafar, executive director of the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network, JVP representative Daniel Segal, IU professor Beverly Stoeltje and IU Academics for Justice in Palestine. A copy of the emailed letter, sent March 20, showed it was also sent to Whitten and IU Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President Rahul Shrivastav. The letter requested that IU withdraw its alleged support for Yousef’s talk, publicly condemn his “message of hate” and request that Hillel hold the talk off campus. Additionally, Sabry detailed grievances about IU’s response to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and sub-
sequent actions taken by the university, including collaboration with pro-Israel organizations, the cancellation of artist Samia Halaby’s exhibit, professor Abdulkader Sinno’s suspension, the lack of a Middle Eastern culture center and the cancellation of a panel on discrimination against pro-Palestinian voices. The email also mentioned the lack of supportive statements and alleged disregard for communication by faculty informing OVPDEI of threats against Muslim students. Wimbush emailed a response the same day confirming OVPDEI was not a sponsor of the event and was listed erroneously in Hillel marketing materials. Wimbush said the safety of students will always be top priority and that IU encourages the free and civil exchange of ideas, but he did not directly address any of Sabry’s specific comments. SEE RALLY, PAGE 3
IU Hillel hosts Hollywood producer Betsy Borns By Jonathan Frey jonafrey@iu.edu
IU Hillel hosted an event featuring former “Friends” writer and producer Betsy Borns at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in place of the postponed speaker event with Mosab Hassan Yousef. Borns, executive president of IU’s Borns Jewish Studies program advisory board, spoke on Yousef’s cancellation and Jewish presence in Hollywood. Borns’ talk was originally planned for 12:30 p.m. March 26 but was rescheduled following the Yousef event’s cancellation. Yousef was scheduled to speak at 7:30 p.m. in Wilkinson Hall about Hamas and Israel, but IU asked Hillel to postpone due to credible security concerns. The controversy surrounding Yousef revolves around his stance on the war in Gaza. A Palestinian defector to Israel and the
son of one of the founders of Hamas, he has campaigned against a ceasefire in Gaza and made derogatory comments about Islam and its followers. On Dec. 14, 2023, Yousef posted a video to X in which he said “If I have to choose between 1.6 billion Muslims and a cow, I will choose the cow.” Yousef’s invitation to speak brought criticism from student groups such as the Palestine Solidarity Committee and the Middle Eastern Student Association, which advertised a community-led rally against Islamophobia as a counterprotest measure March 26. IU asked the PSC and MESA to postpone the rally so it could go through IU’s official registration process, saying the organizers would be in violation of polices regarding sponsored student organization events if it occurred as planned. The organizations posted state-
Bloomington Bicycles open for business By Joseph Ringer jnringer@iu.edu
tion of Yousef’s talk. Booher expressed disappointment in the pushback against organizing events meant to “challenge and stretch our minds.” SEE BORNS, PAGE 4
SEE BIKE SHOP, PAGE 4
JONATHAN FREY | IDS
the way Yousef’s event was handled. Before Borns spoke, IU’s Vice President of Public Safety Benjamin Hunter and Vice President of Events Doug Booher offered initial comments on the cancella-
COURTESY PHOTO
Bloomington Bicycles is photographed March 19, 2024. The shop opened its doors Feb. 19, 2024.
The old building on SR 46 and SR 446, previously used as a car repair shop, has some new life in Bloomington Bicycles. Bloomington’s newest bicycle shop is a Specialized and Cervélo dealer and RETÜL-certified bike position fitter. Bloomington Bicycles officially opened its garage doors to the public Feb. 19. Bloomington Bicycles is the fifth currently operating bike shop in Bloomington, joining Bikesmiths, Bicycle Garage Inc., Bicycle Doctor USA and Revolution Bike and Bean. Aside from the difference in location compared to Bikesmiths, Revolution Bike and Bean and Bicycle Garage Inc. — which are all within walking distance from each other in downtown Bloomington — owner and elite bicycle racer Johnathan Becker hopes Bloomington Bicycles can stand out in other ways.
Former "Friends" writer and producer Betsy Borns speaks at an IU Hillel event March 27, 2024. She spoke in place of the speaker event with Mosab Hassan Yousef, which was postponed by IU due to credible security concerns.
ments March 26 saying they were not affiliated with the rally. A crowd of around 40 students and local members of the Jewish community attended Borns’ talk. They expressed frustration with
A student reported a battery incident March 3 at Briscoe Quad around 2:30 a.m. according to the IUPD crime log. IU Police Department Public Information Officer Hannah Skibba said in an email a student reported that three unknown men, identified by the Office of Student Conduct as IU students, called them derogatory names. The incident resulted in two of the four people being charged with aggravated battery, according to the IUPD crime log. The student who reported the incident then threw food at one of the men’s face, which led to a physical altercation between the four of them. Skibba said that the incident did not rise to the level of a hate crime. The reporting student sustained non-life-threatening facial injuries. The IU Office of Student Conduct is working closely with the IUPD investigations unit.
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