Elyassini
TERRE HAUTE — An Indiana State University associate professor has come under fire for materials described as antisemitic by parties including the CANDLES Holocaust Museum.
The material in question appeared on social media through StopAntisemitism, an American nonprofit organization.
The faculty member, Mohamed Elyassini, an associate professor in the department of earth and environmental systems, said the material was posted as one of many slides assigned for his ISU courses on ISU Canvas, a web-based learning management system.
That slide lists Jewish members of the U.S. government who help shape policy, including members of the Biden administration and Jewish members of Congress.
It states in part, “Ending Israeli occupation and genocide in Palestine is intertwined with ending Israeli control over U.S. government.”
The material also states, “These disproportionate Jewish ethno-political appointments or nominations by both Biden and Trump in addition to dozens of elected Jewish members of Congress …. can only give a glimpse of the power of Israel in the United States.”
In an email, Elyassini said of the slide, “It is not ‘antisemitic’ to prepare, read it, post it, or share it.”
The slide is now titled “diversity, representation, under-representation, and over-representation,” Elyassini stated.
“It provides examples of ethnic over-representation in U.S. government top-appointed or elected officials for creates real bias, as we can see in our government obsession with supporting genocide in Gaza despite opposition of the rest of the world,” he stated in the email.
He added, “At ISU, we have Foundational Studies courses that mandate training our students to think critically about global affairs and critical thinking issues.”
Indiana State University had the following response to the material:
“We recently became aware of concerns regarding materials from a Department of Earth and Environmental Systems faculty member that were hosted on the Indiana State University website and perceived as antisemitic,” read a statement from ISU.
“We took several actions after learning that the materials had appeared on an Indiana State-hosted website, one of which was the removal of these materials. This decision underscores Indiana State University’s longstanding commitment to fostering cultural and intellectual diversity in the classroom,” the statement said.
According to a statement provided by Troy Fears, executive director of CANDLES Holocaust Museum in Terre Haute, the slide “depicted antisemitic tropes, false narratives and listed Jewish members of the United States government.
“… Creating lists of Jewish people is an example of antisemitic behavior that predates the Holocaust. As an Education Center, CANDLES works to prevent discrimination of this kind.”
Fears further stated, “While CANDLES firmly upholds the importance of critical thinking and free speech in education, we condemn the professor’s actions and expect ISU to take swift action and reassess the class curriculum.
“All students deserve to feel safe, welcome, respected and supported in their learning environment, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion. A slide like the one posted serves only to intimidate, isolate and offend Jewish students.”
Fears invited Dr. Elyassini to CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center, “where he will learn about the Holocaust, (Holocaust survivor and museum founder) Eva Kor, and the dangers of hatred and discrimination.”
Fears said the incident “reflects the disturbing, ever-growing rise of antisemitism on college campuses across the United States … antisemitic displays on American campuses, like this one, responding to the Palestine-Israel conflict, have created an unsafe and unwelcoming atmosphere for Jewish students, educators and staff.”
