CLAREMONT (CNS) – Novelist Salman Rushdie has withdrawn as the keynote speaker during Saturday’s commencement ceremony at Claremont McKenna College, following some protests by Muslim student and community organizations.
College President Hiram Chodosh announced Tuesday that Rushdie had notified the college that he was pulling out as the speaker.
“This decision was his alone and completely beyond our control,” Chodosh said in a letter to the campus community. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to Sir Salman’s visit to CMC and have extended an open invitation to him to speak on our campus in the future.”
Rushdie, who was the target of worldwide death threats in the 1980s following publication of his novel “The Satanic Verses,” will be replaced as commencement speaker by Dr. Richard Heinzl, founder of Doctors Without Borders Canada and the CEO of My Next Health.
The planned appearance by Rushdie had drawn criticism from the Greater Los Angeles Area Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, saying the author has a history of past negative comments and writings about Muslims and Palestine.
“CMC cannot claim to value diversity and inclusion while dismissing the voices of its students,” CAIR-LA Legal Director Amr Shabaik said in a statement earlier this month. “We strongly urge CMC leadership to address the sincere concerns raised by the MSA about the decision to host Salman Rushdie, engage with them in good faith, and ensure that the campus remains an environment where students feel heard, respected, and valued.”
The Muslim Student Association at CMC also disapproved of Rushdie’s selection as commencement speaker, saying the choice “has sparked concern and disappointment among many Muslim students.”
“As the MSA, we stand in solidarity with those hurt by this decision and affirm our commitment to fostering a campus that respects all faiths,” the group wrote in an Instagram post.
CMC’s commencement ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the college’s Pritzlaff Field.
Recent Comments