Brandon Cortés – General Reporter
Just outside the library, another protest took place to provide support and raise awareness about what is happening between Israel and Palestine on Nov. 29, with 20 students and faculty members attending.
Computer science major Shahzaib Raza, a sophomore, played a key role in leading the protest. During his speech, he highlighted the censorship of Palestine-related content by numerous media outlets, emphasizing that individuals expressing support for Palestine also face suppression from these platforms.
“A few days ago, there was a protest like this going on in Washington, only bigger. More than a thousand people attended. Did you see it on the news? Of course not, because they were silenced,” Raza said. “If a new coffee comes out on Starbucks, you see it in your app, you see it in many ads, you see it everywhere, but these types of protests go unnoticed.
During the speech, Raza emphasized the fact that several people who have expressed their opinions about what is happening in Palestine have been placed in serious danger.
“Many people are putting themselves in danger just for expressing their opinions about this. That makes me think: ‘Will I be next?’ I don’t know,” Raza said.
Political science and business administration major Sarah Majzoub, a junior, was also at the protest and gave a speech reciting the chant “For the rivers of the sea, Palestine will be free.”
“As many of you know, there has been a lot of controversy over this chant,” Majzoub said. “Many people want to believe that this chant means something hurtful when it is not. To me, it means a promise.”
Majzoub said she has had to make sure to follow Instagram guidelines and take good care of the comments she makes on social media to prevent her accounts from being deleted or suspended.
“These 53 days, I have made sure that everything I say does not offend anyone else. I have had to reassure everyone around me that just because I support Palestine does not mean I hate anyone or other religion,” Majzoub said. “I’ve had to bring myself down so that others don’t feel offended. Why is it that when we are exposing the genocide towards Palestine, we must make sure not to offend anyone?”
Majzoub said that as a Muslim the first thing she is taught is to be respectful and be kind to others. She said that as a Muslim and as someone who advocates for human rights, she does not support anti-Semitism or any hatred towards any race or religion.
However, Majzoub says that it is never okay to take the lives of others, much less justified by war.She says that she will never again be apologetic for expressing herself when speaking for the ones who were killed for supporting Palestine in Vermont, Chicago, New Jersey, Texas and other states and nations just to make them feel comfortable
“I will never watch my words when speaking about the war crimes Israel’s government has been committing for over 70 years, and I am no longer going defend myself saying I’m not ant-Semitic when Jewish people for decades have stood up and publicly condemn the Israel government,” said Majzoub.
Environmental science major Katie, a senior, said that attending this protest helped to support her Palestinian friends.
“This cause is important, and this is a genocide, and we really need to stand up for our friends whenever we can,”
