North Texas Muslim Leaders Stand in Solidarity with 21 Students/Professors Arrested at UTD Pro-Palestine Encampment Protest

The Islamic Association of North Texas (IANT) along with 27 other houses of worship, businesses and community associations in the DFW Metroplex have signed a letter to hold their elected officials accountable for deploying police force on students protesting for Palestine at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) campus last Tuesday. 

The letter was addressed to the Mayor of Richardson Bob Dubey, Mayor of Allen Baine Brooks, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis, Richardson Chief of Police Gary Tittle, Allen Chief of Police Steve Dye, Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner and UTD President Richard Benson. 

The letter states, “It shocked our collective conscience to witness students—children who have been raised in our communities—be arrested and forcefully dragged away in zip ties for sitting in Chess Plaza, chanting and requesting the University acknowledge their requests, including the exigent humanitarian concerns underlying them.” The letter goes on to make an “unequivocal demand” that the City of Richardson, RPD and the University safeguard the constitutional rights of our community’s students and their wellbeing. 

IANT representative and attorney Khalid Hamideh says the organization felt compelled to speak out on behalf of the “brave students at UTD.” 

He said, “We believe they have been unfairly targeted by shameful and hateful policies from our Governor's office,” said Hamideh. “We also felt compelled to point out the hypocrisy of the dual treatment of our peaceful student protest compared to the armed protest at IANT where the police department took a totally different, defensive and respectful stance towards the armed protesters.” 

President of the North Texas Islamic Council (NTIC), Mujeeb Kazi, told AMT community leaders will be standing firm with those arrested for exercising their First Amendment rights. 

“NTIC, alongside communities across North Texas, is still recovering from the unexpected yet brutal response from the police. The families, friends and community members of these law-abiding young students arrested for protected peaceful protest are appalled at their treatment. We stand behind them and we will be advocating for them,” said Kazi. 

18 students and 3 professors were arrested last week at the UTD campus after attempting to set up an encampment similar to those at Colombia University, UT Austin and others across the nation. They were charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass. 

Lawmakers have called out the hypocrisy of the crackdown against the students. In 2019 Texas Republicans in the House and Senate changed the state’s law with updated guarantees for free speech and freedom of assembly. At the time it was seen as supporting extremist right-wing speakers on campuses and TX Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos of Dallas voted against the bill. She has accused UT Austin and UT Dallas of failing to be transparent about their policy and actions. 

The UTD encampment itself lasted only 12 hours before local police departments and Texas State Troopers equipped with face shields, batons and zip ties, began to make arrests, dismantle tents and load the encampment’s supplies onto pickup trucks. 

Last Thursday, AMT met some of the 21 arrested who were released outside  Collin County jail. 22-year-old student Mousa Najjar said they felt criminalized for exercising their constitutional right to free speech and were disappointed in their college administration for refusing to listen to their demands. 

“The betrayal was expected, this administration has shown his true colors early on … by not acknowledging and not respecting the Palestinians’ lives that were lost in the genocide,’ said Najjar. “And as Palestinian students and as leaders of Students for Justice in Palestine UTD, we will stand up against that and against the lack of acknowledgment for our demands.” 

Some community members have called out the media coverage surrounding the student protests nationally and here in DFW. Last Friday the local Fox 4 News had a live feed of Jummah prayers at UTD, and earlier had published mugshots of the 21 arrested and a clip from a student speech that started with “comrades,” hinting they were criminals and communists. This led to a deluge of vitriolic racist Islamophobic comments on the network’s online blog. 

Kazi says the brutal response by law enforcement was especially shocking as the Muslim community has long enjoyed a positive relationship with them, “It is disheartening to witness the police, as an institution, forcefully suppressing peaceful protesters from universities who are protesting against a blatant genocide. Instead of providing them protection, they are being arrested, jailed, and their futures jeopardized. 

We are saddened to see the United States, once known as an epicenter of principles promoting human rights, freedom of expression, and freedom of protest and assembly, deviate from these ideals. Our country, being held hostage to the interests of a foreign power, is something the American people are not willing to accept.” 

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