A Palestinian scholar was expelled from a Florida highschool after his mom made pro-Palestinian posts on social media

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has requested the US Division of Schooling examine the expulsion of a Palestinian American highschool scholar over pro-Palestinian content material his mom posted on social media.

Jad Abuhamda, 15, was expelled on November 19 from the Pine Crest Faculty in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and his mom, Dr. Maha Almasri, was fired from her place as a math tutor on the college after she made posts criticizing Israel’s “collective brutality” towards Palestinian civilians and youngsters in Gaza throughout the ongoing battle, CAIR stated in a Wednesday news release.

The personal college issued a statement saying they thought-about Almasri’s social media posts to be “hateful and incendiary,” which Almasri has denied.

“We considered a few of this particular person’s posts — together with, for instance, a picture of a soldier pointing a machine gun at an toddler within an incubator and a picture with commentary suggesting that some needed to roast infants in an oven — as having the potential for inciting hatred and making a local weather of worry,” Pine Crest Faculty stated. “Her conduct was additionally such that the Faculty believed it might enhance the chance of violence in our group and compromise the protection of our college students, workers, and households.”

Almasri informed CNN her posts had been taken out of context and her son has been subjected to wrongful therapy.

CAIR Florida managing lawyer Omar Saleh stated throughout a Thursday information convention they haven’t acquired a response from the college to their letters requesting extra data on why Jad was expelled. The varsity responded to CNN’s request for remark with a hyperlink to its information launch.

“For these causes, the Pupil Handbook and enrollment settlement clarify that if a guardian engages in conduct that’s ‘disruptive, intimidating, or overly aggressive’ or ‘interferes … with the Faculty’s … security procedures, obligations, or the accomplishment of its academic objective or program,’ the Faculty might take the motion that it deems crucial to deal with the scenario,” the college assertion stated.

CNN has independently considered the social media posts, which mentioned the mounting loss of life toll of youngsters in Gaza, the variety of explosives dropped on Gaza, and the historical past of Palestinians who had been violently expelled from Palestine in 1948 to type the state of Israel.

One of many photographs the college alluded to is a cartoon graphic depicting an Israeli soldier pointing a gun at a child in an incubator, a metaphorical reference to the untimely infants at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, whose incubators stopped working when Israeli airstrikes minimize off the generator powering the incubators. Not less than three of the infants died, in accordance with earlier CNN reporting.

Almasri says her posts had been referring to the mounting humanitarian disaster in Gaza, the place in response to Hamas’ October 7 assault that killed 1,200 individuals, Israel has launched a siege and war that has killed greater than 18,700 Palestinians, 70% of whom are girls and youngsters, in accordance with the Hamas-controlled well being ministry in Gaza.

“None of my posts had been inciting violence, they had been merely shedding gentle on what was occurring, the humanitarian disaster that was occurring in Gaza,” Almasri stated throughout a CAIR information convention Thursday. “It didn’t name for hate or violence or any of that. I really feel that, once more, criticizing a authorities or a set of individuals shouldn’t result in any retaliation towards that one who’s attempting to specific that and in addition take it upon themselves to additionally punish her baby.”

Saleh stated the group’s name for an investigation is concerning the expulsion of Jad, who Saleh says didn’t say or do something to warrant the expulsion, in addition to what CAIR described as inaccurate accusations relating to Almasri’s social media posts.

Jad, who’s in tenth grade, has been unable to attend lessons since November 19. The expulsion has interrupted his research and faculty preparation, his mom informed CNN, including they now need to discover a new college.

“He will get very depressed and withdrawn. He doesn’t know what to do with all this time,” Almasri informed CNN. “He misses his associates loads, he misses the college corridors, he misses the whole lot. He’s attempting to be robust, however he feels betrayed. On the finish of the day, that is about expelling Jad for nothing he did.”

‘It’s virtually like a weight lifted off my chest’

Jad, who was born and raised in Florida and grew up on the college, stated he had at all times hidden his Palestinian identification till he was expelled because of his mom’s social media posts.

“Most individuals at Pine Crest had no concept that I used to be Palestinian, as a result of I by no means felt protected to say that I used to be Palestinian at Pine Crest Faculty,” Jad stated. “Now that it’s out, it’s virtually like a weight lifted off my chest … Now I really feel that I can lastly come out as who I’m, which is a Palestinian child who was wrongfully expelled by Pine Crest Faculty.”

“Pine Crest Faculty was my dwelling, is a spot the place I used to be very comfy, since 1st grade, since I used to be six years outdated,” Jad stated throughout the information convention as he stood subsequent to his mom.

“The chums I made there turned household, even the individuals who I’m not as shut with there are nonetheless my group. They’re the individuals I’ve seen each day of my life for the previous 10 years. To have that taken away from me, for no purpose in any respect, is heartbreaking,” he added. “I didn’t do something in any respect.”

A petition began by an nameless individual calling for the school to reinstate Jad garnered greater than 31,000 signatures in over two weeks and the household has acquired “overwhelming” help from group members, Almasri stated.

“Take into consideration the opposite Jads in that college and round,” stated Abdullah Jaber, govt director of CAIR-Florida. “Our most important concern is suppressing the appropriate of Individuals to specific what they really feel inside their coronary heart is to be first rate human rights.”

The therapy of pro-Palestinians who communicate up, Saleh stated, is dangerously “one-sided” and the identical self-discipline shouldn’t be utilized to those that put up or make pro-Israeli commentary.

Each CAIR representatives and Almasri denied accusations her social media content material condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza incited hatred or violence and as a substitute advocated for the rights of Palestinians.

CAIR has recorded greater than 2,171 requests for assist and reports of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias within the 9 weeks since October 7, together with college students and college being focused for supporting Palestinian rights.

In Maryland, the advocacy group filed a discrimination criticism on behalf of a Black Muslim, Arab American instructor who was positioned on administrative depart for her e mail signature, which included “from the river to the ocean,” a controversial phrase supporting Palestinian rights.

By requesting a DOE investigation into Jad’s expulsion and the accusations made towards Almasri based mostly on her posts, CAIR stated it hopes to guard different Arabs, Muslims and pro-Palestinian individuals from receiving unfair punishment for condemning Israel’s actions.

CNN has reached out to the Division of Schooling for touch upon the request.

“We’ve to get actual. Speech as a result of it’s sympathetic to Palestinians or as a result of it’s crucial to Israeli navy or as a result of it evokes a way of conscience for humanity, it doesn’t make it antisemitic, it doesn’t make it anti-Jewish, it’s not disruptive and it’s not inciteful,” Saleh stated. “You possibly can want peace to Israel and say free Palestine on the similar time.”

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