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A professor and professor of diversity has accused George Washington University of collaborating with a right-wing pro-Israel group over a complaint filed against her accusing her of anti-Semitism.
The complaint, filed last month, alleges that Lara Sheehi, an assistant professor of clinical psychology, discriminated against Jewish students by refusing to accept their definitions of anti-Semitism.
He also claimed that he engaged in hate speech about Israel and Zionism, and that the university failed to properly investigate previous allegations against him.
According to Sheehi, StandWithUs has targeted her for her activism in support of the Palestinians, as she claims the group aims to silence and intimidate academics who oppose Israeli policies by linking criticism to anti-Semitism.
Sheehi claims that SWU is a fringe political activist group pursuing a right-wing pro-Israel agenda.
Arab professor and diversity lecturer, Professor Lara Sheehi, accuses George Washington University of collaborating with a pro-Israel group, StandWithUs.
One complaint alleged that Sheehi discriminated against Jewish students by refusing to accept their definitions of anti-Semitism and engaging in hate speech against Israel. Pictured, GWU campus in DC
Founded in California in 2001, SWU has worked closely with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has a team of lawyers to fight anti-Semitism and criticism of Israel, mainly in universities and high schools.
The organization trains students to record lectures to document alleged bias against Israel.
Although the group claims to be nonpartisan, its American founder has expressed support for illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land and has denounced Israeli soldiers who criticize the occupation, despite not serving in the Israeli army.
SWU’s complaint to the US Department of Education alleges a contentious relationship between Sheehi and some Jewish students, alleging that during diversity conferences, the professor rejected the students’ definitions of anti-Semitism and accepted the definitions of racism provided by black and other minority students.
George Washington University professor Lara Sheehi posted this photo on Twitter.
The professor also appears to have made a series of controversial tweets about Israel.
It also claims that Sheehi took offense at a student’s use of the term ‘terror attack’ and invited a speaker who ‘demonised Israel’ in the Professional Psychology Program.
“It’s not your fault you were born in Israel,” Sheehi is alleged to have told a student before claiming the presence of Jewish students was “violent.”
The professor allegedly invited a guest speaker who targeted and ‘demonized’ Israeli and Jewish individuals.
Sheehi is also accused of claiming that all Zionists suffer from ‘settler psychosis’ and that ‘anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism’ because ‘Zionism itself indicates that Jews are different’.
Stand With Us also alleged that the university and the professor retaliated against students who filed complaints.
Sheehi has defended himself by accusing the SWU of intentionally conflating criticism of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism, and accuses the Jewish and Israeli students cited in the complaint of using “racist language against blacks and Arabs.”
He also defended his tweets, including one that said “destroy Zionism”, as a reflection of his anger towards the actions of the Israeli army in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Sheehi accused George Washington University of failing to defend her and of aiding SWU’s misrepresentation of her classroom.
She is being represented by the Arab-American Committee Against Discrimination, which has accused the university of a “prejudicial response” to the complaint, which it says is part of a broader campaign against Sheehi because of her scholarship and political activism outside of the classroom. . .
Sheehi “would not otherwise have resulted in such an exaggerated and damaging response” if “he was not an Arab and his scholarship and activism were not Palestinian-focused,” the group states.
The university has stated that it is committed to conducting a thorough examination through investigation by a third party and will not comment on the matter until it is concluded.
GWU has yet to comment on the allegations and the status of the student whistleblowers.
The professor “teaches decolonial, liberating, and anti-oppressive theories and approaches to clinical treatment, case conceptualization, and community consultation,” according to her. Biography
However, since then several students have denounced anti-Semitism in the program and say they felt unsafe.
In addition, the university is also accused of mistreating students who complained of anti-Semitism, causing them to admit their alleged wrongdoing or face a permanent disciplinary mark on their academic records.
GWU has yet to comment on the allegations and the status of the student whistleblowers.
The university issued a statement saying they pledged to conduct a thorough examination through third-party research and that they “strongly condemn anti-Semitism and hate, discrimination and bias in all its forms.”
The Arab American Committee Against Discrimination argues that the claims against Sheehi are rooted in anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism and are intended to silence dissenting voices.