A Divinity School Program Became a Political Liability. In One Semester, Harvard Took It Apart. The report on combating anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian bias raised concerns about the recent leadership changes within the program, referencing Rashid’s accusations of bias within the University.
How a Harvard initiative studying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict collapsed “Nobody came to our defense,” said Hussein Rashid, the program’s former assistant dean, who resigned from his post in January and left at the end of June. “Our students were fantastic — our administrators were cowards.”…The next day, Rashid sent his…
Harvard Dismantled the Program That Changed My Life Three weeks ago, HDS announced it would “suspend” RCPI amidst budget cuts and accusations of one-sidedness. HDS also let go of Hilary Rantisi, a dedicated teacher, scholar, and mentor — and the only Palestinian American employed at HDS. In January, Diane L.…
‘A Campaign of Anti-Palestinian Racism’: HDS Students, Alumni Decry Program Suspension In January, RPL Associate Dean Diane L. Moore and Assistant Dean for RPL Hussein Rashid departed unexpectedly. In a blistering resignation letter, Rashid accused Harvard of enabling anti-Muslim bias by failing to respond to “racist” and “false” statements against…
Harvard Divinity School Suspends Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative The RPL program has already seen significant leadership turnover in recent months. Its director, Diane L. Moore, announced her retirement in January, departing a semester earlier than originally planned. And its assistant director, Hussein Rashid, announced plans to resign at the…
In this episode, Dr. Hussein Rashid talks about his recently published volume, Islam in North America: An Introduction (Bloomsbury, 2024), which he co-edited with Huma Mohibullah and Vincent Biondo. Hussein discusses his trajectory as a scholar and how beginning his academic career in the post-9/11 world led him to believe…
Understanding the Aga Khan, leader of Ismaili Muslims The Aga Khan IV, who headed the Aga Khan Development Network, was often referred to as a philanthropist, a label that he himself called deeply inaccurate. According to broader Shi’ah belief, three interrelated elements are believed to elevate one another: faith, knowledge,…
Nearly 200 Harvard Affiliates File Complaints Alleging ‘Hostile Environment’ for Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims Both Jay Ulfelder, program director of Harvard Kennedy School’s Nonviolent Action Lab and Hussein Rashid, Assistant Dean of Religion and Public Life at the Harvard Divinity School, submitted resignation letters in January.
Administrators at Harvard Divinity School quit, say school condoned hate “Since I was a student here decades ago, I have been acutely aware of the anti-Muslim bias (amongst other racisms and discriminatory attitudes that exist here),” Rashid wrote. “That bias has only gotten worse and Harvard is not a space…