Pro-Palestinian activist Khalil returns to Columbia for memoir talk
Summarised from 2 outlets · 3 reports · Updated 28 Oct, 11:44 · Archive
Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil returned to Columbia University to discuss his memoir about his detention by US immigration authorities.
Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil returned to Columbia University on Tuesday to promote his new memoir, No Land to Stand On: Notes from Detention, marking his first visit to campus since his arrest in March 2025. Khalil had served as a negotiator for student demonstrators who occupied the campus in 2024, calling for the university to divest from Israel. He was arrested by US immigration authorities and held for 104 days without criminal charge, despite holding permanent residency.
The event, attended by about 100 people and hosted by Columbia's Center for Palestine Studies and Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism, prompted outrage from Jewish alumni groups. Columbia University Jewish Alumni Association president Ari Shrage told the New York Post he was 'appalled' the journalism school invited Khalil back, saying the decision suggested the university 'has learned nothing' after the reputational damage the 2024 protests caused.
Khalil told AFP that campus activism has reshaped American public opinion, saying 'the American public is finally changing, is finally looking at the Palestinian as an equal human'. He accused university leadership of seeking to erase Palestinian voices on campus. Columbia said in response that it is 'committed to rigorous debate, inquiry, and respectful dialogue' and that speaker invitations do not signify university endorsement of views.
How it is being reported
- Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil returns to Columbia after US detentionPro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil returned to Columbia University for the first time since his US detention.Al Jazeera · 28 Oct, 11:00
- Mahmoud Khalil credits Palestinian activism for reshaping US politicsKhalil returned to Columbia University to discuss his memoir detailing his arrest and detention by US immigration agentsAl Jazeera · 28 Oct, 04:13
- Mahmoud Khalil headed back to Columbia for book tour, outraging Jewish alumni: ‘Apalled’The anti-Israel rabble-rouser is speaking at the Ivy League about his newly released memoir.New York Post · 26 Oct, 22:15
In this story: Mahmoud Khalil · Columbia University · Columbia University Jewish Alumni Association · Ari Shrage · Palestine · United States
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