Identity of Speakers
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Queens College Muslim Association
Student
OtherThe campus chapter of the national Muslim Students Association,
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Social media
Other
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Student sanctioned
Campus police
Other Law Enforcement
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
In late 2023, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Queens College posted satirical Instagram posts questioning widely circulated reports about Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. The post mocked graphic claims, such as the alleged beheading of infants, as media hoaxes. The posts used dark humor to critique what the group viewed as sensationalized or false narratives.
The posts drew backlash from more than 30 alumni who claimed the content was harmful and demanded disciplinary action. In response, Queens College President Frank Wu condemned the posts as “false and misleading” and stated they were under investigation. In a rare move, the college escalated the matter by involving the NYPD alongside its internal compliance review.
Civil liberties groups, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), denounced the college’s actions as unconstitutional, arguing that even provocative or factually disputed speech is protected by the First Amendment. Student advocates also criticized the involvement of law enforcement, calling it an intimidation tactic with Islamophobic overtones.
