Rutgers cancels graduation speech over speaker’s pro-Palestinian posts

Rutgers University abruptly rescinded its invitation to a prominent alum who was slated to deliver a graduation speech next week after some students complained about social media posts he had published about Palestine . Rami Elghandour – a tech entrepreneur, graduate of Rutgers’ School of Engineering, and executive producer of the Oscar-nominated film The Voice of Hind Rajab – was set to deliver a commencement address at the school’s campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey on 15 May. But the school’s dean, Alberto Cuitiño, called Elghandour last week and told him he was cancelling the speech because of students’ complaints, though he declined to say how many students and what posts they had complained about. The dean, Elghandour said, broadly described the posts as “opposed to their beliefs”. “What is most puzzling to me is that they champion me for my humanitarian views and now they’re canceling me for them,” Elghandour told the Guardian in an exclusive interview. Cuitiño told him he supports everyone “saying what they think” but that the students’ issue was “with you and your beliefs”, Elghandour said. He added that there would be no new speaker at the event, and possibly in the future, to avoid similar issues. …