Presidential Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias

Among the repercussions of conflict in the Middle East have been the loss of family and friends among many members of our community, as well as feelings of uncertainty, abandonment, mistrust, and fear. Incidents of bias and hate against Jews and Israelis and against Muslims, Palestinians, and other people of Arab descent have risen across the country. Reports of antisemitic, anti-Muslim, and Anti-Arab acts on our campus have grown, and the sense of belonging among these groups has been undermined. We need to understand why and how that is happening—and what more we might do to prevent it.

In January 2024, President Alan M. Garber announced two presidential task forces: one devoted to combating antisemitism and one devoted to combating anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias. Though differently focused, the groups are similarly charged with:

• examining recent history and current manifestations of bias;
• identifying the causes of and contributing factors to bias-based behaviors on campus;
• evaluating evidence regarding the characteristics and frequency of these behaviors; and
• recommending approaches to combat bias and to mitigate its impact on campus.

Read below for more information on the Presidential Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias. For information on the other presidential task force, see Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias.

The Presidential Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias will examine the recent history of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias and its current manifestations on the Harvard campus. It will identify causes of and contributing factors to anti-Muslim and anti-Arab behaviors on campus; evaluate evidence regarding the characteristics and frequency of these behaviors; and recommend approaches to combat anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias and its impact on campus.

The task force’s work will encompass three areas:

• Outreach and listening tours to document experiences of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias across the Harvard community, building on and learning from previous work done in this domain;
• Historical analysis, focusing on the experiences of and attitudes towards Muslim and Arab members of the Harvard community and how they have been affected by local and global events;
• Collection and analysis of data from members of the Harvard community, in order to characterize the nature, extent, and proximate causes of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias in the Harvard community.

The above three tasks will help identify actions that can be taken to address bias on a rolling basis and will culminate in a report and set of recommendations to the President. The recommendations may touch upon student life, supportive measures, School and University policies, education, and training, as well as other areas related to the climate on campus. The President is committed to bringing the recommendations to the members of the Academic Leadership Council, including the deans, on a rolling basis so that they might consider, refine, and implement interventions within the Schools.

Timeline                                              

The task force will begin work simultaneously in its three areas of focus. During the first weeks of public engagement, however, the task force will prioritize outreach and conduct listening tours to understand experiences of community members and learn from work already done internally and externally as well. The task force may produce interim recommendations shortly after the conclusion of this listening period. Upon completing its work, the task force will issue a final report with its findings and recommendations. Updates on the task force’s progress will be posted on this page.

Process

The task force aims to carry out its work in a transparent and timely manner while proceeding with care and empathy. Its ongoing efforts, including descriptions of analyses and methodologies utilized, will be published on this page. The task force will work in close collaboration with the Task Force on Combating Antisemitism throughout the duration of its activity in order to coordinate efforts and methodologies, although each group will have the flexibility to pursue additional sources of information and consider interventions independent of the other.

Contacting the Task Force

The task force seeks the observations and advice of members of the Harvard community at all levels, and may be reached at AntiMuslimAntiArabBiasTF@harvard.edu.

Note, however, that the task force is not responsible for addressing specific crimes, bias incidents, or bullying concerns, or enforcing University policies, including those related to protests. Such responsibility lies with the University and the Schools. Please refer to the resources listed on the University’s Resources in Times of Crisis website for further information in this regard.

Furthermore, it is beyond the task force’s mandate to comment on specific incidents that have transpired or might transpire on campus during the course of its work.

• Ali Asani, co-chair, Murray A. Albertson Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
• Wafaie Fawzi, co-chair, Richard Saltonstall Professor of Population Sciences, and Professor of Nutrition, Epidemiology, and Global Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Asim Ijaz Khwaja, co-chair, Sumitomo-FASID Professor of International Finance and Development at Harvard Kennedy School
• Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor
• Jana Amin, Student at Harvard College
• Hakeem Belo-Osagie, Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School
• Melani Cammett, Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
• Diana L. Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard Divinity School, and Fredric Wertham Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
• Fawwaz Habbal, Senior Lecturer on Applied Physics at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
• Alta Mauro, Associate Dean for Inclusion and Belonging at Harvard College
• Nader Uthman, Senior Preceptor in Arabic in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
• Additional student members to be determined
• Khalil Abdur-Rashid, advisor, Muslim Chaplain at Harvard University, and Lecturer on Muslim Studies at Harvard Divinity School
• Nadir S. Ahmed, advisor, University Attorney
• Sherri Charleston, advisor, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
• Robin Glover, advisor, Associate Provost for Student Affairs

The safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority. Harvard has taken steps to strengthen security on campus, to deter and denounce acts that threaten the safety of individual students, and to connect students with university resources and support.  

• Harvard has deployed additional law enforcement resources to protect students and ensure the safety of the entire community. The University has increased coordination between the Harvard University Police Department and local and federal law enforcement to assess and respond to any potential or actual threats to the Harvard community. When circumstances warrant, the University has restricted access to Harvard Yard (the center of its Cambridge campus) to limit outside disruptions, better manage campus spaces, and ensure student safety.
• Harvard has established 24/7 reporting mechanisms to allow community members to report incidents of bias anonymously.
• Harvard has provided specialized resources and training to those who adjudicate complaints under the University’s Nondiscrimination and Antibullying Policies.
• In fall 2023, Harvard College formed a Task Force on Online Harassment to serve as a centralized point of contact for issues relating to doxxing, online harassment, and online security.
• The University developed and distributed a guide for Protecting against Online Abuse and Harassment to help students, faculty, and staff recognize and report online harassment. HUPD, working with Harvard’s information security team, has processes in place to receive and act on these reports. 
• Harvard launched a new support and resources website, Resources in Times of Crisis, to provide community members with a central hub of resources for personal safety, online safety, and mental health and community support.
• In January 2024, Harvard University Health Services removed visit limits for outpatient mental health care and medical consultations under Harvard’s student health insurance plan. 
• In addition, the University secured additional trauma-informed counseling resources through Harvard Counseling and Mental Health Services, prioritizing awareness of and access to its mental health and counseling resources, including the 24/7 CAMHS Cares line and in-person and virtual counseling support offerings. 
• Harvard also engaged with the leadership of Sidechat, a social media app that allows college students to post anonymously. Though Harvard has no relationship to Sidechat, the University asked the app to strictly enforce its content-moderation policies.

While the right to protest and dissent is a tenet of free expression, Harvard has made it clear that disrupting University activities or preventing members of our community from exercising their rights to learn, study, work, and live at Harvard goes against our values and policies. At the start of the 2024 fall term, this topic was the subject of multiple communications to the Harvard community and several new and updated policies. 

• In January 2024, University leadership issued a community-wide message reaffirming Harvard’s commitment to its University-Wide Statement on Rights and Responsibilities and offering further guidance for planned expressive activity, (including protests, for students, faculty, staff, and disciplinary boards. This Guidance on Protest and Dissent identifies campus locations in which protests are prohibited and specific protest actions that are barred. 
• Several Schools have adopted or are in the process of adopting policies or guidance in addition to the Statement. 
• On August 1, 2024, the Office of the Executive Vice President issued a community-wide message sharing updated information on Campus Use Rules, which were updated to establish uniform rules across all Schools and set clear expectations for the use of campus spaces and the enforcement of applicable policies. On August 30th, the office sent a community-wide message reaffirming that activities that violate those rules, time place and manner restrictions, or other University policies will be addressed promptly. 
• On August 29, 2024, the Office of the President issued a community-wide message noting the importance of ensuring that disagreements can be openly expressed, individually or collectively, without infringing on the rights of others; that those who fall short will be held accountable for their actions; and that the Harvard community categorically rejects bias or hate directed at any individual or group and will not tolerate harassment, intimidation, or threats. 
• On September 5, 2024, University leadership sent a community-wide message on online harassment, specifically noting that doxxing violates two overlapping University policies and is subject to disciplinary action. The policies prohibit “intense personal harassment” under the University-wide Statement on Rights and Responsibilities (USRR) and “bullying” under the Non-Discrimination and Anti-Bullying Policies (NDAB).

Reports of anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian harassment, threats, and intimidation are taken seriously, and are reviewed and addressed in accordance with School and University policies and procedures. Harvard has raised awareness across the community on the recent steps to strengthen reporting and processing of complaints of harassment and any other concerning act or behavior.  

• In July 2024, Harvard adopted the University Committee on Rights and Responsibilities (UCRR) procedures to standardize fact-finding investigations for incidents involving students from two or more Schools. At Harvard, each School is responsible for disciplinary decisions for its own students; but this procedural change will help ensure that disciplinary boards at the Schools are working from the same set of facts to inform their proceedings and decisions.
• Harvard has made clear that disruption of University activities will be accorded the same treatment, regardless of the content of the demonstration. Similarly, University leadership has issued clear statements that participation in encampments or other protests that violate Harvard’s policies will result in disciplinary action. 

Building on initiatives from spring 2024, Harvard has pursued efforts across the University to bring our community together for respectful discussion and debate on difficult or controversial issues. Below are a few highlights, with more detailed information and additional activities and events provided on our Harvard Dialogues webpage.  

• Harvard College has continued to advance its Intellectual Vitality Initiative, an effort focused on promoting respectful dialogue, open and rigorous inquiry, and thoughtful listening through a series of events, programs, and curriculum offerings. Along with a new website to increase awareness, additional efforts include sponsoring civil disagreement fellowships for House tutors and working lessons about civil disagreement into the College’s Expository Writing class. Additionally, members of the College class of 2028 completed the Perspectives Program, which teaches students to engage in dialogue across differences.
• In January 2024, Harvard College and PEN America hosted the Intellectual Vitality and Free Expression Student Summit aimed at fostering open, productive communication.
• As of spring 2024, the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics began engaging in a Center-wide effort to expand its longstanding work on civil discourse, including a new Fellowship in Values Engagement. The Fellowship works with resident tutors to foster intellectual vitality by promoting ethical reflection and a culture of civil disagreement in undergraduate community life.
• Following the work of its Candid and Constructive Conversations Working Group, Harvard Kennedy School is implementing recommendations on building a stronger culture of engagement, including through new training modules on civil resistance and modeling difficult conversations.
• As a continuation of work over the last several years, Harvard Law School has developed and shared best practices for productive classroom discussion, built difficult conversation modules into first-year student orientation, piloted a negotiation requirement for graduation, and adopted rules that ensure that student remarks in the classroom will not leave the classroom.

Harvard has also prioritized efforts to affirm and build a feeling of belonging among Harvard’s Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian students, faculty, and staff. The University has stated unequivocally its commitment to ensuring every member of the community has the opportunity to pursue their academic and professional work free from harassment and intimidation, and with the knowledge that their presence is more than simply welcomed but is essential to fostering an environment of achievement and excellence. 

• More than 100 graduates and their families gathered in Lowell Lecture Hall prior to 2024 Commencement for an Arab Affinity celebration. The celebration was organized by the Harvard Arab Alumni Association and the Harvard Society of Arab Students, and supported through the collaborative efforts of Harvard student groups; the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; the Harvard Alumni Association; the Council of Deans of Students; the Commencement Office; the DIB Leadership Network; and student, staff, and faculty volunteers.  
• Each year, the Harvard Islamic Society hosts a dinner during the fall semester for Harvard students. With more than 450-500 attendees each year, this event includes food from a local Muslim restaurant, performances, and a featured keynote speaker.  The Fall Dinner is intended to share Islamic culture and customs with students, increase visibility for Muslims on campus, and promote the diverse religious community of Harvard.
• In fall 2024, the Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging collaborated with Muslim Chaplains and practitioners from Counseling and Mental Health Services to moderate Community Spaces for Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian Students. Community Spaces aim to foster a sense of belonging through dialogue with peers who have a shared identity. These spaces are part of a larger effort to support Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian community members who are experiencing heightened anxiety in response to the humanitarian crisis in Israel and Palestine.
• In December 2024, Harvard launched a webpage to provide information and guidance for planning events and programs with inclusion in mind. The webpage includes a multifaith calendar, a glossary of religious observances, and suggestions for inclusive catering. It also provides links to Harvard Divinity School webpages with more detailed information.
• The Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Club at Harvard Business School is organizing a business conference on campus, an event that will bring together industry leaders and experts, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts, and will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, and networking sessions, to explore the dynamic business landscape of the MENA region. Conference organizers expect more than 400 attendees, including undergraduate and graduate MENA students from top U.S. schools, young professionals interested in working, doing business and/or investing in the region, and startups, founders, entrepreneurs and investors interested in the region. 

Harvard has undertaken enhanced training for our leaders, faculty, students and staff on how bias can manifest and how to address its effects. Across the University, Schools are working to improve the academic and campus climate. 

• In April 2024, the University hosted the inaugural Inclusion & Belonging Summit, which featured the theme: Committed to Combatting Hate and Bias. The summit brought together leaders from across the University to build capacity for inclusive leadership through training and information sharing. Breakout sessions explored the history and current manifestations of Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Anti-Israeli, Anti-Arab, Anti-Muslim, and Anti-Palestinian biases and approaches to recognizing, disrupting, and mitigating impact on campus. 
• In September 2024, Harvard Divinity School hosted a conversation entitled, “Our Shared Humanity: Israeli and Palestinian Voices Against Violence” with guests Laila Alsheikh and Robi Damelin. Laila, a Palestinian, and Robi, an Israeli, both lost children due to the conflicts between their communities. Their exchange addressed the high human cost of violence and their reasons for hope. 
• In October 2024, Harvard hosted “Honoring our Shared Humanity: Understanding and Combatting Islamophobia and Anti-Arabism on College Campuses.” The seminars, one for students and one for staff, were designed to explore the definitions of Islamophobia, its roots and dominant tropes, and examine its impact on Muslim and Arab American communities. The seminar concluded with an interactive discussion about strategies to combat Islamophobia at both interpersonal and institutional levels.
• During the spring semester 2025, Harvard Divinity School will host a special spring seminar series sponsored by HDS Dean Marla F. Frederick, titled, “People of Faith in Times of Crisis.” HDS students, faculty, staff, and alumni are invited to join in this three-part series examining the issues posed by the ongoing Israel/Palestine conflict. The series will include three books: one providing an Israeli-Jewish perspective, another from a Palestinian perspective, and the final described as “an epic novel rooted in the real-life friendship between two men united by loss.”
• Clinicians and staff from Counseling and Mental Health Services (CAMHS) have received cultural competency lectures from Imam Khalil Abdur-Rashid and Samia Omar, Harvard Chaplains, to provide a deeper understanding of Islam and enable better care for students.
• CAMHS continues its work to identify culturally sensitive therapists both locally and through Timely Care, the telehealth counseling service available to eligible Harvard University students.

If you wish to share your feedback with the Task Force, please send an email to  AntiMuslimAntiArabBiasTF@harvard.edu.

Alternatively, you may submit anonymous feedback via our feedback form.

Contact HUPD immediately at 617-495-1212 if your physical safety is threatened at any time or if you receive an email that contains a physical threat to your life, safety, or property.

First, contact one of your School’s Local Designated Resources (LDRs). They are available to assist community members who may have experienced bullying or discrimination, and will be able to discuss your concerns and advise you on your options.

If for any reason, including potential conflicts of interest, you do not feel comfortable speaking with your LDRs, contact the Office of Community Conduct (OCC). Similar to engaging with an LDR, OCC will be able to discuss concerns and advise you on your options. OCC will coordinate with LDRs within your School or Unit as appropriate.

You may also wish to contact the Harvard Ombuds Office, a confidential resource available to anyone from the Harvard community where you can voice concerns, clarify goals, and consider options. Any issue affecting one’s work or studies may be brought to an Ombuds. Discussion with an Ombuds is not the same as filing a complaint.

Contact the Anonymous Reporting Hotline.

The Hotline may be most useful for making the University aware of issues or concerns when you do not wish to file a formal complaint. Reports are accepted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Reported issues are referred to the relevant School or Unit for review and follow up. Reporters have the option to remain anonymous and are provided with a means to communicate anonymously with the hotline while their case is open. If you would like to engage in a conversation or learn more about University policies, your LDR or the Ombuds Office may be better options.