AUI Controversy: Petition Demands Expulsion of Students After Israel Visit

Thursday 18 July 2024 - 09:30

A petition on Change.org is calling for the expulsion of students from Al Akhawayn University (AUI) who participated in a recent event in Tel Aviv, Israel. The trip, organized by the Sharaka Foundation in collaboration with the Morocco of Coexistence association, aimed to promote "tolerance, coexistence, and peace" between Israel and Morocco.

The Sharaka Foundation described the visit as a bold statement supporting Jewish-Muslim coexistence amid heightened tensions in the Arab and Muslim world. However, this narrative has been fiercely contested by AUI student Hiba Cherif Idrissi El Ganouni, who initiated the petition.

Hiba accuses the trip participants of betraying fundamental human values, particularly given the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The petition, which has gathered over 1,500 signatures, argues that the trip was an attempt to whitewash the suffering in Gaza and violated AUI’s moral principles.

“Some students from AUI are participating in an ‘activism’ event in Tel Aviv, Israel (PALESTINE). They are proudly taking a stance which goes against all morals and values that we are taught here at AUI,” Hiba wrote. “Those students should be held accountable for tarnishing the reputation of, not only AUIers, but of all Moroccans as well.”

The petition has resonated widely on social media, with many Moroccans expressing their support for the Palestinian cause and condemning the students' actions. In an interview, Hiba expressed her disappointment with the student community's response. “The student community at AUI has been nothing but vocal about their support for Palestine, and to say that we are disappointed is an understatement of how we truly feel,” she said.

The AUI community reacted swiftly upon learning about the visit through an article in The Jerusalem Post, which mentioned their university by name. The influx of emails from concerned students and alumni prompted the school administration to acknowledge the situation, though they have yet to issue a public statement.

Hiba’s petition seeks to distance the AUI community from the actions of these students and to reaffirm their stance against the visit. The Sharaka Foundation, meanwhile, defended the trip as an effort to foster Arab-Israeli reconciliation and peace, highlighting visits to historic sites and meetings with community leaders. Nonetheless, the timing of the visit, amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza, has sparked significant outrage among Moroccans. Critics argue that the trip was ill-timed and insensitive to the ongoing suffering in Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 38,000.

This controversy underscores the growing opposition within Morocco to partnerships with Israeli institutions and reflects broader discontent with the government's rapprochement with Israel amid the escalating conflict in Gaza.