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The US federal government has opened civil rights investigations into seven schools and universities over allegations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
Three Ivy League institutions – Columbia, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania – along with Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York, were named on the list, the Associated Press reported. The list also includes one K-12 system, the Maize Unified School District in Kansas.
Incidents of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism have been on the rise since the Israel-Gaza war broke out last month.
The Education Department announced the inquiries on Thursday, calling it part of efforts by US President Joe Biden administration to take “aggressive action” against discrimination.
Educational institutions have a legal duty to act “when students are targeted because they are – or are perceived to be – Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh or any other ethnicity or shared ancestry”, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a written statement.
Schools found to have violated civil rights law can face penalties up to a total loss of federal money, although the vast majority of cases end in voluntary settlements.
Mr Cardona told CNN on Friday that he expects more investigations are coming.
Five of the investigations are in response to allegations of anti-Semitic harassment, while two are in response to allegations of anti-Muslim harassment, the department said. The agency did not disclose which schools faced which accusations.
The schools are being investigated for possible discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, which violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The federal law requires schools to protect students from discrimination and respond to harassment that creates a hostile environment. Anyone can file a complaint alleging such discrimination.
Penn and Wellesley were accused of anti-Semitism in federal complaints filed last week by the Brandeis Centre, a Jewish legal advocacy group.
In a November 9 letter to the Education Department, the centre says Penn professors have made anti-Semitic statements in the classroom and on social media and that many Jewish students are afraid to be on campus during pro-Palestinian rallies.
University President Liz Magill “has made clear anti-Semitism is vile and pernicious and has no place at Penn”, the school said.
“The university will continue to vigilantly combat anti-Semitism and all forms of hate.”
A separate letter from the Brandeis Centre said Wellesley has failed to address anti-Semitism. It cites an email that some dorm advisers sent to residents saying “there should be no space, no consideration and no support for Zionism” at Wellesley. Advisers later apologised for the message.
Officials at Lafayette said it was unclear to them why their school was being investigated.
“The college maintains a firm stance against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and hate speech of any kind. The College is co-operating and will continue to co-operate fully with the DOE in their investigation,” the college said in a written statement.
Maize Unified, a district of about 8,000 pupils outside Wichita, said it did not receive a copy of the complaint but that the district “takes allegations of discrimination seriously and is committed to co-operating fully with any investigation”.
Over the past weeks, the Biden administration has been holding meetings with members of the Jewish as well as Arab and Muslim-American communities to discuss discrimination that has been on the rise since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war.
“The level of intensity is really high,” Mr Cardona told CNN. “We need to match it with a level of response that meets the moment. We need to be listening to our students; we need to let them know that they will be safe in our schools – that we’re not going to tolerate hate or threats on campus.”
The latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
Specs
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Power: 905hp
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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BMW M5 specs
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Freezer tips
- Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
- If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
- Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
- The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
