A pro-Palestine essay cost Prahlad Iyengar his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
He received his PhD from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, but his five-year National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship is now ending.
MIT has denied the student of Indian origin access to the university building because of the essay written in the university magazine last month, which the institute said incited violence.
Written Revolution is a multidisciplinary student magazine on the pro-Palestinian movement, which published Iyengar's essay. It is also forbidden.
The essay Iyengar wrote is called “On Pacifism.” As stated by The Commune Magazine, while it does not directly call for violent resistance, the essay says that pacifist tactics may not be the best solution for Palestine.
The essay contains a logo of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist organization according to the US State Department. However, Iyengar said the terrorism charges against him stem only from the photos in the essay that were not provided by him.
“The government accuses me of supporting 'terrorism' because the edition in which my article appears contains images of posters of the Popular Front for Liberation and of including violent images in the publication,” said his statement, which was shared by his lawyer. Eric Lee on X.
According to the college, the essay contained language that “could be interpreted as a call for more violent or destructive forms of protests at MIT.” MIT Dean of Student Life David Warren Randall emailed this to the magazine's editors.
Iyengar has addressed the lack of freedom of speech on American campuses. But this is not the first time he has been suspended.
Last year he was suspended after the pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
According to him, his suspension is an 'extraordinary action'.
“These extraordinary actions should concern everyone in the camp,” he said in the statement. “Expelling me and banning Written Revolution from campus as a result of this article would constitute an unprecedented attack on the rights of the entire student body and faculty. Consider the precedent MIT has set.”
The MIT Coalition Against Apartheid has started a protest against MIT's decision. “Prahlad is now appealing his case to the Chancellor to reduce the unjust sanctions against him. We have launched a campaign to pressure the MIT administration to stop criminalizing students who are on the right side of history. We call on all organizations and institutions of history to join in the repression of MIT,” the coalition said in a statement.
🚨🚨 MIT effectively expels PhD student Prahlad Iyengar for Palestine activism on campus. 🚨🚨
EMERGENCY MEETING: Cambridge City Hall, Monday 12/9 at 5.30pm. Org registration by letter: https://t.co/tCOrOLTeNy pic.twitter.com/7cAYrvn5ad
— MIT Coalition Against Apartheid (@mit_caa) December 8, 2024
According to a report in The Boston Globe, MIT Graduate Student Union President Sophie Coppieters 't Wallant said: “The fact that MIT chooses to threaten the livelihoods and careers of students simply because they don't agree with what students say and protest is unacceptable.”
The coalition held a rally in support of Iyengar at Cambridge Town Hall on December 9.
