Jordanian students face warnings and expulsion over solidarity activism for Gaza

Jordanian students say they are being suspended, expelled, or being given warnings by Jordanian universities, for activities supporting the Palestinian resistance and condemning Israel's brutal assault on the Gaza Strip. The administration of one university denied that the decisions had been linked to the students showing solidarity.

Jordan’s Applied Science Private University (ASU) issued a decision to expel one student and suspend another, immediately after activities relating to solidarity with the Palestinian resistance in Gaza. This happened days after Al-Albayt University issued warnings to students who had taken part in actions opposed to Israel's brutal assault on Gaza and in support of the resistance.

The "AS Plus" Student team (a student rights group at ASU) described the punishments as harsh and irrational. It asked the Dean of Student Affairs at ASU to immediately retract the penalties against the two students, who had taken part in awareness-raising campaigns on the Palestinian issue.

AS Plus said that the grounds upon which the investigation committee had based their decision to punish the students were invalid and inconsistent with the accusations made against the students. It stressed its commitment to taking all legal and peaceful measures to stop the penalties.

The team clarified on its social media pages that Ahmed Haidar was the student expelled from the university and Aziz Al-Din Arefa was suspended for two terms.

"Jordanian students say they are being suspended, expelled, or being given warnings by Jordanian universities, for activities supporting the Palestinian resistance"

ASU's side of the story

After contacting ASU's public relations department, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab's Arabic-language sister edition, received a response concerning the university's decision, which stated: "The relevant parties followed their usual procedures in how to handle any deviation from the rules, ethics and conventions at higher education institutions.

"Two of our students were transferred to the investigation committee at the university, due to using the university's name in activities the university has no link to. This was despite continuous warnings against such actions for more than a year and despite a warning having been issued to one of the students before recent events — for the same reason.

"University professors who are also members of the investigation committee were shocked when one of the aforementioned students breached the etiquette of how to treat committee members, even though the topic of the investigation – the violation – had been proven. They both deserved their punishment."

He added: "Nothing is worse than insulting a professor except doing so in the name of patriotism and religion. It would have been better for the two students in question to learn from young men of their age who are resisting for the sake of the nation's dignity and honour. They do not seek personal glory, they do not distort the facts, they do not transcend the law, and they respect authority."

The same source insisted that ASU's position "was clear", and "not open" for negotiation. It also stated that the university's stance "in relation to the Palestinian cause in general and the recent events in Gaza in particular, emanates from the vision of King Abdullah II — it supports what is right, and adopts a stance recognised far and wide, and there is no need to give further details".

Head of ASU's Public Relations and Media Department Yazid Al-Hadid, said to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the university had actively supported the people in Gaza, with actions such as donation campaigns and supportive exhibitions, but these two students had breached rules and customs around respect for teaching staff.

Students support Palestinian resistance

Ahmed Haidar who was informed of the decision to expel him from ASU said it was a shock to him, especially as Jordan's declared official and popular stance was that it stood with the people of Gaza in light of Israel's barbaric assault.

The student added that the expulsion came after an awareness-raising media campaign entitled Toufan Al-Kuliyyat ("the Colleges' Flood") through the AS Plus Student Team social media platforms.

The campaign aimed to raise awareness of the pillars of Palestinian resistance, to whom credit should go for the pride and achievements we see today in the Gaza Strip, amid Israel's barbaric aggression and genocidal war.

He explained: "The university asked me to come yesterday, Wednesday, to receive a letter related to me after investigations were undertaken by the committee last Monday. When I received it, it was clear it related to my expulsion from the university, on vague and unclear charges that had nothing to do with the activity we carried out."

He explained, "The team (AS Plus) usually proposes activities which are rejected by the university. However, since the war on Gaza, we have carried out some small activities, and no measures have been taken against us – until the dismissal decision."

He added: "We contacted a lawyer to object to the decision from the legal perspective, especially since we did not commit any crime, and our action falls within the framework of supporting the Palestinian cause and the steadfastness of our people in Gaza."

Jordanian Students' Watch condemns the punishments

Jordanian Students' Watch said it was monitoring violations of student rights in several Jordanian universities, where penalties were being issued against students due to their engagement with what was happening in Gaza, and for their solidarity with their people and their right to resist. The most recent incident was the ASU's decision to dismiss two students following their engagement with Gaza on social media platforms.

'Insults, strip searches, beatings and rape threats': Palestinian women in Israeli prisons pay a heavy price for freedom https://t.co/egc2Us1qOO

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) December 14, 2023

Students' Watch added in a statement today: "We condemn and deplore these shocking punishments against Jordanian students, which are incompatible with the Jordanian state's official stance towards the genocidal war in Gaza. We consider them a blatant violation of public rights and freedoms, and a distortion of the public image of Jordanian state institutions' stance on the Palestinian issue, which is unacceptable."

It continued: "We deplore the enforcement of penalties on grounds which are inconsistent with the accusations levelled at the students by the investigation committee; we demand the immediate retraction of these punishments in all Jordanian universities and the reversing of the dismissal decisions at the ASU, and we also demand that space be opened for students to express their patriotic feelings towards the Palestinian issue without restriction in the face of the criminal war of annihilation that we are witnessing."

In a separate statement, Students' Watch mentioned that the Dean of Student Affairs at  Al-Albayt University had summoned several students and issued warnings to three students who were accused of taking part in solidarity protests for Gaza.

It confirmed its categoric rejection of the "irresponsible and unlawful actions" being taken by the university administration, which contradicted Jordan's official stance which is one of support for the steadfastness of Gaza. It rejected the curtailment of the student movement, and students at universities, and the infringement on public freedoms, especially in light of these exceptional events.

"The goal, in my view, is not the activities around Gaza specifically, but to prevent a powerful student movement reorganising itself once again"

Increasing severity from universities

Dr Fakher Da'as, coordinator of Dhabahtuna ("You are wringing us dry") a national campaign for student rights, said that universities had granted the green light to students to undertake activities to support Gaza, and events had been happening.

However, he said while there was a margin of freedom for student activism inside university campuses, recently, an increasing severity from universities had been observed, and that they were not permitting activities unless a permit had been granted beforehand by the administration.

"Recently, students have been summoned due to student activities in universities, or for social media posts, in an attempt to curb activity. This is because of the power and its influence [of student activism], and particularly because, in the future, it could shape a force which could raise other demands, for instance, around financial fees."

Da'as explained that what universities may fear is that a strong student movement could wield influence and put pressure on universities regarding other decisions they are making.

"The goal, in my view, is not the activities around Gaza specifically, but to prevent a powerful student movement reorganising itself once again," he said.

Jordanian Prime Minister, Bisher Khasawneh, made statements at the start of this month (December) in front of the Jordanian House of Representatives, defending the freedom of expression, and expressing absolute and total solidarity with "our people in Gaza and the West Bank."

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition. To read the original article click here.

Translated by Rose Chacko   

This article is taken from our Arabic sister publication, Al-Araby Al Jadeed and mirrors the source's original editorial guidelines and reporting policies. Any requests for correction or comment will be forwarded to the original authors and editors.

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