Garber unveils new strategies to address bias towards Arabs, Muslims, and Palestinians

President Alan M. Garber revealed new measures and initiatives the University is undertaking in connection with the Tuesday release of the final report from the Presidential Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias.

In his community message, Garber expressed gratitude to the members of the task force “for embracing their work with a spirit of openness, compassion, and understanding during a time of unrest within our community,” emphasizing that their report is “the result of strenuous, extended efforts by some of the most generous and devoted individuals of our University.”

The actions Garber outlined concentrate on three key areas: fostering a broad sense of belonging and encouraging respectful dialogue; revising and implementing policies, procedures, and training; and enhancing academic and residential life. Building upon efforts the University has undertaken over the past 15 months, the new actions encompass launching a significant initiative to promote viewpoint diversity; conducting a comprehensive historical review of Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians at the University; and further examining disciplinary policies and procedures to evaluate their effectiveness in ensuring that every community member feels supported.

Harvard’s Schools are actively reviewing task force recommendations on admissions, appointments, curriculum, and orientation and training programs, including those organized by recognized student associations. Deans will strive to bolster existing academic review processes for courses and curricula to ensure they maintain the highest standards of academic integrity and intellectual depth. Action plans tailored for the College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and each professional school will be presented to the president’s office by the conclusion of the spring term.

“The extensive recommendations made by both task forces highlight the magnitude of the challenges we face. They must be addressed with resolve at every level of the University by effectively confronting issues that arise where our students congregate or reside; ensuring that expectations for both students and educators in the classroom are clearly communicated and fulfilled; fostering vibrant discussions and open dialogue in ways that empower everyone to express their thoughts freely; maintaining the right to protest and dissent while preventing disruption, harassment, and threats; and, when our policies are breached, guaranteeing that our disciplinary processes are equitable, consistent, and effective. If we aim to enact meaningful and lasting change throughout Harvard, it is essential that we act decisively in each of these areas,” Garber articulated in his communication.

Last spring and summer, the task force collected input from students, faculty, staff, and alumni through a series of listening sessions and a joint task force survey. Additionally, the task force investigated how significant events at the University over the past year and major global events over the last several decades affected the campus atmosphere.

The final report contains findings and a set of recommendations aimed at addressing feelings of abandonment and silencing expressed by many Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and pro-Palestinian members of the Harvard community, particularly in the wake of the attacks on October 7, 2023, and their repercussions. Through a review of concerns raised by community members, the report illustrates how the University can enhance safety and anti-discrimination policies, uphold free expression and open inquiry both inside and outside of the classroom, restore institutional trust through a focus on equal access and transparency, expand faculty and academic offerings that present a broader and more representative understanding of the histories, beliefs, and cultures of Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians, and related subjects.

Research and findings

Task force members were appointed in late February 2024 and commenced their work in early April 2024, organizing a series of listening sessions with students, staff, and faculty. Nearly 50 sessions were conducted with an estimated 500 participants. Following the sessions, the Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias collaborated with the Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias to issue a University-wide survey that received 2,295 responses. The task force was not tasked with investigating reports but participants were informed of University policies under which they could submit formal complaints. Narratives were recorded in the report as they were shared.

From those who participated in the gatherings, five major themes arose: accounts of experiences with discrimination and hate towards Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and pro-Palestinian members of the Harvard community; dissatisfaction with the institutional response to occurrences of bias and hatred; widening divisions, self-censorship, and alienation within the community; apprehensions about educational experiences and a desire for a more inclusive curriculum that reflects global complexities; and appeals for divestment as a method for Harvard to address ethical concerns related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In addition to highlighting these themes, the report also remarks that the history of Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians at Harvard conveys a complex and developing narrative. It commences with a limited
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The existence on campus during the 17th and 18th centuries was largely limited to theological education. This was succeeded in the 20th and 21st centuries by a time marked by a growing diversity of Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian students and advocacy, propelled by worldwide occurrences such as the Israeli-Palestinian discord. During this latter timeframe, and in light of incidents like the 9/11 terrorist events, Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians reported experiencing marginalization, bias, misrepresentation, and suppression. The report indicates that these challenges persist today and now impact an even broader range of community members.

The survey underscored notable differences in perceptions of safety, belonging, and freedom of expression across various religious and ethnic backgrounds. The results encompassed responses from individuals who identified as Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and atheist/agnostic/spiritual. Although the participation rate in this survey was lower than that of other University-wide surveys, the data allows for a significant analysis of the variances in responses among subgroups. Those who identified as Muslim and from the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) regions reported among the most severe experiences regarding various indicators of safety and belonging and freedom of expression: 47% of Muslims and 35% of MENA individuals felt physically insecure on campus, whereas 92% of Muslims and 83% of MENA participants believed that there were academic/professional repercussions for expressing their political opinions. In discussing influencing factors, respondents suggested that interactions within the Harvard community with faculty and peers were mostly positive, while engagements with external entities were generally viewed unfavorably.

“The listening sessions, along with the University-wide survey, unveiled much of the anguish, struggle, and anxiety that individuals in the Harvard community were facing,” remarked Asim Ijaz Khwaja, co-chair of the task force and Sumitomo Foundation of Advanced Studies in International Development Professor at Harvard Kennedy School. “It is essential that we chronicle the experiences and biases encountered by Arab, Muslim, Palestinian, and pro-Palestinian community members through ongoing and systematic data collection and analysis. This will allow us to gain a deeper understanding and respond to their issues.”

Concluding Recommendations

After reviewing qualitative findings last spring, the task force presented initial recommendations to President Garber in June 2024, identifying immediate concerns they believed should be addressed before the onset of the next academic year. These suggestions encompassed measures related to safety and security, acknowledgment and representation, institutional response, freedom of expression, transparency and trust, relationships within affinity groups, and academic excellence. The University initiated a series of modifications, including new campus and protest regulations, centralized investigative protocols for disciplinary cases across Schools, and newly developed training opportunities for faculty, staff, and students on recognizing and preventing anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian biases, as well as fostering initiatives across Harvard’s Schools for constructive dialogue and engagement across differences.

In the final document, the task force elaborated on these initial recommendations and introduced additional ones.

“These proposals align with Harvard’s educational mission by emphasizing the safety and security of our students, faculty, and staff, and striving to ensure their comprehensive participation in the quest for knowledge while assuring that every voice is acknowledged and honored,” stated Wafaie Fawzi, co-chair of the task force, Richard Saltonstall Professor of Population Sciences, and professor of Nutrition, Epidemiology, and Global Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “The University can support this mission by ensuring that institutional supports are established—policies, procedures, and protocols—while also providing avenues for our community within and across affinity groups to unite and engage with one another.”

A summary of the final recommendations includes:

Safety and security issues: The task force advocates for ongoing attention to concerns raised by Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and Pro-Palestinian students, staff, and faculty. This includes matters related to both physical and mental well-being. The recommendations consist of investing in culturally attuned mental health resources, providing extensive training and resources to combat doxxing, and formally defining instances of Islamophobia, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian bias in University policies.

Acknowledgment and representation: The report suggests creating a permanent advisory committee composed of faculty and experts knowledgeable in areas relevant to Middle Eastern history to steer policy, programming, and institutional responses. It further advocates for regular in-person training for involved parties and actively supports programming on essential community topics to enhance civil discourse and intellectual dynamism within the University. Additionally, the task force recommends conducting a thorough historical review of Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians at Harvard to tackle bias and foster inclusivity on campus.

Institutional response: The task force calls for the adoption of clearly communicated, user-friendly, and transparent protocols for bias incident reporting and for procedures regarding anti-discrimination and anti-bullying. The report also proposes creating support roles to assist and guide complainants through these processes.

Freedom of expression: The task force recommends not only establishing policies to safeguard open academic inquiry, constructive dialogue, and active expressions of freedom, but also actively inspiring and supporting these initiatives while providing secure environments for their practice. According to the report, transparent and clear policies should govern protest and counterprotest activities, and it should be unequivocally stated that the University supports community members exercising free speech, provided they adhere to time, place, and manner regulations.

Transparency and trust: The task force recommends formulating a shared policy framework that can be adapted by individual Schools, ensuring consistent understanding and adaptable application throughout the University while acknowledging the necessity for School-specific differences. The report suggests developing a cohesive communications strategy for related policies. Furthermore, the task force indicates that greater transparency and disclosure are needed regarding concerns raised by some community members, such as divestment and increased involvement in the Middle East, including the support of Palestinian and other educational institutions in the region and facilitating exchanges.

Relationships within affinity groups: To enhance interactions between and within the Harvard community, the task force recommends the creation of dedicated permanent venues and programming that can cater to the varied needs of the Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and pro-Palestinian community. To bolster community relations, both task forces advocate for a central hub for pluralism initiatives. Furthermore, the report proposes a University-wide Office of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life to enhance multifaith efforts. As envisioned by the task force, these initiatives would connect pluralism and multifaith practices across disciplines and enrich programs such as interfaith collaborations and cultural events.

Academic excellence: As a fundamental aspect of Harvard University’s mission, the task force stresses the importance of enriching the intellectual experience on campus. The report proposes this could involve broadening academic offerings by recruiting faculty and expanding courses in Palestinian studies and Arabic language, designing experiential learning programs to confront issues like antisemitism and anti-Palestinian attitudes, and increasing University-wide discussions on pressing issues, along with ongoing campus initiatives to model respectful dialogue. The task force also urges the utilization of regular surveys, such as the Pulse survey, combined with the capability to gather and analyze administrative data to monitor community welfare and address critical issues consistently.

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The comprehensive report of the Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias can be found here, along with President Garber’s message regarding the new University action plan and further details about the steps Harvard has taken so far in response to the concerns, information, and recommendations provided by the task force.