The promotion of Farah Jasmine Griffin at Columbia University has sparked outrage, highlighting the university’s controversial accolades and what they could signify in the wider field of academia and political expression.
At a Glance
- Columbia University has bestowed its “highest academic distinction” on Professor Farah Jasmine Griffin, a long-time supporter of the anti-Israel BDS movement.
- The promotion comes as the university faces intense scrutiny over the rise of antisemitism on its campus.
- A coalition of 25 state attorneys general recently sent a letter to Columbia expressing “grave concern” over the campus climate.
- Critics are blasting the university for what they see as a hypocritical and dangerous endorsement of the discriminatory boycott movement.
Columbia’s Controversial Honor for a BDS Supporter
Columbia University has ignited a new firestorm of controversy by appointing Farah Jasmine Griffin, a longtime and vocal supporter of the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, to the position of “University Professor.” The title is described by the Ivy League school as its “highest academic distinction,” reserved only for its most exceptional scholars.
We are concerned and disappointed that @Columbia has chosen to grant the university’s highest honor, University Professorship, to Jasmine Farah Griffin. Dr. Griffin is an esteemed scholar, but supports boycotts against Israel, which is against academic freedom and international… pic.twitter.com/W5oHsmt7DF
— columbiafsi (@columbiafsi) June 30, 2025
The move has been blasted by critics as a slap in the face to the Jewish community and a dangerous endorsement of a discriminatory movement, particularly given the ongoing crisis of antisemitism on Columbia’s campus.
What is the BDS Movement?
The BDS movement, launched in 2004, calls for a comprehensive academic, cultural, and economic boycott of the state of Israel. Critics have long argued that the movement is inherently discriminatory, unfairly singles out the world’s only Jewish state, and often uses antisemitic rhetoric. The late Israeli diplomat Zvi Ravner once drew a chilling parallel, noting that “the last time that Jews were boycotted in universities was in 1930s Germany.”
By bestowing its highest honor on a prominent BDS supporter, critics argue Columbia is lending its prestigious academic credibility to a movement aimed at the delegitimization and destruction of Israel.
A Glaring Contradiction
The promotion is particularly galling given the recent political context. As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, the university has been under intense pressure from a coalition of 25 state attorneys general, led by Arkansas AG Tim Griffin, over its failure to curb rampant antisemitism on campus.
In a letter to the university, the attorneys general ironically praised the administration for having “held the line against the BDS movement” at an institutional level. The university’s decision to now elevate a high-profile individual supporter of that same movement to its most senior academic rank exposes a stunning level of hypocrisy.
The promotion comes just months after Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, was grilled by Congress over her handling of the anti-Israel protests and encampments that have engulfed the campus since the October 7th attacks. The decision to honor a BDS supporter now is seen by many as pouring fuel on an already raging fire and a sign that the university has no serious intention of addressing the root causes of the crisis on its campus.
