Columbia professor who blocked Jewish student during encampments given promotion Posted on December 29, 2025 By Alexandra Horwitz - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Share to: More options Email Reddit Telegram Copy link A scholar at Columbia University who is shown in a video blocking a student from accessing a portion of campus during an anti-Israel protest has been given a promotion, prompting some criticism. The group Columbia Jewish & Israeli Students posted on X earlier this month showing that Manan Ahmed has been given a promotion from associate professor to full professor of history at Columbia, citing screenshots of his faculty bio. “@Columbia History professor Manan Ahmed, who blocked Jewish students at the encampment, has been promoted from Associate Professor to full Professor (proof in comment). Prof. Ahmed was never disciplined. Instead, Columbia rewarded him,” the group posted Dec. 3. The post also includes screenshots of his online faculty bio from the spring compared with now, showing the new title. Officials in Columbia University’s media relations department did not respond to emails from The College Fix seeking comment on behalf of Ahmed. Specializing in the history of South Asian and the western Indian Ocean World, Ahmed is a member of Columbia’s Center for Study of Ethnicity and Race, as well as the Center for the Study of Muslim Societies. He is also a member of Columbia’s Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine. The 70-second video posted by Columbia Jewish & Israeli Students appears to show a moment from the spring 2024 pro-Palestinian encampments that engulfed the campus. In it, Ahmed dons a bright yellow safety vest, hat, dark gasses, and a mask, and is seen talking to a student who appears to be taking the video. The student is not visible but can be heard, and has a thick Israeli accent. The student seeks access to the blocked off portion of campus, and the scholar tells the student “you can’t go in.” Ahmed said the student could go in during “press hours” but not at the time the video was being recorded, citing the pro-Palestintian student protesters’ preference that he not be permitted. “I’m a fucking student here, are you saying these students can be there and I can’t,” the student, who is not named, can be heard saying on the video. Ahmed, while remaining calm and never raising his voice, continued to deny the student entry, saying “you can’t go in” repeatedly to the student’s requests “I am going to climb up this fence and I want you to stop me,” the student said before the video ends abruptly. The video has been viewed nearly 50,000 times this month. Columbia’s media relations team did not respond to emails from The College Fix also seeking comment on the professor’s apparent promotion and the criticism it drew. Reporting on the video, the Jerusalem Post noted: “Columbia Faculty and Staff Supporting Israel questioned who purchased the vests and instructed faculty to block students at the encampment. Blocking students violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.”

The very interesting hetero guy with the silver hair tried new improved dance moves. This sparked outrage yet again!

Nazism was unspeakably evil and only an ignoramus or a monster would deny it. Communism, too, has been unspeakably evil — no "ism" in history has spilled more blood or crushed more lives. From anyone with a conscience or a working moral compass, the response to both should be the same: Never forget, never forgive.

She married his dork and ran away with my spoon, I felt betrayed and lingered by the mossy rocks for years, counting my tears and moaning.

I am just a guy: But to think big about things, lets imagine Israel uniting the Middle East, and eventually even Pakistan, in the effort to bring about regional prosperity and abundance. With money and happiness flowing in they will give up their irrational death cult and embrace the truly good life instead. Sounds impossible? Those are my favorite of all odds!

The question is obvious to me: Is free speech to be held so sacred that we allow terror and mobs to form with impunity in this country or not? The Lawfare Project @LawfareProject · Dec 23 The Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled that Vancouver Island University had a right to suspend a student whose anti-Jewish conduct went too far during a “Palestinian solidarity encampment” last year. Sara Kishawi was suspended for two years after accessing a rooftop to hang a banner, damaged property, affixed “signage that was harassing in nature,” and disrupted a learning and working environment. Crucially, the court held that “Universities can regulate the behaviour of student activities on campus without attracting charter scrutiny,” and that “there is no express responsibility for the provision of a public forum for free expression on university campus.” In other words, universities in Canada do NOT have to accept antisemitic conduct on their campuses. This decision should inspire other schools to act to uphold the legal rights of their students to be free of intimidation, harassment, and discrimination.

Deflect criticism, and avoid scrutiny. Its the playbook at these Universities. I have experienced this myself.

columbia university professors pro palestine protest Columbia University professors have played significant roles in pro-Palestine protests through physical demonstrations, legal challenges against university and federal policies, and high-profile departures. In 2025, the focus has shifted toward resisting federal oversight and the targeting of student activists for deportation. Major Faculty Actions & Demonstrations Encampment Blockades: In April 2024, faculty members formed a human chain in front of the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" to prevent administrators and police from dismantling it. Academic Boycotts: The "Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine" (FSJP) coalition called for an academic boycott of all events, including commencement ceremonies, until the university met demands for divestment and the lifting of student suspensions. No-Confidence Votes: Faculty groups expressed "broad support" for no-confidence votes against top administrators, including former President Minouche Shafik and the board of trustees, for their handling of campus protests. Protests Against Federal Oversight (2025): In March and April 2025, faculty held rallies and pickets to protest the university's "capitulation" to Trump administration demands, which included a $400 million federal funding cut and calls to place the Middle East Studies department under "academic receivership". High-Profile Professor Involvement Katherine Franke (Law): A prominent tenured law professor who retired in January 2025 after a university investigation found her media comments—specifically those criticizing students who had served in the IDF—violated anti-discrimination policies. She described the university as a "toxic and hostile environment". Michael Thaddeus (Mathematics): A lead organizer of 2025 faculty pickets defending academic freedom and protesting the detention of student leaders like Mahmoud Khalil. Joseph Massad (MESAAS): A professor of Palestinian and Israeli politics who has faced repeated calls for removal. In 2025, a petition for his firing garnered nearly 80,000 signatures, and a colleague resigned in protest of Massad's continued teaching. Jennifer J. Manly (Neuropsychology): Identified as a participant in human blockades at the April 2024 encampments. Legal & Institutional Challenges Lawsuit Against Federal Interference: In March 2025, faculty members and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to block what they termed an "unlawful and unprecedented effort" to control academic autonomy and thought. Support for Targeted Students: Faculty have actively protested the detention and deportation proceedings of international students, such as Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, who were targeted for their roles in the protests. Inter-Faculty Conflict: While many professors support pro-Palestine students, others, such as Shai Davidai, have been outspokenly pro-Israel. Davidai was temporarily barred from campus in 2024 for alleged harassment of university staff and student protesters.