“It is troubling that someone who has openly endorsed boycotting Israel—and any Muslim who dares to speak to Israel—should be appointed by Yale as an advisor to young students seeking moral guidance.”
Tori Cook
Editor-in-Chief, The Beacon
This month, the University Chaplain’s Office welcomed a new Assistant Muslim Chaplain, Leenah Safi, in conjunction with yesterday’s opening of the new MENA cultural suite.
Safi’s appointment comes along with measures taken to ease tensions on campus after the October 7th attacks in Israel and the start of the Israel-Gaza War, and efforts to make Middle Eastern and North African [MENA] students feel more at home on campus. As one student told the Yale Daily News, “the need for a designated MENA space became apparent last year following Oct. 7 and the war in Gaza.”
But Safi’s appointment might do just the opposite.
This past May, Leenah Safi signed her name to a letter from Zaytuna College Alumni titled “Standing with Gaza.” Leenah graduated from Zaytuna in 2014 and has served in various chaplaincy positions since her time there. The letter, which calls Israel “a settler colonial project,” defends the “Palestinian right to resist Israeli aggression and occupation,” never denouncing the violence of October 7th. Instead, the letter’s signatories stand “in solidarity with the Palestinian people against the brutal Israeli occupation and genocide that commenced well before October 7th.”
The discovery of the inflammatory statement signed by the newly-appointed Yale Chaplain comes after former Yale president Peter Salovey’s comments in December 2023, titled “Against Hatred,” seemingly opposing such language. “I am deeply disappointed by incidents of hurtful and thoughtless words, social media posts, malicious messages sent to individuals and groups, and other behavior that erodes our sense of belonging to the Yale community,” Salovey wrote. “Chants or messages that express hatred, celebrate the killing of civilians, or contain calls for genocide of any group are utterly against our ideals and certainly are not characteristic of our broader community.”
Furthermore, the letter Safi put her name on doesn’t simply stand with Palestinians, it stands against “any Muslim country’s establishing diplomatic relations with the Zionist entity.” This again stands in direct contrast to Salovey’s words: “When we see bitter discord spread around the globe, we must stand united against hatred directed at any group and hold tight to our common values.”
Dr. Evan Morris, Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, expressed concern about the letter’s endorsement of boycotts and Safi’s new position as an advisor to impressionable college students, stating, “It is troubling that someone who has openly endorsed boycotting Israel – and any Muslim who dares to speak to Israel – should be appointed by Yale as an advisor to young students seeking moral guidance. I don’t boycott students with whom I have disagreements. I try my best to engage respectfully and civilly. That is my mission and my obligation as an educator. What is Ms. Safi’s mission and obligation? Did no one at Yale do any due diligence?”
Likewise, Dr. Steven B. Smith, Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science and Professor of Philosophy, expressed his misgivings on the new appointment: “It seems odd to me that people advocating for a ‘two state solution’ would continue to use dehumanizing terms like ‘Zionist entity’ and ‘settler colonialist state.’ This does not seem like a promising basis on which to advance mutual understanding and co-operation.”
The appointment of a new Muslim chaplain is an important step forward for Yale in carrying out Salovey’s words and ensuring students of every background feel welcome on campus. Yet appointing someone who believes “inaction amidst an ongoing genocide constitutes a gross neglect of responsibility” may not be the strongest way to encourage peaceful relationships and combat hatred on Yale’s campus.
Requests for comment sent to the president’s office, the university chaplain, and Leenah Safi were not responded to by press time.
Ms. Cook,
I applaud your diligence, and recommendations. A preacher of hate, Muslim Chaplain, Leenah Safi doesn’t belong in any University, much less Yale. Yale will receive no donations from this alumnus until after she, and other anti-Jewish hate mongers are gone from the University.
A gigantic fail . But maybe that’s what appeals to most Muslim students. Maybe a high percentage of Muslim students want to destroy Jews and Israel. Maybe he’s representative of what they demand.
The IDF is responsible for the death of thousands of innocent Palestinians. Anti semitism has no place on college campuses, nor do pro genocide sentiments. It’s refreshing to see that someone in a position of leadership can speak up about basic human rights, even when facing hatred for being a Muslim woman and potetial scrutiny from the university admin.
How do you know that Israel is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians? What statistic are you citing, the one that is released by Hamas, that doesn’t distinguish between innocent civilians and Hamas militants? Have you considered that Hamas is responsible for the deaths of many more thousands of Palestinians than the IDF? And that Israel’s killings are an act of war, deliberately started by Hamas? Safi deserves condemnation for her anti-Zionist views, and no support from Yale.
It is myopia flirting with racism if you hold only the idf responsible for the death of civilians. It’s bizarre racism against Jews, imagining them to be the only agent in anything terrible, and Arabs, whom you imagine as the infantalized subject of a Jewish plot with no agency or actions of their own.
My friend Hamadi fled Gaza after his entire apt complex was destroyed by a failed PIJ rocket. There is footage of Hamas firing rockets out of schools where refugees are sheltering. Gazan captors continue to film and murder enslaved Jews they are holding ransom to barter for convicted murderers.
Moreover, you miss the point entirely. She didn’t argue for protection of Palestinian civilians or human rights. The letter was meant to dehumanize Israelis and argued against any Muslim country having peace with Israel.
Since when has supporting genocide with money and arms been morally superior than calling for its boycott? If this happened anywhere else, you’d applaud Leena Safi for her principled stance but your Islamophobia & racism are clearly showing. For years, MENA students have called for recognition and a space, and the minute someone is hired, this hateful targeting arises?!
As an alum, I hope Yale admin makes the right decision of keeping Leena Safi in her well-deserved position.
I’m disappointed to see one-sided criticism of Ms. Leenah Safi. When members of colleges across the United States expressed one-sided support for Israelis, no one questioned their judgement. Now that a Muslim chaplain expresses her views in a joint letter, there is an issue. As a Muslim-American born and raised in the United States, I’ve witnessed countless times how the loss of Muslim life, particularly in the Middle East, is dealt with coldness and “duality”. Stating that one’s primary concern is the loss of Muslim life puts one in a position to be called an “anti-Semite”. I suppose stating support for Israel isn’t Islamophobia but stating support for Palestine is anti-Semitic. Ironic to say the least.