Momodou Taal, a 30-year-old PhD student at Cornell University in the United States, will neither be disenrolled from the institution nor deported from the country after the British national of Gambian origin won an appeal in October that reversed the university’s decision to expel him.
Cornell suspended Taal in September for taking part in shutting down a career fair featuring weapons manufacturers, L3Harris and Boeing, which arm Israel.
Taal, who is Muslim and participates in pro-Palestine activities, is banned from accessing campus premises and is not allowed to teach a course on Blackness and the racialisation process. However, he is allowed to complete his dissertation. Had Cornell expelled Taal, he would have lost his student visa and immediately been deported from the US.
University officials bowed to intense pressure from students, faculty, alums and activists to reverse their decision. Taal’s predicament came in the backdrop of a massive student protest movement across US universities demanding a US arms embargo and a ceasefire in Gaza. During April and May, students pitched Palestine solidarity tents on campus grounds, demanding their colleges divest from companies supporting Israel.
Photo credit: @momodoutaal on X
Sources:
https://links.org.au/united-states-students-movement-palestine-needs-everyone
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/it-bittersweet-cornell-university-over-suspension-mamadou-taal