Emory student fights for class reinstatement after suspension for Israel-Gaza protests
An Emory University medical student is fighting to get back into the classroom after being suspended.
Umaymah Mohammad, a Palestinian-American student at Emory, was suspended in 2024 after speaking out in an interview during protests and arrests on campus related to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach was at Emory University, where supporters rallied on her behalf and held a news conference urging the university to reinstate her student status.
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A small group of faculty, staff and students from Emory and the School of Medicine were gathered together, as well as members of CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, demanding Mohammad be allowed to complete her graduate studies.
Mohammad's supporters say she was disciplined just for sharing her opinion while speaking to Democracy Now, a nonprofit, independent news organization.
'Stop the injustice against Umaymah, reinstate her as a medical student,' her supporters said at the rally event Tuesday.
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Mohammad was suspended for one year for violating the university's code of conduct after providing an interview in April and alleging that an unnamed Emory doctor was volunteering with the Israeli Army.
In an interview still available on Democracy Now's YouTube Channel, Mohammad is seen and heard saying 'This man participated in aiding and abetting a genocide, in aiding and abetting the destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza and the murder of over 400 healthcare workers.'
While reviewing her interview and statements, the Emory School of Medicine found that Mohammad had violated the school's code of conduct by failing 'to uphold the principles of professionalism and mutual respect,' but Emory's own Senate committee on Open Expression found that her speech was protected under their policy, which allows free speech and open expression of opinions.
'Yet Emory University School of Medicine's deep-seated racism has pushed them to pursue my suspension, despite being told that they are in violation of Emory Policy,' Mohammad said.
Still, both sides are holding their ground.
Speaking with Channel 2 Action News, Mohammad said that despite the culture and what she feels is a hostile environment for students like her, she still wants to return and finish her graduate studies in sociology.
'The reason I went to medical school is because I care about the health of our community. But yeah, I would like to return to Emory School of Medicine,' she said.
In response to the news conference, a university spokesperson said they are 'unable to discuss student conduct cases.'
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