Jewish legal group asks New York Supreme Court to block CUNY student, 24, from becoming a lawyer, claiming her 'hate-filled' graduation speech proves 'she lacks the character and fitness to practice law'
- The Lawfare Project is asking that Fatima Mousa Mohammed be denied based on a lack of character and fitness
- 'It's our belief that a person who has proved themselves to be a bigot is not fit to practice law,' COO Benjamin Ryberg told DailyMail.com
A Jewish legal group is appealing to New York Supreme Court to block CUNY student Fatima Mousa Mohammed from becoming a lawyer after her 'hate-filled', anti-Israel commencement speech which they say proves she lacks the character and fitness to practice the law.
Mohammed graduated from CUNY Law in May and used her now infamous speech to label the NYPD as 'fascist' and denounce 'Israeli settler colonialism'.
After a barrage of public outrage and calls for the largely taxpayer-funded school to be stripped of its handouts, CUNY apologized for her remarks, labeling them 'hate speech'.
The Lawfare Project - which offers pro-bono legal services to benefit Jewish and pro-Israel people and causes - says the apology doesn't go far enough. In a series of letters obtained by DailyMail.com, they are appealing to the New York Supreme Court to stop Mohammed from being able to become a lawyer.
In order to become a lawyer, graduates must not just pass the notoriously difficult bar exam, but they must also pass certain 'character and fitness' requirements. In the eyes of The Lawfare Project, Mohammed doesn't qualify.
Fatima Mousa Mohammed, 24, graduated from CUNY Law last month. Now, a legal group is asking the New York Supreme Court to stop her from becoming a lawyer based on her 'hate-filled', anti-Israel speech
'It's our belief that a person who has proved themselves to be a bigot is not fit to practice law.
'You have to wonder if it had been any other minority-protected group, would this even be a question,' Benjamin Ryberg, COO of The Lawfare Project, said.
'Ms. Mohammed has a history of publicly expressing prejudiced and discriminatory views, specifically demonstrating a profound animosity towards the Jewish community.
'These views are fundamentally incompatible with the ethical obligations and principles upheld by the legal profession and leave no question that Ms. Mohammed lacks the character and fitness to practice law.
'It is essential to recognize the potential harm that an individual with such discriminatory beliefs could inflict upon the legal community and the clients we serve.
'Lawyers must be trusted to represent their clients without prejudice or bias, ensuring fair and equitable outcomes.
'Admitting Ms. Mohammed to practice law in the State of New York would risk compromising the impartiality and integrity of our justice system and betraying the trust of those who seek legal assistance,' the group argues in four letters sent to the court.
Mohammed moved to the US as a child from Yemen.
Since the uproar over her commencement speech, she has said nothing publicly.
Mohammed is shown at a previous, pro-Palestine rally where she railed against 'Zionist students'
'We are asking the committees to take a very serious look at her record and evaluate whether they could justify a decision that she upholds their standards.'
The group says it is concerned that she would wield an anti-Zionist or anti-Jewish prejudice if allowed to practice.
'I have no idea how she'd treat those people but given her demonstrated anti-Jewish bias, it's a door we don't want to open up.
'Whether she declines to represent Jewish clients, or mistreats Jewish litigants who are on the opposite side, I don't know, of course.
'But it is your sworn duty to protect the legal rights of your clients and uphold the law in general. New York City and New York State has a number of laws specifically prohibiting discrimination, so the idea that somebody would be practicing law with these beliefs on record is baffling,' he said.
Neither CUNY nor the New York Bar Association has yet responded to the letters that were sent on Tuesday afternoon.
In its denunciation of her speech, CUNY's board said: 'Free speech is precious, but often messy, and is vital to the foundation of higher education.
'Hate speech, however, should not be confused with free speech and has no place on our campuses or in our city, our state or our nation.
'The remarks by a student-selected speaker at the CUNY Law School graduation, unfortunately, fall into the category of hate speech as they were a public expression of hate toward people and communities based on their religion, race or political affiliation.
'The Board of Trustees of the City University of New York condemns such hate speech.'
Fatima Mousa Mohammed (pictured) took her graduation ceremony to blast the NYPD and the US military as 'fascists' and called on her peers to continue to 'revolution' against capitalism and racism across the country
Sudha Setty, the dean of CUNY law school since 2022, applauded Mohammed's speech
The 2022 commencement speaker was Nerdeen Kiswani, a pro-Palestine activist who used her remarks to comment on the conflict with similar vehemence. 'I have been been facing a campaign of Zionist harassment by well-funded organizations with ties to the Israeli government and military,' she said. She then called a school-organized trip to Israel 'an affront to everyone at CUNY fighting for liberation.'
Kiswani is a passionate pro-Palestine activist who has demonstrated alongside Bella Hadid. Hadid's father Mohammed Hadid was born to a Palestinian Muslim family in Nazareth.
Both Mohammed (left) and Kiswani (right) were chosen to speak by classmates.
Professor Jeffrey Lax, who has taught at CUNY for the last 20 years, told DailyMail.com in an interview that the whole school was being run by 'left wing lunatics'
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