Professor Bilal Nasir of Pomona College withdrew from a planned lecture with The Claremont Discourse Lecture Series (TCDLS) hosted by the Claremont Colleges library this fall, following claims of academic censorship levied by Nasir against the library regarding revisions to his title and abstract.
Nasir, a professor of Asian American Studies at Pomona and a 2025 Wig Distinguished Professor Award recipient, was scheduled to give the talk Oct. 23, 2025, on his upcoming book, “The War Within: Race, Religion, and Rebellion in Muslim Los Angeles,” which addresses Los Angeles as “a crucial site of global American warfare” through the surveillance of Muslim Americans.
The Middle East Studies Association (MESA), a national organization that recently released a letter condemning TCDLS’ alleged censorship, released part of Nasir’s most recent abstract submitted Aug. 12. The updated abstract read: “Through an analysis of immigration policies emerging from the LA 8 case, Middle East foreign policy under the Reagan administration, and the deadly exchange between the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the Israel Defense Force (IDF) and Mossad leading up to the 1984 Olympics, this talk documents how a rising global Los Angeles was not only defined by migration, a service economy, and financialization, but also Zionism and anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim racisms.”
TCDLS’ revisions of the abstract removed any mention of the IDF, Mossad, Zionism, anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim, instead replacing them with terms such as “international forces” and “global and local dynamics,” according to the letter from MESA.
Nasir said he had initially submitted an abstract last fall, which did not specifically mention Palestine, which was approved by TCDLS. Referencing their revisions to his most recent abstract and title submission, Nasir said that universities have recently become more willing to acknowledge Islamophobia, but that acknowledgement often fails to consider Palestinians.
“I think it was a clear example of what we call the Palestine exception, which is this notion that discourse and dialogue are promoted insofar as it does not engage with particular topics, most notably, in this case, the issue of Palestine,” Nasir said. “The moment Palestine came into the equation was the moment that this was now seen as an issue that would not be accommodating to its diverse audiences.”
“ I think it was a clear example of what we call the Palestine exception, which is this notion that discourse and dialogue are promoted insofar as it does not engage with particular topics, most notably, in this case, the issue of Palestine,” Nasir said. “The moment Palestine came into the equation was the moment that this was now seen as an issue that would not be accommodating to its diverse audiences. ”
The Claremont Colleges claimed these efforts were done for “promotional purposes” in a statement shared in email correspondence with TSL.
“That was a red flag for me,” Nasir said. “I was not asked. I was given a title, and I was given an abstract that [was] presented to me as [an] alternative. That is a complete and utter overreach when it comes to academic integrity. I have never had someone actually change and revise my words without asking permission, or without even a conversation.”
In the same statement from the colleges, they said revisions made “were offered as optional, not as requirements, and were never intended to alter his academic content or restrict his scholarly perspective.”
The colleges claimed they have reached out to Professor Nasir to reiterate that censorship of his academic work was not their intent.
MESA later published a response sent to them by the library, which read, “conversations are underway with Professor Nasir to arrive at a resolution.”
Nasir contested the claims made in that letter.
“There is no active communication, there is no dialogue, there is no conversation happening, so I’m not sure what it is that they’re referring to,” he said.
He noted that the latest communication with TCDLS was centered around alternative titles, both of which he says do not honor the original title.
Nasir said he took issue with their inclusion of the words “pro-Palestine activism,” which he claims changes the meaning of the content, shifting the focus away from Palestine as a discourse, movement and people and towards pro-Palestine activists as political actors.
“If we don’t stand up now when it comes to the question of Palestine, it’s going to only accelerate further, and they’re going to come for different topics that they see as not appropriate to be talked about, and that could be contextual, that could be based off of historical reasons,” Nasir said.
The Claremont Discourse Lecture series will be paused as of Oct. 1, citing time to reflect on faculty and community concerns. They hope the series will resume as it seeks to continue fostering dialogue and free exchange of ideas that reflect the Claremont Colleges’ values, according to the colleges’ statement.
Pomona College will host Nasir’s talk without edits to its title or abstract in the Frank Blue Room on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.
MESA did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.
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