The father of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has labeled Columbia University's antisemitism task force a "prosecutorial agency."
He compared its work to Colonial-era repression during a recent university senate meeting, The Washington Free Beacon reported Tuesday.
Mahmood Mamdani, a longtime Columbia University professor, made the remarks during a Dec. 12 senate session, according to transcripts reviewed by the outlet.
"It became very clear that [the task force] saw itself not as representing the community, but as a prosecutorial agency," Mahmood Mamdani said, accusing the panel of deepening divisions on campus rather than addressing antisemitism.
The Columbia professor compared the task force's approach to the British Empire's "divide and rule" strategy, arguing that it fostered exclusion and mistrust among students and faculty.
He claimed the panel's actions were making some members of the university community feel marginalized.
Mahmood Mamdani, who teaches courses on decolonization and researches topics including racial capitalism and colonialism, told senators the task force was worsening tensions rather than promoting unity.
Mahmood Mamdani is a faculty senator himself.
Two attendees at the December meeting confirmed his remarks, and a third verified that the unofficial transcript accurately reflected his notes.
Following the professor's comments, acting Columbia President Claire Shipman, who was presiding over the meeting, publicly thanked him and asked for his guidance, formally addressing him as "senator."
The comments come as Columbia University remains under intense scrutiny for its handling of antisemitism on campus, particularly amid months of pro-Palestinian demonstrations following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel.
Columbia has been one of several elite universities where protests have included chants widely criticized as antisemitic, calls for the destruction of Israel, and disruptions of campus life. Jewish students and advocacy groups have accused university leadership of failing to adequately protect them from harassment and intimidation.
The Trump administration has previously clashed with Columbia over its handling of antisemitism, warning universities that federal funding could be at risk if they fail to enforce civil rights protections for Jewish students.
The administration has pushed institutions to adopt stricter definitions of antisemitism and take disciplinary action against students and faculty involved in extremist or discriminatory conduct.
Columbia's antisemitism task force was established amid that pressure, as were congressional investigations into whether universities violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by allowing a hostile environment for Jewish students.
University officials have defended the task force as a necessary step to address antisemitism and comply with federal law, while critics on campus argue it has been used to suppress political speech critical of Israel.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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