The University of Chicago announced in a statement on July 9 that it is “investigating” comments made by comparative human development professor Eman Abdelhadi at the Socialism 2025 conference two weeks ago.
Abdelhadi, who was a panelist in a July 5 discussion on “revolutionary accompaniment” at the conference, described the University as “evil” and “a colonial landlord” in her remarks, which centered on the topic of political organizing in one’s community.
“Why would I organize here? I don’t care about this institution. Like I don’t—like fuck the University of Chicago, it’s evil. Like, you know? It’s a colonial landlord. Like, why would I put any of my political energy into this space,” Abdelhadi said at the conference. “And I kind of had a moment of disdain for people who spent a lot of time doing that.”
“The genocide really collapsed that and made me realize two things,” she continued. “One is that, well, my students need me. So, it was like: ‘Oh, I actually have to organize here to take care of my students, who I do care about.’ But I also realized—and I think this is a painful lesson that a lot of us in the Palestine solidarity movement have been learning—is that we don’t have power.”
Despite her criticisms of the University’s role as a “landlord, a healthcare provider, [and] a police force,” she described UChicago as “a place where [she has] access to thousands of people that [she] could potentially organize” politically.
Abdelhadi’s comments were widely reported on social media and in the conservative press. Fox News and the Daily Caller—an online conservative outlet founded by Tucker Carlson—both published stories about her remarks, and posts on X criticizing her statements have garnered more than 2 million views.
Though the University indicated that it would investigate the matter, it also reiterated its commitment to freedom of expression and emphasized that it “does not limit the comments of faculty members, who speak for themselves and not for the University.” Abdelhadi was not mentioned by name in the release.
“It is the responsibility of our faculty to advance scholarship and to teach our students to the highest standards of the profession,” the statement read. “That includes creating classrooms that are free from discrimination, welcome many different viewpoints, and focus on developing students’ rigorous critical thinking skills. This is the basis on which faculty are evaluated. We take any concerns that our faculty are not fulfilling this responsibility seriously, and are investigating this situation.”
In a statement to the Maroon, Abdelhadi said that conservative media had mischaracterized her comments, and she clarified her position on organizing in the University context, arguing that it is the role of UChicago’s community to call on the institution to wield its influence more responsibly.
“I never said that I only stay at UChicago to build political power. I said that I hadn’t invested much activist energy in the institution in my early years, thinking it was likely stuck in its ways,” she wrote. “Over time, I came to see that faculty and staff can (and should) come together to call on UChicago to be a better local citizen, given its immense power in the city.”
“I was referring to building worker power through democratic institutions like the AAUP or the Council of the University of Senate, on which I serve as an elected member,” she added. “I love my life at the University of Chicago–my colleagues, my scholarship, and above all my students–and I have been an active member of the campus community as a result. I am confident in this University’s ability to handle criticism and disagreement and its commitment to free speech.”
Abdelhadi also said in the statement that she has “received a barrage of hate” after the publicization of her comments and has “feared for [her] safety.”
This is the second time in the past year that the University has publicized an investigation into a pro-Palestine professor’s political speech. In March, the University said that it would investigate anti-Israel and pro-Palestine signs posted in a professor’s window after it received a complaint that the signs were antisemitic. The University said at the time that the professor voluntarily agreed to remove the signs, but no other actions were shared.
John Wilson / Jul 25, 2025 at 12:55 pm
It’s appalling that the University of Chicago would ever “investigate” a professor for criticizing the university. What possible grounds are there? Certainly UChicago is a landlord, so what’s wrong with calling it “colonial”? And what’s wrong with expressing an opinion about your own university? And this all assumes these comments were serious, rather than a bit of a joke told in an ironic way. The University of Chicago must fully protect extramural utterances, even if they offend someone, and immediately end this investigation.
A B / Jul 21, 2025 at 1:33 pm
If Eman Abdelhadi worked for any other type of organization, and badmouthed it, she would be fired immediately. If her field is human development, she should keep her public speech related to that field when talking about the University of Chicago. She is free to express her political and religious viewpoints on her own time without mentioning her employer. Doesn’t she realize that her angry opinions could make some students in her classes uncomfortable or even fearful? People don’t seem to realize that free speech does not mean you can say whatever you want, whenever you want. It appears she is only an (untenured) assistant professor, so it may be easier for the university to part ways with her. Let’s see if another university will hire her.
Isaac / Jul 20, 2025 at 8:05 am
Seems like she wants to have her cake and eat it too…