The following article is a response to the Washington Square News Editorial Board article, published Nov. 6, titled Show Solidarity — Divest NYUAD, as well as to recent news regarding decisions made by the NYU Journalism program. It has been published through NYU Abu Dhabi’s The Gazelle after refusal from WSN to publish it, along with many other responses to the same article, on the WSN website.

There can be no denying the fact that there are issues afflicting the region in which NYUAD is situated. The same statement stands true for many of the other global sites. When reflecting on the words shared by the WSN editorial writers, I want to say that none of us are capable of being held to an idealistic standard, whether that be NYUAD or NYU New York. In a world of challenges, it is very discouraging to see statements that are designed to promote intolerance between fellow NYU peers published by WSN. Actions like these only stand to make our steps regressive and compromise the hard-won progress that NYU has achieved. They are neither beneficial nor noble.

This mob mentality that arises from encouraging peers to divest from each other is disturbing, especially from a publication that seeks to represent NYU. This form of one-sided journalism speaks to the current state of reporting, in which views are reverberated in echo chambers. It is regrettable that this condition has permeated NYU as well, an institution with an ambitious vision to tie us together beyond borders. Some fail to realize that going beyond national boundaries also translates to going beyond national cultures, identities, religions and societies. It means being exposed to new ways of thinking, whether we agree with them or not, and understanding perspectives that are not our own. That is the value created through the opportunity to discover new corners of the world. I invite all members of the NYU community to investigate the impact NYUAD has had on both Abu Dhabi and on the students, faculty and staff members that it comprises.

It is regrettable that this type of investigation was lacking before the outcry to divest from NYUAD was initiated; particularly since the claims concerning the loss of academic freedom have been addressed by our NYU Shanghai counterparts, and the claim of a U.S. moral high ground has been addressed by Professor Matthew Silverstein. Indeed, with NYU’s rich tapestry of sites across six continents, where is the outcry to divest from NYU Paris because of France’s ban on Muslim headscarves? Where is the outcry to divest from NYUSH because of China’s history of human rights concerns? The finger-pointing at NYUAD only stands to identify the negative bias instilled within recent articles regarding the UAE and the failure to acknowledge the most impactful, positive aspects of a growing educational institution. Furthermore, these conclusions are reached following a refusal to engage in constructive conversation.

As NYUAD Vice Chancellor Al Bloom has stated in a recent email to NYUAD students, “it is the responsibility of governments around the world to approve visa applications.” While it is unjust to hold NYU students, faculty or staff responsible for governmental actions, we all, as members of this Global Network University, need to be accountable in constructively supporting NYU’s ideals. By integrating ourselves within this institution, we have made a commitment to helping it succeed in its objectives of diversity, equity and inclusion. As participants in and followers and proponents of these values, and particularly as students growing in this global environment, we have a duty to take the initiative to support, uphold and pursue these principles – even in a world of turmoil and adversity. As Bloom stated, we may not be able to control governments, “but we can control our willingness to engage across borders and perspectives.” That willingness is what helps us tear down the borders that separate us.

The truth is, what NYU has committed to doing is not always going to work smoothly and perfectly. We choose to move its mission forward because there is more to gain from interaction than from seclusion. Choosing to turn a blind eye, to boycott or to outcast an extension of NYU’s body is counterproductive to the very mission of NYU itself. By choosing to live in an emerging world, where we are connected across societal, cultural, religious and political differences, we choose to expand our horizons and encompass foreign perspectives.

We choose to do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

No good faith effort in achieving them involves outcasting. No good faith effort involves a mob mentality. No good faith effort involves divesting from our own community.

This is what is at the heart of NYUAD. Beyond the constraints that hold us back, we choose to persevere. Beyond the obstacles that we have yet to overcome, we choose to blaze into uncharted, unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory. Beyond the cynicism and negativity of some of our peers, we choose to invest in the future of diversity, equity and inclusion that we hope to one day be a part of.

As an NYU student, I choose to show solidarity with these values. And, as an NYUAD student, I choose not to divest.