Media Narrative

Karen Attiah on Militarized Police & Campus Protests

Campus Crackdown

civil liberties

Columbia University

first amendment

Media Narrative

muslim public affairs council

salam al-marayati

Student Protests

The MPAC Podcast with Salam Al-Marayati

On October 27, 2026 By MPAC

In this clip from Episode 12 of The MPAC Podcast, host Salam Al-Marayati and award-winning journalist Karen Attiah discuss the unprecedented institutional pushback against campus anti-war demonstrations. Drawing on her direct eyewitness experience reporting during the Columbia University demonstrations, Karen breaks down how university administrations, militarized police, and traditional media institutions established a permission structure to suppress First Amendment rights and silence student speech. The views, statements, and opinions expressed by guests on The MPAC Podcast are solely those of the individual guest and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or views of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), host Salam Al-Marayati, its leadership, board, or staff. Watch the full conversation with Karen Attiah on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. Links in the description! Subscribe to MPAC's channel: http://bit.ly/MPACYouTube Like MPAC on Facebook: http://fb.com/mpacnational Follow MPAC on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mpac_national Follow MPAC on Instagram: http://instagram.com/mpac_national Visit MPAC's website: http://mpac.org About the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) We improve public understanding and policies that impact American Muslims by engaging our government, media, and communities. Help us to continue this work by making a donation today: http://mpac.org/give.