IU International University of Applied Sciences Removes an Interview with a Moroccan Activist for Alleged Antisemitism on Social Media

I am a Moroccan woman currently based in Morocco. I have been an activist for over ten years. In 2021, I was nominated for a fully funded scholarship for African Women in Tech along with ten other African women by IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU Internationale Hochschule), a private for-profit University of Applied Sciences based in Erfurt, Germany.

I am currently enrolled in their distance learning bachelor's program in English. In 2023, I had to go to Germany for a cross-cultural program. When the school learned about my trip, they invited me to visit the campus in Berlin and conducted some interviews with me in November 2023. During our conversation, we filmed a video and a writer was to write an article about me and my journey in activism and technology, in order to feature me in their social media and website.

On April 29, 2024, they published the video on YouTube, and the article was uploaded as a student spotlight on their blog on May 9. These were also shared on their LinkedIn a few days after that. I have been active on LinkedIn for years discussing different topics and social issues. The university had seen my profile multiple times before selecting me for the scholarship in 2021. Also, during the six months between creating the article, video, and the publication, the genocide was still ongoing, so I was actively sharing about the suffering of Palestinians since October 2023.

On June 6, I tried to access IU’s blog link but found that it didn't work. It turned out that all the posts, videos, and articles featuring me had been deleted without any notification. When I inquired about this the next morning, I didn't receive a reply until I copied the chancellor of the university and the scholarship authorities via email. In response, they apologized for not informing me promptly, stating that they had planned to inform me about the situation, but I had reached out to them first.

They alleged that I had shared LinkedIn posts that were considered antisemitic under German law. What's puzzling is that the person who reported my LinkedIn content is not affiliated with the university, which raises questions about why their opinion was taken into account without considering mine. Notably, the university's CEO and many other staff members interacted with my posts, with the CEO even commenting positively on an article I shared. Furthermore, the scholarship authorities have expressed pride in my work and have been following my progress since 2021, which suggests that they were aware of my activities. This makes it particularly perplexing that they only raised concerns about my posts after an unknown party brought them to their attention. Additionally, I found it unsettling that on the day my content was deleted, several university staff members viewed my LinkedIn profile multiple times, but no one contacted me directly. It's important to note that I was in Germany for a cross-cultural program and not for studies, as I am an online student based in my home country.

During my visit to Germany, I had the opportunity to speak at the German federal parliament about the ongoing genocide in Palestine and called for a ceasefire. However, despite my public activities, I had never been accused of being antisemitic until now. The fact that the accusations stem from an unidentified individual raises concerns about the lack of clear communication and respect.

It's worth mentioning that the contract I have with the university states that my thoughts and opinions are my own and should be accurately represented in any social media-related activity. It emphasizes the importance of protecting both myself and the organization's image or voice and confirms my right to individual autonomy and freedom of expression. But in their email so far, the university is still in denial that we have that consent.

This series of events made it clear to me that IU university only used me to promote their DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) agenda without offering sincere support.