Mahmoud Khalil, Student Group Sue Columbia Over Alleged Discrimination

For more than three years, Mahmoud Khalil says he has reported threats and harassment to Columbia University officials. Now, he and members of the university’s SIPA (School of International and Public Affairs) Palestine Working Group are taking their claims to federal court.

Khalil, the Palestine Working Group and its president, Mohammad Zubairi, filed a federal lawsuit against the university on Sept. 14, alleging the school failed to adequately respond to discrimination and harassment against Palestinian and pro-Palestinian students and retaliated against those who raised concerns.

The complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court, names Columbia University, its School of International and Public Affairs and SIPA Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo as defendants.

The plaintiffs allege Columbia violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to adequately respond to harassment they say was based on Palestinian ancestry, perceived Arab or Muslim ancestry and advocacy for Palestinian rights.

The lawsuit alleges, students repeatedly reported threats, harassment and doxxing to the administrators. Members of the Palestine Working Group also warned SIPA administrators that they feared their personal information could be exposed as tensions on campus intensified following the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

“For over two years, we pleaded with Columbia, and Columbia did not care,” Khalil said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “We are suing because no one should go through the hell Columbia put us through.”

The complaint alleges students’ names, photographs and personal information later appeared on doxxing websites and mobile billboard trucks. The plaintiffs contend Columbia failed to adequately respond while increasingly subjecting the organization and its members to disciplinary proceedings and restrictions.

Khalil, a former SIPA graduate student, also reported threats and harassment to Columbia before federal immigration agents arrested him in March 2025.

Khalil brought a federal lawsuit at that time challenging Columbia’s disclosure of student disciplinary records to a congressional committee.

A lawful permanent resident at the time of his arrest, Khalil spent 104 days in immigration detention in Louisiana and missed the birth of his first child. He continues to face possible deportation.

Khalil alleges in the lawsuit that Columbia’s response to the harassment he reported contributed to his eventual targeting by federal immigration authorities. The complaint also accuses the university of allowing what the plaintiffs describe as false information about Khalil and other pro-Palestinian students to persist.

The newest lawsuit also challenges Columbia’s May 2025 suspension of the Palestine Working Group. According to the plaintiffs, Columbia required the group to provide personal information about members with access to its social media accounts as a condition of reinstatement.

The group refused, arguing that identifying those members could expose students who had already experienced harassment and doxxing. Its appeal of the suspension was denied in October 2025, according to the lawsuit.

“No student should have to choose between the full benefits of their education versus their own safety and dignity while on a college campus,” Brittany Finley, a civil rights attorney representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement.

Columbia declined to comment specifically on the pending litigation when contacted by Straus News.

“Creating a campus environment where every member of our community feels welcome, supported, and safe is fundamental to who we are as a university,” a school spokesperson said. “It is also a responsibility we take seriously. Columbia is committed to protecting our community from discrimination and harassment, and responding promptly and appropriately when concerns arise.”

The lawsuit seeks to lift the Palestine Working Group’s suspension and restore its ability to organize on campus. It also seeks to restore Khalil’s access to campus.