Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College et al

Filing 471

AMICUS BRIEF filed by Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, First Generation Harvard Alumni, Fuerza Latina of Harvard, Harvard Asian American Brotherhood, Harvard Islamic Society, Harvard Japan Society, Harvard Korean Association, Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance, Harvard Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students, Harvard Phillips Brooks House Association, Harvard South Asian Association, Harvard University Muslim Alumni, Harvard Vietnamese Association, Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association, Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Women's Association, Harvard-Radcliffe Black Students Association, Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association, Kuumba Singers of Harvard College, Native American Alumni of Harvard University, Native Americans At Harvard College, Task Force on Asian and Pacific American Studies at Harvard College in Support of Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 2 Declaration, # 2 Exhibit 3 Declaration, # 3 Exhibit 4 Declaration, # 4 Exhibit 5 Declaration, # 5 Exhibit 6 Declaration, # 6 Exhibit 7 Declaration, # 7 Exhibit 8 Declaration, # 8 Exhibit 9 Declaration, # 9 Exhibit 10 Declaration, # 10 Exhibit 11 Declaration, # 11 Exhibit 12 Declaration, # 12 Exhibit 13 Declaration, # 13 Exhibit 14 Declaration, # 14 Exhibit 15 Declaration, # 15 Exhibit 16 Declaration, # 16 Exhibit 17 Declaration)(Thayer, Kenneth)

EXHIBIT 16

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS
BOSTON DIVISION

STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS, INC,
Plaintiff,
v.
PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF
HARVARD COLLEGE (HARVARD
CORPORATION),

Civil Action No. 1:14-cv-14176-ADB

Leave to file granted on July 31, 2018

Defendant.

DECLARATION OF RASHID YASIN
(HARVARD UNIVERSITY MUSLIM ALUMNI)
Rashid Yasin, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Section 1746, declares the following:
1.

My name is Rashid Yasin, and I am a 2012 graduate of Harvard College. I

am currently President of the Harvard University Muslim Alumni (“HUMA”) and am
submitting this declaration individually and on behalf of HUMA.
2.

HUMA’s board members have discussed this lawsuit and decided to

participate as amicus curiae in support of Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policy.
HUMA’s board members also authorized me to submit this declaration on behalf of the
entire organization.
3.

HUMA was founded in 2004 with the mission of connecting Harvard

Muslim alumni and faculty and supporting Islam and Muslim students at Harvard and in
the surrounding community. HUMA works to accomplish this mission through four
pillars: (1) supporting Muslim students at Harvard by providing programming and services

and acting as an advocate on their behalf, (2) hosting alumni networking opportunities, (3)
increasing resources on campus for the dissemination of knowledge about Islam (including
spiritual, academic, and social issues), and (4) increasing access to Harvard for Muslim
students through pipeline initiatives. HUMA has a close relationship with the Harvard
Islamic Society, an undergraduate group whose members often join HUMA upon
graduation.
4.

Muslims are a multiracial community that is majority minority. Similar

proportions of American Muslims are Black, Arab, or South Asian, and the community has
members from many other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Data suggest that the fastest
growing group within the American Muslim community is the Latino Muslim community.
This multifaceted identity means that religion and race are deeply intertwined for many
Muslims, especially American Muslims, and we take keen interest in issues that affect
communities of color.
5.

HUMA strongly supports preserving race-conscious admissions at Harvard.

Only holistic admissions can take into account the unique, intersectional lived experiences
of Muslim applicants, who are often also underrepresented minorities. In addition, based
on the values that Islam instills, HUMA feels a moral obligation to fight injustice, including
by supporting race-conscious admissions, which, in a small way, help address past and
present inequities. Islamic values teach that one does not have to be the best test-taker or
a valedictorian to be a leader. Likewise, Harvard’s view of excellence is not limited to
narrow academic achievements, but also values personal growth, community engagement,
and altruism, qualities that HUMA supports.

We condemn any bias against Asian

American applicants that may exist in the admissions process, but the solution is to address

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these biases head on, not to erase all applicants’ identities by eliminating race
consciousness.
6.

Diversity on Harvard’s campus is crucial to Muslim students’ experiences.

Although Muslim students are a small community on campus, the presence of students
from other diverse backgrounds helps the environment seem more welcoming to Muslims
and facilitates cross-cultural understanding that benefits all students. As the translation of
the Quran says, “We have . . . made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another.”
Quran 49:13. Coming from a diverse community, we understand the strength inherent in
communities that have different backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and identities and
support Harvard’s commitment to such diversity.
7.

HUMA members fondly remember the cross-cultural opportunities

available at Harvard that were possible only due to the diversity of its students. Lively
iftaars (dinners during the month of Ramadan) with La Raza, BSA, and the Harvard
African Students Association, alongside other campus groups, were beloved annual
traditions.

And the Harvard Islamic Society also coordinated “Know Your Rights”

presentations geared toward Black and Muslim communities and collaborated with the
fraternity Sigma Chi to coordinate volunteer work at a local homeless shelter. Muslim
students also hosted dinners and events open to all students to showcase Muslim food and
culture.
8.

As Muslims, we also know the threat posed by misunderstanding that is

fostered when people have limited exposure to those who are different from them. We are
familiar with the recent rise in hate crimes and open hostility against Muslims. Muslims
students at Harvard often face misunderstanding, exclusion, microaggressions, and at

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times, hostility based on their religion. We often assume the burden—willingly or not—
of educating our fellow students about Muslim religion and culture. And we sometimes
bear the brunt of outrage sown by political controversy. For example, a member of HUMA
recounted a terrifying experience from the early 2000s of being chased down the street as
a student because she was wearing a headscarf. In 2006, following the lead of the French
newspaper Charlie Hebdo, the Harvard Salient (a student newspaper) published a set of
cartoons with inflammatory depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, deeply offending many
Muslim students.
9.

Furthermore, the Harvard administration is not always responsive to

Muslim student needs. In 2008, Muslim female students, along with the Harvard College
Women’s Center, requested a period of female-only gym hours, which Harvard
implemented for six hours a week at one of the smaller, non-centrally located gyms on
campus. Harvard backtracked, however, and discontinued the practice after media scrutiny
and criticism by other Harvard students.
10.

In 2010, Harvard honored Marty Peretz, the former editor-in-chief of the

New Republic, at a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the social studies department and
also established a fund in his name. Peretz has a history of racist comments against
Muslims, Latinos, Arabs, and African Americans, and once wrote “Muslim life is cheap.
. . . I wonder whether I need honor these people and pretend they are worthy of the
privileges of the First Amendment, which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse.”
Although multiple student affinity groups representing Muslim, Latino, Arab, and Black
students denounced the decision, Harvard went ahead with the ceremony and has kept the
fund in his name.

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11.

Particularly in the current political climate, HUMA is deeply concerned for

the future of Muslim students and the entire Harvard student community should raceconscious admissions come to an end. There would likely be fewer Muslim students, since
many are from underrepresented minority backgrounds, and the complex identities of
Muslims would be erased in the application process. This result could undercut HUMA
efforts to increase access for Muslim students and diminish the experience of students on
campus. HUMA alumni recall their Harvard experience as thrilling and illuminating, but
at times isolating. Many relied on fellow Muslim students for support, while also relishing
engaging with students (including fellow Muslims) from other backgrounds. A Harvard
with fewer Muslims and less vibrant diversity would not be Harvard at all.

I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my
knowledge.
Executed on this day, July 27, 2018
/s/Rashid Yasin
Rashid Yasin

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