Clayton High School senior Leen Hijaz, a Muslim, was delivering the commencement speech Thursday when she ditched her pre-approved remarks, unleashing a fiery tirade blasting immigration enforcement and backing the Palestinian/Hamas cause, according to ceremony footage and district officials.
NY Post Hijaz raged: “Whether it’s the millions suffering in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Afghanistan and so many other countries around the world, or families being torn apart by ICE. These are not just an issue here; they are happening there, they’re happening right here as I speak.
Before she could end her rant, high school principal Melissa Moore rushed to the stage and cut her off, pulling her by the arm away from the microphone. Hijaz then returned to her seat on the stage, smirking and waving to the crowd as she sat down.
The Muslim teen proceeded to whine on TikTok last week, accusing the school of refusing to give her a diploma after the now-viral stunt, moaning that it made her feel “oppressed.” Eventually, they did give it to her.
School administrators intervened in order to maintain the integrity and focus of the program in real time. This action was not about limiting a student’s voice, but about ensuring that a school-sponsored event remained consistent with its intended purpose.”
FOX8 Hijaz’s speech about suffering people has echoed beyond campus and across social media. In one post, she puts her point of view into perspective as a proud representation of her Muslim and Arab communities in Johnston County confronted by her school principal.
“When she told me that I was making it about myself, I told her, I was like, ‘I sat here and I spoke up for all of the people in my country and all the other countries that are unable to graduate,’” Hijaz said. “And it just hurt so much because we’re allowed three prayers the whole entire speech, but the second I said something and I spread awareness, I was the one getting kicked off the stage. And then she tells me, ‘You’re getting your diploma withheld.’”
Hijaz says she fought for six months to get this spot to speak in part to also be a representation — a face for her Muslim and Arab community in Johnston County.
View this post on Instagram
Leave a Reply