UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk has strongly condemned a 9/11 commemoration event hosted on campus, which featured speakers including the defense lawyer for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the architect of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Frenk expressed profound respect for Professor Judea Pearl, whose son, journalist Daniel Pearl, was murdered by Mohammed in Pakistan in 2002.
"Judea Pearl is a deeply valued member of the UCLA community, and I have profound respect for him, for the memory of his son Daniel, and for his decades-long commitment to combating antisemitism, terrorism and hatred," Frenk said in remarks to the California Post. "The brutal murder of Daniel Pearl was an act of unspeakable evil, and I support Judea and his family."
Frenk criticized the two-day event, held at the UCLA School of Law, which also included a Yale professor who described post-9/11 counterterrorism efforts as "racist," and other speakers with contentious views. "UCLA’s values are clear. We reject antisemitism and terrorism in all their forms, and we believe our campus must be a place where the dignity of every member of our community is respected," Frenk stated. "Nothing about this event at the UCLA School of Law, which we do not endorse, changes or qualifies those commitments."
Melanie T. Partow, a trial attorney for the Military Commissions Defense Organization and lecturer at UC Irvine School of Law, was scheduled to speak. Partow has represented Mohammed and has also drawn attention for issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The event's panel was titled "Torture, Rendition, and Detention: The Erosion of the Rights Regime post 9/11."
Other speakers included Yale professor Aslı Ü. Bâli, who has characterized counterterrorism as a "racist gravy train," and Hussam Ayloush, director of the California Council on American-Islamic Relations, who has previously drawn criticism for remarks comparing Israel to Nazi Germany. University of Minnesota law professor Amna Akbar was also listed as a speaker.
Judea Pearl expressed dismay over the event, stating, "Colleagues inform me that, sadly, UCLA Law School is guilty of such practice: Weaponizing the painful days of 9/11 and 10/7 to promote hateful ideologies." He added, "Having lost a son to such an ideology, I stand ashamed of my university."
Frenk emphasized that academic freedom does not necessitate neutrality regarding antisemitism or terrorism. He asserted that speakers at UCLA do not signify the university's endorsement of their views. "Speaking at UCLA should never be mistaken for the university’s approval, endorsement, or acceptance of an individual’s viewpoints, or our institution’s indifference to the pain their presence may cause members of our community," he said. "In this case, I understand why Professor Pearl and others are deeply hurt. Judea’s voice, and the history behind it, deserve to be heard with the seriousness and humanity they demand."
The event's description indicated it would examine "the enduring legacies of 9/11; the ways the legal and political architecture of the post-9/11 era continues to shape contemporary debates about race, migration, surveillance, war, technology, policing, and international law; and think collectively about how to chart a better path forward." The symposium was also slated to discuss "the ongoing genocide in Gaza" and "White Christian nationalism."
This controversy occurs as UCLA faces ongoing scrutiny. The university was sued by the Trump administration in February over allegations of antisemitism on campus. In May, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit alleging that UCLA allowed the creation of "Jewish exclusion zones" and incidents of harassment against Jewish students following the Oct. 7 attacks.
Victims and families of 9/11 victims also voiced criticism. Jim McCaffrey, an FDNY lieutenant who responded to the World Trade Center attacks, called the event "absolutely absurd." Sally Regenhard, whose son died at Ground Zero, questioned the timing and the platforming of speakers with such views.