Muslim Group Demands UC Berkeley Documents in Antisemitism Probe

UPDATE: A national Muslim civil liberties organization has filed an urgent request for UC Berkeley to disclose details about its cooperation with a federal investigation into antisemitism on campus. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) submitted a California Public Records Act request on November 21, 2023, following revelations that the university shared the names of 160 students, staff, and faculty with the Trump administration.

According to CAIR, this alarming breach of trust raises serious concerns about the rights of students and faculty. “UC Berkeley’s decision to hand personal information about its own community members to the federal government is a grave breach of trust, particularly in this political climate,” stated Jeffrey Wang, CAIR’s civil rights managing attorney.

The U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice have been actively investigating UC Berkeley since early 2025 to assess whether the university has discriminated against its community by allowing antisemitism to persist. These investigations have intensified amid nationwide protests where students have demanded that institutions sever ties with Israel in light of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 70,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis, as reported by the Associated Press.

UC Berkeley’s decision to comply with the federal probe has drawn significant backlash from the academic community. Critics include the UC Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine and hundreds of global academics who jointly expressed their concerns in a letter addressed to UC President James Milliken and Chancellor Richard Lyons.

University spokesperson Janet Gilmore indicated that the decision to cooperate stemmed from the University of California’s systemwide Office of the General Counsel, which acted to fulfill its legal obligations. In August, the university shared a range of documents with federal authorities, which led to students and faculty being informed in September that their information had been disclosed.

CAIR’s records request aims to uncover the specifics of what documents were shared, the legal rationale behind this sharing, and the decision-making process that led to the university’s compliance. “Students and faculty should not have to wonder whether their university is quietly feeding their names into federal investigations because of what they believe, what they teach, or what protests they attended,” Wang asserted.

The implications of this situation extend far beyond administrative procedures; it touches on fundamental issues of privacy, academic freedom, and the broader climate of fear affecting university communities. As more details emerge, both students and faculty await clarity on how their rights are being protected by their institution.

NEXT: Stakeholders are calling for immediate transparency and accountability from UC Berkeley. The academic community and civil rights advocates will be closely monitoring the university’s response in the coming days. This developing story continues to highlight the tension between federal investigations and the rights of individuals within educational institutions.