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Harvard Jihad Commencement Controversy

Aired June 05, 2002 - 10:27   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well not too far from there there's a controversy at Harvard University. It's climaxing tomorrow when a Muslim-American student delivers his commencement speech. Zayed Yasin's original title for the address was "My American Jihad," but that title caused such an angry backlash that he changed it to "A Faith and Citizenship." Some students say that Yasin is an inappropriate choice for the commencement honor because of his involvement with a group that the State Department says is linked to the terrorist group Hamas. And the author of that speech is a biomedical engineering student.

To get his side of the story, we're going to go now to Boston where Zayed Yasin is standing by live.

Zayed, good morning, thanks for joining us.

ZAYED YASIN, HARVARD STUDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Thank you very much for having me.

KAGAN: First I want to go to your speech, "My American Jihad." What was your original intent with that title?

YASIN: The intention of the title is to talk about the unity between American and Islamic values and to talk about jihad. Jihad as a -- as a moral and a personal struggle to do the right thing that I think that is very relevant to Americans today.

KAGAN: That's its original intent, but do you understand that Americans, as they have been the victims and have watched terrorists groups that have adopted the word jihad, how they have a different understanding of that word?

YASIN: I think that the corruptions of the word jihad and the -- because this perception exists out in the world perpetuated both by Muslims and non-Muslims is exactly why I feel I need to give this speech.

KAGAN: So take me back. You -- how are you picked in the first place to be a commencement speaker?

YASIN: Well there was an audition process. So I submitted a paper draft of the speech and made the first cut. And then went through several rounds of auditions and was eventually chosen.

KAGAN: And at what point did they go hold, hold, hold everything, this title, it's just not going to work?

YASIN: The -- only -- it only came up after I was already chosen and the -- that I was chosen it was printed in the "Harvard Crimson" and the kind of the human cry started there. And after about a week of that, I met with some of the folks from the selection committee. And we decide that people here the word -- jihad is a very powerful word. It's much more powerful than we had even anticipated. And we thought that we really wanted people to hear the message of this speech and so that it made sense for the first time on commencement day that people would hear the word jihad will be inside the context of the -- of the speech as it's being developed and explained.

KAGAN: So you were OK with taking it out of the title but the word will be in your speech tomorrow?

YASIN: The word is central to the speech.

KAGAN: And exactly what are you hoping that people get out of your speech?

YASIN: I'm hoping people get a sense of both of the unity between American-Islamic values, the idea that there is no contradiction between being Muslim and being American, that the values that we share are universal values, as well as trying to reclaim the word from the way it's been -- it's been misappropriated.

KAGAN: What about the people who say that you shouldn't even be speaking in the first place?

YASIN: I think that's very sad.

KAGAN: But do you see their point in that you used to support a group or do you still support the same group that has been linked to terrorism by the FBI?

YASIN: I think this is -- this is a horrible misrepresentation. It's kind of interpretations of falsehoods. First, I never -- at one point in time I was part of a group that considered giving money to Holy Land Foundation but for a variety of different reasons, we decided never to give them any money.

KAGAN: OK.

YASIN: And so regardless of a discussion about Holyland itself, I've never worked with them or given them any funds.

KAGAN: So in no way do you support a group that would commit acts of terrorism against the United States or other fellow Americans?

YASIN: I think that nothing can justify what happened on September 11. I think that it's -- I do not support anything that causes violence against innocent. I don't -- and I don't believe that anything that happens like that is in the name of my religion.

KAGAN: Zayed, what kind of a response you think and welcoming do you think you're going to get tomorrow at commencement? YASIN: I think people, for the most part, are going to sit and listen. And I hope they'll be pleased with the speech and they'll wonder what all this fuss was about.

KAGAN: Well we wish you well with the speech and congratulate you on your commencement. And what are your plans for the future?

YASIN: I'm going to be working for a rural health NGO in northern Pakistan for the next year before attending medical school.

KAGAN: All right, good luck. Are you already in medical school or are you still yet to apply?

YASIN: No, I'm going to have to -- I'm going to have to apply when I come back.

KAGAN: All right. Well good luck with all that. Good luck with the speech. And thanks for stopping by and giving us some insight about what you plan to share tomorrow, Zayed Yasin.

YASIN: Thank you very much I'm sure (ph).

KAGAN: Soon to be Harvard graduate. How does that sound? Not too bad after four years of hard work. Thank you very much.

YASIN: Sounds good to me.

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