USC's 'silenced' valedictorian refuses to say if she wants to abolish Israel and reveals she wanted to use commencement speech to teach 'students about the world' before being canceled for liking antisemitic page

USC's valedictorian who was banned from making a graduation speech over her pro-Palestine views has refused to say if she would abolish Israel and revealed her speech would a 'unifying voice' for all students. 

Asna Tabassum, from Chino Hills, California, had been selected as this year's top performer at the University of Southern California.

Pro-Israel groups slammed her selection after it emerged the 21-year-old had made posts questioning the Israel-Hamas conflict, with links that promoted anti-Semitism.

The college removed Tabassum, who is a Muslim, from their lineup stating that 'tradition must give way to safety'.

Speaking to ABC News, Tabassum refused to say if she would abolish the state of Israel, but that she wants to get rid of apartheid. 

She told the outlet: 'When it comes to abolishing the state of Israel I do want to point out the very next sentence that talks about the peaceful coexistence of Arabs and Jews. 

'I'm committed to human equality and human rights, I encourage people to look at it in its entirety.'

Speaking to ABC News , Tabassum refused to say if she would abolish the state of Israel, but that she wants to get rid of apartheid

Tabassum continued: 'It's discussing the one state and two state solutions and the history of the region. I think that there is important information for people to understand on their own.

'When it comes to abolishing the state of  Israel, I will say I want to abolish apartheid. I'm not committing to a one state or two state solution. 

'My endorsing of any one single perspective is unfounded. I expressed my views online and the hatred that was levelled at me was part of the reason USC caved in.

'I wanted my speech to be in the genre of a valedictory speech, I wanted to impart a message of hope. I also wanted to impart a message of responsibility.

'I wanted to encourage my peers to learn about the world and come to their own conclusions and then act to change the world. 

'Taking in my role as valedictorian, I wanted to be a unifying voice for all students and that was preemptively taken away from me.'

When asked about the response of the university, she added: 'Nothing specific was offered to me, no specific details regarding security threats or safety concerns were offered to me. 

Following the outrage, the university hinted this week that they would be canceling single-person valedictorian speeches in the future. 

Tabassum has been barred from speaking at the commencement ceremony due to alleged anti-Semitic social media posts

Tabassum's pro-Palestinian stance and links promoting the abolition of Israel led to sites with prose, seen above

Tabassum has shared pro-Palestinian views and 'likes' expressed through her Instagram account which she has since made private and removed her postings

A link from Asna Tabassum leads to a website containing various antisemitic sentiments 

She had also previously told ABC7: 'I stand by exactly what I stand by. I don't believe it is ironic for me to minor in something called resistance to genocide, and then speak out on it and then be revoked because I'm penalized for something that people have an issue with.' 

Following the outrage, the university hinted this week that they would be canceling single-person valedictorian speeches in the future. 

Tabassum also said that she wasn't buying the safety claim made by the university officials after they offered her no specifics. 

When she pressed officials at the school further, she said: '[It was] almost a one-way conversation - and then the next day they came to me.

'They gave me a call and said 'it's unfortunate, but you don't get to speak'. It has been a roller coaster, and I would say that's the best way to describe it.'

Tabassum, who is majoring biomedical engineering with a minoring in resistance to genocide, would have addressed 65,000 people at the ceremony. 

USC officials chose her from nearly 100 student applicants who had GPAs of 3.98 or higher. 

In letters sent to administrators, critics accused her of posting a link to a website that 'takes a swinging bat at over 10% of the USC student body and mudslings by calling Zionists 'racist-settlers.' 

Tabassum is majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in resistance to genocide would have been planning to address 65,000 people at the ceremony

Tabassum has shared pro-Palestinian views and 'likes' expressed through her Instagram account which she has since made private and removed her postings. 

Tabassum's current Instagram bio links to a landing page that says 'learn about what's happening in Palestine, and how to help.' 

'Ms. Tabassum unabashedly and openly endorses the link's calls for 'the complete abolishment of the state of israel (sic),' according to a letter circulated for critics to submit to administrators. 

'As if the unqualified command for abolition of the State of Israel was unclear in any way, Ms. Tabassum's link reinforces racism with another link, urging readers to 'reject the hegemonic efforts to demand that Palestinians accept that Israel has a right to exist as a . . . Jewish state.'

Earlier this week hundreds of students flooded the campus to protest the cancelation of the speech. 

During Thursday's march, students held signs with photos of Tabassum reading 'let Asna speak'.

The march through campus followed a series of calls for her speech to be re-instated.

A letter from 130 faculty members said canceling her speech 'stifles open communication' while dozens of student groups signed a separate letter saying they were 'outraged and ashamed' by the decision.

While Tabassum herself suggested she was was being silenced and that her university had 'abandoned her'.

She wrote in a statement: 'Anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all.

'I am both shocked by this decision and profoundly disappointed that the university is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice,' she went on.

A man holds a placard as University of Southern California (USC) students protest in support of valedictorian Asna Tabassum

During Thursday's march, students held signs with photos of Tabassum reading 'let Asna speak'

Demonstrators protest over the cancellation of a speech by the school's valedictorian on Thursday

Provost of USC Andrew  Guzman attends cited Tabassum's removal as being down to 'security concerns'

Provost Guzman, in a message to campus also said the uproar over the choice of valedictorian had taken on 'an alarming tenor.'

The university told the LA Times how threats had been made over email, letters and through phone calls to the campus. 

Guzman wrote: 'The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement.

'We cannot ignore the fact that similar risks have led to harassment and even violence at other campuses.

'As always, and particularly when tensions are running so high across the world, we must prioritize the safety of our community.

'And as we do every year, we have been monitoring our commencement security needs based on all the information we have and the facts on the ground. 

'We are resolute in our commitment to maintain and prioritize the existing safety and well-being of our USC community during the coming weeks, and allowing those attending commencement to focus on the celebration our graduates deserve.'