National Public Radio has just released an exclusive new interview with Mohsen Mahdawi — the former president of Columbia University’s Buddhist Association and student activist who has been critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza, and was detained in Vermont by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on April 14.
In the interview, Mahdawi reports that he continues to meditate every day while in prison, saying, “I am centered internally. I am at peace. While I still know deeply that this is a level of injustice that I am facing, I have faith. I have faith that justice will prevail.” About his situation, Mahdawi’s counsel says he was detained “in retaliation for his speech advocating for Palestinian human rights” and that his arrest and detention are part of a policy “intended to silence and chill the speech of those who advocate for Palestinian human rights.”
Speaking for himself in the interview, Mahdawi says, “I am practicing here my constitutional rights, not to call for any destruction of anyone, not to fight anyone. I’m saying we need peace. We need to stop the war. And we want children, all children, to live in peace, without fear and without trauma.”
Mahdawi’s case has found support in some corners of the Buddhist community, most notably in a coalition of mostly American Zen teachers and repeated messages from Ven. Bhikku Bodhi. He awaits a court hearing on Wednesday.
