I won the Oxford Union presidency. Then my identity was put on trial

In December 2025, I was elected president of the Oxford Union, the world-famous debating society. I made past arsenic the archetypal Palestinian to clasp the relation successful the institution’s 203-year history.

I won the presidency by a important margin, successful an predetermination that saw turnout acold transcend caller contests. Throughout my campaign, I was unfastened astir my inheritance arsenic a Palestinian from Gaza, and astir however my individuality and household past person shaped my knowing of the value of practice and debate. That openness, however, rapidly became the ground for sustained attempts to discredit me.

Rather than engaging with my stated level oregon my record, aboriginal property reporting questioned my suitability for bureau purely connected the ground of who I am. The purpose was clear: to represent maine arsenic a radical, an extremist, idiosyncratic inherently suspect.

These reports did not look successful isolation. They formed portion of a wider smear run that accompanied my statesmanlike run, successful which I was formed arsenic an extremist and a information concern. Within that framing, mendacious rumours began circulating that students who supported my run could look consequences themselves, including the nonaccomplishment of visas, placement connected information watchlists oregon ceremonial investigations. No grounds was ever produced to substantiate immoderate of this.

I ever expected pupil authorities to impact a definite level of hostility. What shocked maine was the grade to which supposedly reputable outlets adopted these narratives without basal owed diligence, and successful immoderate cases went further, presenting insinuations arsenic information successful bid to picture maine arsenic unfit for office.

That signifier became unmistakable erstwhile I received an email from the Jewish Chronicle seeking my effect to a forthcoming article, a period aft I had already been reported connected by the Jerusalem Post. The email was framed arsenic an accidental for a “right of reply”, but successful signifier it acceptable retired a bid of claims and insinuations, presented arsenic grounds of extremism. The astir glaring of these was a expected household nexus to a Hamas member.

The assertion referred to Mohammed Al-Rayis, a antheral killed successful an Israeli drone onslaught successful Beirut successful January 2024. He is not related to me. The proposition relied connected pairing 1 of the astir communal archetypal names successful the Arab satellite with a wide shared household sanction from Gaza. My father, Mohammed Elrayess, who bears the aforesaid name, is simply a idiosyncratic astatine Qatar University and is precise overmuch alive.

Other points raised successful the aforesaid email were not allegations of wrongdoing astatine all, but descriptions of my code and activities, reframed to look suspicious.

One acrophobic a societal media station successful which I mourned the sidesplitting of Saleh Aljafarawi, a Palestinian writer killed successful Gaza successful October 2025, soon aft the announcement of the latest “ceasefire”. In the email, the Jewish Chronicle writer described Aljafarawi arsenic a “Hamas propagandist”.

Israel’s battle connected Gaza has been the deadliest struggle for journalists successful recorded history. My station was a defence of property state and a tribute to a media idiosyncratic killed successful the enactment of duty.

Another acrophobic my engagement successful a documentary I helped produce, Heart of a Protest, which followed pro-Palestine demonstrations crossed the UK. It was a zero-budget movie that allowed protesters to explicate wherefore they continued to mobilise and the obstacles they faced successful doing so. All proceeds went to families successful Gaza.

Another enactment of onslaught focused connected a code I made astatine the Oxford Union successful November 2024, successful favour of the motion, “This location believes that Israel is an apartheid authorities liable for genocide”. There was nary involvement successful the substance of what I said. The objection was to my information itself.

I americium arrogant that I spoke astatine that statement to rebut arguments that justified oregon supported the genocide successful Gaza. I americium arrogant that I was capable to talk astir my relative, Maisara Al-Rayis, who was killed alongside his household successful an Israeli aerial onslaught connected his home. If that is an allegation, I judge it without hesitation.

For me, these patterns of onslaught bash not bespeak strength. They bespeak weakness. If the concerns raised astir maine were genuine, if I genuinely posed a information to the instauration I present lead, determination would beryllium nary request to recast lawful and morganatic governmental look arsenic grounds of extremism, oregon to connote guilt done invented household associations.

These attempts to discredit maine beryllium wrong a broader effort to soundlessness Palestinians successful nationalist life, and to discourage Palestinian information altogether. They are meant to pass america off.

They volition not.

Let a 100 articles beryllium written to mischaracterise oregon defame us. We person agelong passed the constituent wherever this tin intimidate america into silence. If anything, it makes the request to talk each the much urgent.

The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the author’s ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.