(NEW YORK) –Earlier this month at North Carolina State University, author and publisher Hannah Moushabeck was barred from reading from her picture book memoir, Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine. Moushabeck had been invited by North Carolina State Libraries to participate in a series of events, including a ‘storytime’ reading for students and local families. According to press coverage, university administrators claimed the reading would violate state law and the University’s policy on “neutrality,” which prohibits it from speaking “regarding matters of contemporary political debate or social action.”
“Let’s be clear: The University effectively stopped a writer who was coming to campus from sharing their life story,” said Kristen Shahverdian, Program Director for Campus Free Speech. “This censorship is the antithesis of what university education is supposed to be; and, ironically, it’s a direct violation of the policy in question, which is actually meant to protect the space for a multitude of voices and viewpoints on campus. It’s patently absurd to suggest that the university’s neutrality policy would mean Moushabeck could not read from her memoir at a planned event. If that’s the way this UNC policy is being applied, then the policy’s in need of serious revision.”
Moushabeck’s memoir follows three young girls as they learn about their father’s homeland of Palestine. On October 7, 2025, event organizers informed her that the reading would violate state law and the University of North Carolina’s Equality Policy, which requires university departments and units to remain neutral on political and social issues when representing the university. As a result, Moushabeck’s event was retitled, her planned reading was removed, and the event, according to NC State Library, recast as “a general celebration of reading.” A mobile bookstore, Habibti Bookshop, supported an alternative event where Moushabeck was able to read her book to campus attendees.
The adoption of policies of “institutional neutrality” by both public and private campuses has increased over the past few years. Some campuses have adopted these policies voluntarily, while some, including the UNC system, have implemented them due to legislative mandates. The often cited goal of institutional neutrality is to ensure that campuses remain open to a diversity of viewpoints and robust discussion of ideas, but the pressure for a campus to appear “neutral,” especially in the wake of the campus protest movement related to the war in Gaza, can lead to limiting individual expression that might be seen as overly political or one-sided.
“Campuses that adopt institutional neutrality must still remain open to all ideas, and providing forums to share those ideas does not mean the institution endorses them,” continued Shahverdian. “We are glad that Moushabeck was able to provide a reading to the campus, however that doesn’t negate the University’s responsibility to ensure that this absurd misapplication of policy does not happen again.”
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Malka Margolies, [email protected], 929-383-1856