More than 40 students and organizations across the UC system signed a letter calling for UC Regent Jonathan “Jay” Sures to resign because he allegedly “failed to condemn” Islamophobic remarks made by another speaker at the Jewish American Summit Aug. 30.
Son of a founding Hamas leader, author and former Israeli spy Mosab Hassan Yousef told Muslim Americans to “get the f— out of the United States” and to “go back to the s—holes where (they) came from.” Sures, who also spoke at the summit, has not responded to demands that he condemn Yousef’s comments.
“The abhorrent, disgraceful Islamophobic comments Yousef said were incredibly harmful and dangerous, and Sures’ inaction cannot be brushed under the rug,” said ASUC Middle Eastern, Muslim, Sikh and South Asian-Community Senator Aarja Singh in an email. “The Regents must be held to the highest standard because of the incredible power they hold, and we must hold them to their Standard of Ethical Conduct as recipients of their decision-making.”
The letter was written by ASUC External Affairs Vice President Selina Mendez’s office. Signatories include Singh, external affairs vice presidents from seven UC campuses, UC Student Association President Candice Phan and Muslim student organization leaders across the UC system.
Along with Sures’ resignation, the letter demands a meeting between UC Board of Regents representatives and Muslim and Palestinian student leaders to “establish concrete, binding measures” against Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hate.
“Instances of hate speech like this are completely unacceptable… Islamophobic rhetoric is incredibly dangerous because it has provoked widespread discrimination and violence towards Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim,” Mendez said in an email. “As a result, we cannot take Mr. Sures’s passivity lightly.”
The letter follows an earlier call for Sures’ resignation by the UC Ethnic Studies Council, which represents nearly 700 ethnic studies faculty across the UC system. In a September social media statement, the council criticized Sures for not commenting on Yousef’s remarks and alleged that this silence follows a pattern of Sures targeting students and faculty who speak out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
The council previously called for Sures’ resignation in 2023 after a dispute with him over the UC system’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The council has since circulated a petition calling for his removal, which Mendez said her office is helping facilitate.
In 2025, Sures sought a restraining order against a UCLA graduate student involved in a pro-Palestinian protest outside of his home. His request was denied, and he was later ordered to pay the student’s legal fees.
“Islamophobia has no place at UC Berkeley,” said Berkeley Muslim Student Association President Isha Saleem in a message. “Every Muslim student deserves to practice their faith and express their identity without fear of discrimination, harassment, or intimidation.”