Call to Action - WWU Scholarship for Mohammed Deferred to Spring 2026

January 22, 2026 Update (posted by Clarissa):

Winter quarter at WWU began on January 6, 2026 and Mohammed is still in Gaza. His scholarship has been deferred to spring 2026, and we are re-doubling our efforts to demand that the barriers  preventing Mohammed from accessing his education at WWU be dismantled.

There is currently an application pending with the federal government requesting that they grant Mohammed Emergency Humanitarian Parole, which would allow the U.S. to help facilitate his evacuation, and permit his legal entry and temporary residence in the U.S. even without a visa, on the basis of having secured sponsorship, which he has, and in the case of facing "urgent humanitarian crises" and/or for a limited duration for the purposes of something that constitutes a significant public benefit. 

The application we submitted is strong in all of these areas, and was complete with documentation that could support our case. We are also hopeful they may also consider a request to expedite its processing, due to the time sensitivity of this opportunity for Mohammed, and the urgency of the ongoing emergency he is experiencing in Gaza.  

All of this to say: there is a pathway forward that would allow Mohammed to come to Bellingham, Washington, receive the scholarship he has been awarded, and complete his undergraduate degree at Western Washington University. 

Having a show of support in the form of this petition will further strengthen the requests and the application currently pending, and it will also encourage decision-makers to voice their support and give their approval in due haste. Over the next four weeks, we would really like to get as many signatures as possible, and we are asking for your support in helping us with this effort. 

Please join us in trying to do all we can to make sure that Mohammed doesn't have this opportunity taken from him. To lose this scholarship would be yet another cruelty and injustice, and it is one we must try to prevent. Please share this petition with as many potential supporters as you can.

Here is the direct link to the petition: https://www.change.org/p/support-wwu-scholarship-recipient-mohammed-s-evacuation-from-gaza-education-at-wwu 

NOTE: The "Take the Next Step" button at the bottom of the page will ask you to make a donation to support this petition, but you do not have to do this. You can go directly to the petition. There have already been a number of generous people who have done this, to whom we thank. But further donations to this platform are not necessary or required, and if you do want to make a donation, you can also support Mohammed via a donation to his survival fundraising campaign.