In a world where international education is just one of the many knock-on effects of the geopolitical struggle for power, one student’s experience has lit up social media circles at the pace of a political thriller. Amani al-Khatahtbeh, author, activist, and “Jersey girl” through and through, recounts how her own journey to completing her course at Oxford in International Human Rights Law was nearly derailed by the Trump Administration’s freeze on funding for her study abroad scholarship award.
She claims to have been “the only Palestinian student to graduate from her cohort at her school.” Whether one regards her story as a civil liberties fable or just a confusing series of events particular to academia, the web is certainly enamored.
A Freeze, A Fight, A Finish
It started with a tweet.
“Trump froze my scholarship, and I still graduated as the only Palestinian in International Human Rights Law at Oxford University. ✌🏽”
Al Khatahtbeh revealed that her own academic pursuits were funded by a nonprofit organization, which she claims the president saw as politically opposed to him, and that they were caught up in this broader halt to education spending linked to the State Department, reported to have occurred at the start of 2025. While her specific program, which funded her at Oxford, does not seem to have been specified at this reporting level, similar academic and cultural exchange awards were certainly put on hold during this period.
Instead of folding, she finished.
And then she clarified her identity before the Internet could distort it.
“Just to clarify: I’m American born and raised Jersey girl 🩷 Trump has been targeting nonprofit organizations he views as politically opposed to him, including the one that funded my academic scholarship.”
A Jersey girl at Oxford. A Palestinian heritage story woven around American identity. A federal funding freeze. A graduation ceremony that didn’t happen. You couldn’t have written it better than it is:
The Internet Reacts, And It Is A Full Greek Chorus
And once those tweets landed in the timeline, their responses ranged from enthusiastic to questionable to utterly delusional. It was classic Twitter X: a town square, a food fight, and a poetry slam all rolled into one corner of the web.
The Applause Section
Some fans praised the Allah-like character’s narrative and its success on screen:
“Queen shit! Palestinians have been killing it, we love excellence”
“Congratulations Mama!! Beautiful future ahead”
“Despite all odds, you have succeeded! Congrats, and go girl, go! The whole world is your oyster!”
One person gave what seemed to be a commencement speech in the comments:
“You did not just earn a degree, you made history. They tried to block your path but you turned every barrier into fuel…. Your story is bigger than academics…. No one can freeze destiny.”
“If Oxford ever needs someone to revamp their marketing copy, they know where to look.”
The Skeptics: A Twitter Tradition
Then came the fact checkers, amateur geopolitical analysts, and individuals simply unaware of the manner in which scholarships function:
“Why would the United States government be paying for a scholarship to Oxford?”
“In what way did Trump freeze your scholarship to go to a British university?”
“How does he steal a scholarship to get to college in the UK? Sounds made up”
These are indicative of a broader confusion among the general public about how US study abroad scholarships operate: “Many American students participate in foreign programs sponsored by nonprofits or NGOs or federally-related scholarships not obligating attendance at US universities.” But “when the timeline is hungry,” nuance is always “the first casualty.”
And Then There Was This
The most aggressive and frankly most bizarre response from the group came from one of the users:
“I’m glad to hear that a Palestinian is now learning about international human rights law. Many of them ought to learn it–then they’d likely come back to us with some of that good ol’ terrorism too. Oh yeah, and props to you too for putting yourself through school like the rest of us. Not sure if you deserve a medal for it or anything.”
This served as a reminder that even the simplest academic achievement can become a battleground for culture warriors on social media.
