Malia Bouattia was elected the first black woman president of the National Union of Students yesterday. This moment of history followed one of the most high-profile and controversial elections the NUS has had – and even after the vote, the arguments go on.

Bouattia, in her current role as black students officer, has spoken frankly on a range of issues. Last month she addressed the UN in Geneva about the harmful effects of Prevent, Britain’s anti-extremism scheme in schools; she has worked on the Why Is My Curriculum White campaign; and she has a strong network of student supporters on social media.

However, her achievement has been met with criticism. During her campaign, Bouattia was urged to respond to allegations of antisemitism after an open letter from presidents of Jewish student societies accused her of having referred to the University of Birmingham as a “Zionist outpost”.

Bouattia responded: “For me to take issue with Zionist politics is not me taking issue with being Jewish. In fact, Zionist politics are held by people from a variety of different faiths, as are anti-Zionist politics. ”

And just before the NUS election a previously deleted video of Bouattia giving a speech in 2014 about Palestine resurfaced. In it she said that “with mainstream Zionist-led media outlets … resistance is presented as an act of terrorism”. She was once again accused of being antisemitic. When I asked Bouattia exactly what she meant, she reiterated her point that Zionism is a political ideology, adding: “It’s an ideology that parts of the British press actively support, and that is what I criticised.” But she admitted: “I am always learning, and strive to always ensure that my language reflects my beliefs.”

Malia Bouattia’s NUS president speech - video

I don’t agree that the media is “Zionist-led”, but her explanation is not altogether that different from describing mainstream media as having an Israeli bias, a sentiment certainly shared by a number of pro-Palestinian campaigners.

This is not the first time that Bouattia has had to defend her position. In 2014 she was accused by several tabloids of blocking a student conference declaration condemning Islamic State. In fact, she had simply asked for a motion to be reworded because she felt its original phrasing could be used to target Muslims generally. The amended version was later accepted. But in raising a concern about language that Muslim students felt uncomfortable with, she was branded a terrorist sympathiser.

Bouattia addressed these accusations in her NUS conference speech this week, saying: “I know too well the price of terrorism.” She spoke about how her family was forced to leave Algeria during the civil war when she was seven, after attacks on her school and the bombing of her father’s lecture theatre. That didn’t stop the Daily Mail again falsely accusing her of “refusing to condemn Isis”.

As we’re seeing in Sadiq Khan’s campaign to become London mayor, it seems that Muslims come in for special attention when seeking a public role. By virtue of their background they will often be active on issues that are contentious and can be divisive: terror, the Middle East, human rights. They will be judged on who they’ve ever come into contact with, and every word they utter will be pored over, often by a hostile media.

Bouattia can expect to be challenged, just like any other political candidate or activist, and in her new role as NUS president there is going to be even more scrutiny of what she says. But to her credit she has engaged with her critics.

Yesterday she supported a motion – passed by conference – calling for greater efforts to tackle antisemitism on campus; and she has a track record of repeatedly standing up to racism and discrimination. But Muslim students especially will be looking to how she is treated before judging whether they feel debate and free expression are still possible.