Committee on Academic Freedom

Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle East Studies Association seeks to foster the free exchange of knowledge as a human right and to inhibit infringements on that right by government restrictions on scholars. The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provide the principal standards by which human rights violations are identified today. Those rights include the right to education and work, freedom of movement and residence, and freedom of association and assembly.

Anti-intellectualism

Defending Professor Satyel Larson’s Right to Teach her Field freely at Princeton despite Israel Lobbies’ Pressure

Committee on Academic Freedom | Middle East Studies Association Christopher Eisgruber President, Princeton University fax: 609-258-1615 Professor Gene Jarrett Dean of the Faculty, Princeton University gjarrett@princeton.edu Professor Jill Dolan Dean of the College, Princeton University jsdolan@princeton.edu Professor Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi Chair, Department of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University behroozg@princeton.edu Dear President Eisgruber […]

Education

Protesting Punitive Measures against Iranian Women Students

Committee on Academic Freedom

Committee on Academic Freedom | Middle East Studies Association | – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran c/o H.E. Mr. Takht-Ravanchi Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations 622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10017, USA Email: iran@un.int Fax: +1 (212) 867-7086 […]

Israel/ Palestine

Concerns about Israel’s Accession to the US Visa Waiver Program

Committee on Academic Freedom

Middle East Studies Association | Committee on Academic Freedom | – Letter raising concerns about Israel’s accession to the US Visa Waiver Program Mr. Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary Department of Homeland Security Washington DC alejandro.mayorkas@hq.dhs.gov Mr. Anthony Blinken Secretary Department of State Washington DC secretary@state.gov Dear Secretary Mayorkas and Secretary Blinken: We write […]

Iran

Iran: Investigate Poisonings at Girl’s Schools and Women’s Dormitories with more Accountability and Transparency

Committee on Academic Freedom

Committee on Academic Freedom | Middle East Studies Association Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran c/o H.E. Mr. Takht-Ravanchi Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations 622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10017, USA Email: iran@un.int Fax: +1 (212) 867-7086 . . . […]

censorship

Protesting the Imprisonment of Professor Awad al-Qarni, Popular Religious Reformer, by Saudi Arabia

Committee on Academic Freedom

Committee on Academic Freedom | Middle East Studies Association | – March 09, 2023 His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud King of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the two Holy Mosques Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior) +966 11 403 3125 His Royal Highness Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud Crown Prince, Kingdom […]

censorship

Right-Wing Pro-Israeli Group Standwithus, close to Israeli Gov’t, Harasses GWU Professor

Committee on Academic Freedom

Middle East Studies Association – Committee on Academic Freedom | – Letter to the president of GWU regarding Professor Lara Sheehi President Mark S. Wrighton Office of the President The George Washington University 1918 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20052 via email: bfreyre@gwu.edu Dear President Wrighton: We write on behalf of the Middle East Studies […]

Apartheid

Criticizing Israel: Letter to the President of Harvard University regarding Kenneth Roth

Committee on Academic Freedom

Committee on Academic Freedom | Middle East Studies Association of North America | Lawrence S. Bacow President, Harvard University president@harvard.edu Dear President Bacow: We write on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom to express our grave concern about the July 2022 decision […]

Israel Lobbies

Case Western Reserve U’s President Confuses Criticism of Israeli Occupation Policies with anti-Semitism: CAF MESA

Committee on Academic Freedom

Middle East Studies Association of North America | Committee on Academic Freedom Committee on Academic Freedom 15 November 2022 Eric W. Kaler President, Case Western Reserve University 10900 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44106 president@case.edu Dear President Kaler: We write on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on […]

Human Rights

Saudis sentence Leeds doctoral student Salma Al-Shehab to 34 Years in Prison for Human Rights Tweets

Committee on Academic Freedom

Middle East Studies Association | – Committee on Academic Freedom 7 September 2022 His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud King of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the two Holy Mosques Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior) +966 11 403 3125, et al. Your Majesty, Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellency: We write to you […]