Middle East Studies Association of North America | – ( MESA Press Release ) – WASHINGTON—In response to a letter sent by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, the Treasury Department last week confirmed that a scholarly organization—the Middle East Studies Association (MESA)—may hold an event with U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese even […]
MESA Board Statement concerning the detention of Dr. Vahid Abedini
Middle East Studies Association | – Update: Dr. Abedini has been released from detention. The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) was disturbed to learn of the detention of Dr. Vahid Abedini, the Farzaneh Family Assistant Professor of Iranian Studies at the University of Oklahoma (OU). Dr. Abedini was detained on November 22 by U.S. Immigration and […]
Protesting Cancellation of Conference on “Palestine and Europe” at the Collège de France
Via The British Society for Middle East Studies | – Academic Freedom | Joint Letter from BRISMES, DAVO, MESA and SeSaMO Posted: 12/11/2025 To President Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric MacronPresident of the French Republic To His Excellency Mr. Philippe BaptisteMinister of National Education and Youth, France To Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Thomas RömerChairman of the […]
Federal Court: Trump Administration Violated First Amendment By Deporting Foreign Citizens for Pro-Palestinian Advocacy
Middle East Studies Association | – NB: The MESA news release below has been expanded with extended quotes from the Knight First Amendment Institute and Judge William G. Young that were only given as hyperlinks in the original. In Landmark Ruling, Federal Court Says Trump Administration Violated First Amendment By Deporting Foreign Citizens for Pro-Palestinian […]
Middle East Studies Assn. Statement Concerning Trump’s 2025 Travel Bans
Middle East Studies Association MESA Joint Statement of the Board, Task Force on Civil and Human Rights and Committee on Academic Freedom concerning 2025 Travel Bans We write to follow up on our June 16 Advisory concerning the latest iteration of the Trump administration’s travel bans, which were first announced on June 4, 2025. Since that […]
Celebrating Court Ruling Striking down Trump’s $2 Billion Funding Freeze on Harvard
Middle East Studies Association of North America Court rules on Harvard College v. HHS Lawsuit in Favor of Harvard The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) welcomes a court decision striking down the Trump administration’s freezing of over $2 billion in federal grants to Harvard University. MESA filed an amicus curiae brief in support of Harvard […]
Condemning the Trump Administration’s Terrorizing Students with Unlawful Visa Cancellations
Middle East Studies Association Board | – The MESA Board of Directors and the MESA Task Force on Civil and Human Rights call on all U.S. universities and colleges to heed the Trump administration’s reversal of the unlawful mass visa revocations that have terrorized international students and scholars in recent weeks. We urge campus administrations […]
Condemnation of Trump targeting noncitizen Students, Researchers for Constitutionally protected Speech
Middle East Studies Association MESA Board Joint Statement with the TFCHR regarding deportations The MESA Board of Directors and the MESA Task Force on Civil and Human Rights condemn in the strongest terms the Trump administration’s targeting of noncitizen students and researchers for their constitutionally protected speech and advocacy. As part of an expansive […]
Condemnation of Columbia U. for Endangering Int’l Studies in U.S. by Caving to Intrusive Gov’t
Middle East Studies Association | American Comparative Literature Association | American Studies Association | Association for Asian Studies | National Women’s Studies Association | – We, the Middle East Studies Association joined by the undersigned associations, write to express our deep condemnation of actions taken in the past weeks that imperil the autonomy of centers […]
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