Contact CAF
Middle East Studies Association of North America, Inc.
3542 N. Geronimo Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85705
520 333-2577 phone
520 207-3166 fax
- All Committee on Academic Freedom
Conflation of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism in Report by UC Regents Working Group
Letter to the President and Regents of the University of California protesting the conflation of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism in the report of the Regents Working Group on Principles Against Intolerance.
Government Actions Against Peace Petition Signatories
Letter to PM Davutoglu (see previous letters of January 14, 2016 and February 22, 2016) concerning an escalation in government actions against Peace Petition signatories and their supporters including arrests, a deportation of a foreign academic and a declaration by the President that the Turkish Criminal Code will be amended to broaden the definition of terrorism to include academic activities.
Emirati Abdulkhaleq Abdulla Denied Entry into Bahrain
Letter to Bahraini king protesting the denial of entry to Professor Abdulkhaleq Abdullah and the decision of Bahraini authorities to declare him persona non grata.
Canadian Government Rejects BDS
Letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and parliamentary leaders regarding the motion passed by Canada's parliament denouncing the BDS movement.
Magnitude of Harassment, Intimidation, Prosecution, and Repression to Peace Petition Signatories
Letter to PM Davutoğlu (see previous letter of January 14, 2016) concerning the gravity and magnitude of the pattern of harassment, intimidation, prosecution and repression to which academics have been subjected as a consequence of signing the Peace Petition, followed by a comprehensive appendix detailing these violations of academic freedom.
Haydar Darıcı Travel Ban Lifted
e travel ban on graduate student Haydar Darıcı was lifted February 21, 2016.
Graduate Student Haydar Darici Facing Travel Ban and Criminal Indictment
Letter to PM Davutoğlu (see previous letter of January 5, 2015) concerning graduate student Haydar Darıcı, who is currently subject to a travel ban, preventing him to return to the US to continue his doctoral studies, and criminal indictment for his academic activities and writings, including twitter activity, with regard to the Kurds in Turkey.
Outrage at the Repeated Israeli Army Incursions at Palestinian Universities
Letter to Israeli authorities about army incursions, land confiscation, and seizures in Palestine Technical University University-Khadoorie in Tulkarm and Birzeit University in Ramallah.
Deteriorating Academic and Political Freedoms in Egypt
Letter regarding increasing detentions and travel bans in Egypt.
Halil Ibrahim Yenigün Suspended for Being a Signatory of the Peace Petition
Letter to PM Davutoğlu regarding disciplinary proceedings against Assistant Professor Halil Ibrahim Yenigun who has been suspended by the university administration of Istanbul Commerce University for being a signatory of the Academics for Peace Petition.
Torture and Murder of Italian Student Giulio Regeni
Letter to Egyptian officials regarding the torture and murder in Cairo of Italian Ph.D. student Giulio Regeni, who was a visiting researcher at AUC.
Sibel Özbudun Facing Prosecutions Related to Facebook Posts
Letter to PM Davutoğlu regarding Professor Emerita, Adjunct Professor and anthropologist Sibel Özbudun who is facing two separate prosecutions related to comments and photographs that she posted on her Facebook page.
Koray Çalışkan under Criminal Investigation for Tweets Insulting Erdoğan
Letter to PM Davutoğlu regarding Boğaziçi University Prof. Koray Çalışkan who is under criminal investigation for allegedly insulting President Erdoğan on Twitter.
Amel Grami Denied Entry to Egypt to Attend Conference
Letter to Egyptian officials regarding the detention and interrogation of Tunisian Professor Amel Grami, invited to participate in an international conference.
Poet Mohammed al-Ajami Imprisoned for Reciting Poems Critical of Qatar’s Government
Letter to the Emir of Qatar expressing concern over the continued imprisonment of poet Mohammed al-Ajami for reciting poems allegedly critical of Qatar's government.
Disciplinary Investigations of Academics who Signed “Peace Petition”
Letter to PM Davutoğlu concerning Turkish Higher Education Council's condemnation of a peace petition signed by academics as "terrorist propaganda" triggering a series of disciplinary investigations at various universities, and initiation of criminal investigations, against signatory faculty members.
Concerns Regarding Review of Bar-Ilan University Professor Hanoch Sheinman
Letter to Rabbi Professor Daniel Hershkowitz expressing concern over procedures involved in the third-year review of Prof. Hanoch Sheinman of Bar Ilan University.
Egypt’s Presidential Decrees Erode Academic Freedom
Letter urging the cancellation of presidential decrees impinging upon academic freedom.
Termination Initiated against Wheaton College Professor Larycia Hawkins for Inconsistency with “Statement of Faith”
Letter to Wheaton College President Philip Graham Ryken urging him to reject the provost's recommendation that "termination-for-cause" procedures be initiated against Professor Larycia Hawkins because certain statements she allegedly made are supposedly inconsistent with the college's Statement of Faith and calling on him to affirm Wheaton's commitment to uphold the principles of academic freedom.
Changes to Turkish Legal Regulation increase Control by Higher Education Council (YÖK)
Letter to PM Davutoğlu concerning recent changes made to the legal regulation of the Higher Education Council (Yüksek Öğretim Kurulu, or YÖK), enabling the Council to seize control of private universities, suspend the admission of new students, suspend academic programs, and shut down a university indefinitely.
Graduate Student Haydar Darıcı Facing Criminal Investigation and Travel Ban
Letter to PM Davutoglu concerning graduate student Haydar Darici who is currently subject to a travel ban, preventing him from returning to the US to continue his doctoral studies, and a criminal investigation related to his observation of a demonstration in Diyarbakir following his arrival for research.
Mohammad Rafiee Held in Iran’s Evin Prison With Unknown Charges
Letter to Supreme Leader Khamenei concerning the arrest, conviction, and conditions of imprisonment of Professor Emeritus Mohammad Rafiee.
Statement by UCLA’s Graduate Student Association President Regarding Funding Restrictions for Diversity Caucus
Letter to UCLA Chancellor Block to express concern about recent statements by the president of UCLA’s Graduate Student Association (GSA) that the Diversity Caucus would be funded only if it had no connections with organizations that advocate divestment or other sanctions against Israel.