Shock and dismay at the arrest, conviction, and harsh sentencing of Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh
Letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei expressing shock and dismay at the arrest, conviction, and harsh sentencing of Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh.
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Protesting the procedures followed in the expulsion of two students
Letter to University of Khartoum President Mustafa Idris protesting the procedures followed in the expulsion of two students, Mr. Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Hassan Abbas Shatir and Ms. Rasha Abd al-Hamid Hasan Ali.
Grave concern over the continued intimidation against peaceful student activists
Letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei expressing very grave concern and mounting consternation over the continued intimidation, arrests, expulsions, and unwarranted violent crackdown carried out by the Iranian authorities against peaceful student activists on Iranian university campuses, as well as the latest spate of harassment and dismissal of university faculty on grounds of political and ideological dissent.
Denial of Rima Najjar Merriman entry into West Bank
Letter to Israeli officials regarding the denial of Rima Najjar Merriman, a citizen of the US and Assistant Professor of American Literature at the Arab American University in Jenin (AAUJ), entry into the West Bank at Allenby on September 14, 2009.
Concern at the disciplinary action taken against university student Ms. Noor Abbas
Letter to University of Bahrain President Ebrahim Ahmed Aljanahi expressing concern at the disciplinary action taken against university student Ms. Noor Abbas. Earlier this year, Ms. Abbas circulated a statement on behalf of the Student Union List criticizing some policies and facilities at the University.
Protesting the decision to remove all images of Mohammed from Jyette Klausen’s book The Cartoons that Shook the World
CAF-endorsed open letter to Yale University President Richard Levin and members of the Yale Corporation written by the National Coalition Against Censorship protesting the decision to remove all images of Mohammed from Jyette Klausen's forthcoming book The Cartoons that Shook the World published by Yale University Press.
Protesting the Erasmus University Rotterdam’s August 19 decision to terminate Dr. Tariq Ramadan
Letter to Rector Henk Schmidt protesting the Erasmus University Rotterdam’s August 19 decision to terminate Dr. Tariq Ramadan’s guest professorship in Citizenship and Identity at the EUR due to his hosting a program on the Iranian English-language television channel Press TV.
Comments approving Ben Gurion University to dismiss Neve Gordon
Letter to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev President Rivka Carmi expressing concern over her comments approving BGU’s search for legal means to dismiss Senior Lecturer and Chair of the Government and Politics Department, Neve Gordon. These comments came in response to an opinion piece published by Dr. Gordon in the Los Angeles Times on 21 August, in which he called for a comprehensive boycott of his country as a means to pressure Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Recent arrests and continued detention of a large number of academics
Letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei expressing concern about the recent arrests and continued detention of a large number of academics, scholars, and student activists in Iran without any formal charges and without access to legal representation. The 9 July 2009 arrest of Dr. Kian Tajbakhsh, a prominent Iranian-American social scientist, is a primary focus.
Intimidation, arrests, and campus expulsions carried out by Iranian security forces
Letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressing grave concern regarding the large-scale wave of intimidation, arrests, and campus expulsions carried out by Iranian security forces against peaceful student activists and protesters on various university campuses throughout Iran since December 2008.
Disciplinary hearing of Vincent Geisser
CAF-endorsed open letter to Madame Catherine Bréchignac, Présidente du CNRS regarding a disciplinary hearing of Vincent Geisser voicing concern that this is related to his work on Islam in France.
Response from the Office of the Hon. Gary Goodyear to June 19, 2009 letter
Response from the Office of the Hon. Gary Goodyear to June 19, 2009 letter regarding a second review of the grant-in-aid secured from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Gary Goodyear request for a second review of the grant-in-aid
Three letters sent regarding the request by the Minister of State (Technology and Science) Gary Goodyear for a second review of the grant-in-aid secured from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The grant helped fund the York University conference, Israel/Palestine: Mapping Models of Statehood and Paths to Peace. The three letters were sent to Minister Gary Goodyear, SSHRC President Chad Gaffield, and York University President Mamdouh Shoukri. [A reply from Minister Goodyear’s office received June 22, 2009.]
Response from Professor Zvi Galil to May 21, 2009 letter
Response from Response from Professor Zvi Galil to May 21, 2009 letter regarding commendation to Tel Aviv University for defending student Omar Barghouti's petition to boycott Israeli universities.
Refusal to allow Dr. Nicola Pratt to enter the West Bank
Letter to Israel’s Minster of the Interior Eli Yishai regarding Israeli authorities’ refusal to allow Dr. Nicola Pratt to enter the West Bank on April 22, 2009. She was scheduled to present two seminars at the Institute for Women's Studies at Bir Zeit University.
Tel Aviv University commendation
Commendation to Tel Aviv University President Zvi Galil for his May 3, 2009 letter defending student Omar Barghouti's petition to boycott Israeli universities.
Alleged misconduct and investigation of sociology professor William Robinson
Letter to University of California, Santa Barbara Academic Senate Chair Joel Michaelsen regarding the alleged misconduct and investigation of sociology professor William Robinson.
Treatment by security forces of student demonstrators on several university campuses
Letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regarding the treatment by security forces of student demonstrators on several university campuses.
Arrests and detention of university faculty in connection with the Ergenekon investigation
Letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan regarding pattern of arrests and detention of university faculty and rectors in connection with the Ergenekon investigation.
Response from John Bassett to April 23, 2009 letter
Response from John Bassett to April 23, 2009 letter regarding the cancellation of Professor Norman Finkelstein's lecture at Clark University.
Cancellation of Professor Norman Finkelstein’s lecture at Clark University
Letter to John Bassett, President Clark University on the cancellation of Professor Norman Finkelstein's lecture at Clark University. [Reply received on April 29, 2009.]
Response from Leon Botstein to March 4, 2009 letter
Response from Leon Botstein to March 4, 2009 letter regarding the decision not to renew Joel Kovel’s appointment as Distinguished Professor of Social Studies at Bard College.
Decision not to renew Joel Kovel’s appointment at Bard College
CAF expresses concern about the circumstances surrounding the administration’s decision not to renew Joel Kovel’s appointment as Distinguished Professor of Social Studies at Bard College. [Response from President Leon Botstein received March 9, 2009.]
Military campaign against the Gaza Strip
Letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to express grave concern over military campaign against the Gaza Strip that has included the killing of students outside the Gaza Training College in Gaza City and the bombing of the Gaza Islamic University.
Violent incidents at al-Azhar University
Letter to President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and Nabil Abuznaid, Representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization, to express concern regarding violent incidents at al-Azhar University in Gaza and the role of Palestinian security forces in these incidents.