Prolonged Detention of Academics in Iran
Letter to Iranian authorities protesting the prolonged detention of Iranian, dual-national, and foreign national academics in Iran.
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
- Interventions
Florida House Bill conflates criticism of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism
Letter criticizing the definition of anti-Semitism in HB 741, a bill under consideration by the Florida House of Representatives, because it conflates criticism of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism, thereby threatening the right to free speech and academic freedom at Florida's institutions of higher education.
Recent developments concerning the prosecution of Peace Petition signatories and targeting of scholars
Letter regarding recent developments in the prosecution of scholars who signed the declaration “We will not be a party to this crime”—commonly referred to as the “Academics for Peace Petition”—as well as the ongoing targeting of scholars whose research exposes threats emanating from the Turkish government’s policies in areas such as public health and environmental regulation.
Public Smear Campaign against Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian and Hebrew University’s Failure to Protect Her
Letter denouncing the aggressive public smear campaign against Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian related to her research and expressing concern regarding the Hebrew University’s failure to protect her.
ATCA’s Effect on the Right to Education for Palestinian Students
Letter to President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives expressing opposition to the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act (ATCA) of 2018, as it results in the denial of the right to education to Palestinian students from the West Bank and Gaza Strip in a MEPI program. CAF calls on Congress and the President to cancel ATCA.
Israeli Arrests of Palestinian Students and Professors, Israeli Assaults on Palestinian Campuses
Letter condemning the arbitrary arrests and detention of Palestinian students and professors as well as the assaults on Palestinian universities. These measures are a clear violation of Palestinian academic freedom.
State Security Court upholds 10 year prison sentence of Ahmed Mansoor
Letter to UAE authorities protesting the decision of the State Security Court of the Federal Supreme Court to uphold the 10 year prison sentence imposed on human rights advocate Ahmed Mansoor in 2018.
Concern for health of Nasser bin Ghaith, sentenced to 10 years in 2017
Letter to UAE authorities expressing concern for the health of Nasser bin Ghaith, a professor of economics sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in 2017 for "insulting" the UAE in public statements and tweets, who is on hunger-strike.
Detentions of Academic Visitors in Iran*
Letter to Iranian authorities condemning the continued detention of visiting academics on the basis of what appear to be fabricated charges
Senators Introduce Revised Israel Anti-Boycott Act
Letter expressing concern over the most recent version of the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (S. 720) which continues to criminalize participation in what it terms “politically motivated” boycotts directed at Israel.
British PhD Student Matthew Hedges Given Life Sentence
Letter (co-signed by Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies) to UAE authorities condemning the sentencing of British PhD student Matthew Hedges to life imprisonment for ‘spying’ supposedly on behalf of the United Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Service.
SUNY Collaboration with Turkish Council of Higher Education (YOK)
Letter protesting joint SUNY-YOK discussion.
University of Michigan Graduate Student Threatened for Refusing to Write Recommendation Letter
Letter to the University of Michigan Defending Graduate Student Threatened for Refusing to Write Recommendation Letter
Detention and upcoming trial of Matthew Hedges
Letter to UAE authorities regarding Matthew Hedges, a British PhD student from Durham University who has been detained by State Security since May 2018 and has been accused of spying for a foreign government.
University of Michigan Professor Disciplined for Refusing to Write Student Recommendation Letter
Letter to the University of Michigan protesting the imposition of disciplinary sanctions against Professor John Cheney-Lippold because of his decision not to write a letter of recommendation for a student applying to a study-abroad program in Israel.
Iraqi Documents and Research Partnership between The New York Times and George Washington University
Letter to George Washington University leadership regarding university's partnership with the New York Times to house documents removed from Iraq by Rukmini Callimachi.
Appeal to release Mr. Xiyue Wang from Iranian Prison
Letter to Iranian authorities expressing grave concern regarding the imprisonment and conviction of Mr. Xiyue Wang, History PhD Student at Princeton University, while conducting archival research for his doctoral dissertation.
Withdrawal of Saudi students from Canada
Letter to Saudi authorities regarding the decision to withdraw all Saudi students from Canada by 31 August 2018 as a result of the diplomatic dispute between the two countries.
Detention and sentencing of Palestinian student activist Ola Marshoud
Letter to Israeli authorities condemning the sentencing of Ms. Ola Marshoud to seven months in prison for organizing students in opposition to the Israeli Occupation Forces at an-Najah National University in Nablus, where she was a registered student.
Arbitrary demands on foreign national academics working in Palestinian universities
Letter to Israeli authorities condemning the arbitrary conditions imposed on foreign national academics working (or seeking to work) in Palestinian universities, and the increasing denial of visas (new and renewed) to them.
Student Arrests and Detentions in Iran
Letter to Iranian authorities condemning the crackdown and harsh prison sentences against students who participated in peaceful country-wide protests on and off campus.
July 8th Emergency Decree 701 Removing 206 Academics and 52 Administrators
Letter to President Erdoğan regarding the July 8th Emergency Decree (KHK 701), which resulted in the dismissals of 206 academics at 63 public universities and 52 administrators from 24 public universities in Turkey from their positions.
Detention of University of Washington Ph.D. student Walid Salem
Letter to the Supreme State Prosecution in Egypt concerning the detention of Walid Salim, a University of Washington Ph.D. student conducting research in Egypt.
Protesting the arrest of Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi
Letter to Saudi authorities regarding the arrest of renowned scholar and women’s rights activist, Dr. Hatoon Ajwad al-Fassi on the eve of the lifting of the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia.
Biased AFP article regarding ACRPS in Qatar and its founder Azmi Bishara
Letter to Agence France Presse protesting the publication on 5 June 2018 of a heavily biased and misinformed article by Shatha Yaish regarding the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Qatar and its founder, Dr. Azmi Bishara.