Egypt’s deportation of Ulghur students to China
Letter to Egyptian authorities protesting Egypt's deportation of Uighur students to China.
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
Denial of Political Asylum for Radwan Ziadeh
Letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kelly and CIS Acting Director McAment protesting the decision to deny political asylum to Syrian opposition activist Radwan Ziadeh.
Lawfare Project lawsuit
Letter to San Francisco State University President Wong and California State University Chancellor White regarding the Lawfare Project's lawsuit.
Suspension of Professor Mona Prince
Letter to Suez University President and Egyptian Minister of Higher Education concerning the suspension of Professor Mona Prince of Suez University for allegedly "inciting arguments and problems in the university" through “controversial” class assignments and discussions.
Deportation of foreign students and staff at Fethullah Gulen universities
Letter to PM Yıldırım and President Erdoğan concerning the deportation of foreign students and staff in closed Fethullah Gulen universities.
Arrest and detention of Dr. Ahmad Qatamesh
Letter to Israeli state authorities condemning the arbitrary arrest and unlawful “administrative detention” of Dr. Ahmad Qatamesh by the Israeli occupation authorities as well as the Israeli state prison services.
Cancellation of Edward Said Professorship in Middle East Studies
Letter to administrators of California State University, Fresno expressing concern that the abrupt cancellation of the search for the Edward Said Professorship in Middle East Studies after the names of the four finalists - all of Arab or Muslim descent - constitutes a violation of academic procedures and violates academic freedom.
TÜBİTAK memo asking for removal of dismissed academics from editorial and review boards
Letter to PM Yıldırım and President Erdoğan regarding a memo issued by the Turkish Council for Scientific and Technical Research (TÜBİTAK) on March 17, 2017, addressed to peer reviewed scientific journals listed under the National Academic Network and Information Center (ULAKBİM). The memo asks journals to remove any members who have been dismissed, suspended, and/or banned from public service on the basis of their alleged affiliation with terrorist organizations from their editorial and review boards. The memo is emblematic of the most recent wave of attacks against academic freedom in Turkey.
Deteriorating conditions for Turkish academic and teacher on hunger strike following terminations
Letter to Turkish officials regarding the deteriorating conditions of an academic, Nuriye Gülmen, and a teacher, Semih Özakça, who have been on hunger strike in protest of their terminations without process by emergency decrees.
Another wave of terminations from recent emergency decrees
Letter concerning April 29th Emergency Decree 689 removing 484 academics and 98 administrators from their university positions.
UK Universities cancel scheduled talks by Richard Falk
Professor Richard Falk was subject to defamation and the obstruction or cancellation of scheduled talks after the release of a report, co-authored with Professor Virginia Tilley, on Israeli law and practice, commissioned by the United Nation’s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.
Khalil al-Halwachi sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment
Letter to the King of Bahrain to protest the sentencing of educator and instructor Khalil al-Halwachi to ten years’ imprisonment and to urge Bahrain to respect internationally recognized standards of due process and freedom of expression and association.
Concern and Support for Nasser bin Ghaith sentenced to 10 years
Letter to UAE authorities to protest the ten-year prison sentence of economist, academic and prominent human rights defender, Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith about whom CAF-MENA has written several times, and to urge the leadership to intervene promptly to reverse the Court’s decision.
Dismissal of two faculty at Boğaziçi University
Letter to PM Yıldırım concerning the dismissal of two faculty members of Boğaziçi University (Istanbul) by the Higher Education Council of Turkey (YOK) on the basis that they are signatories to the petition with the title “We will not be a Party to this Crime”.
Travel Restriction and Investigation of Omar Barghouti
Letter to Israeli state authorities expressing concern over the recent investigation of Omar Barghouti, permanent resident and BDS co-founder. CAF is concerned the allegations are political and, therefore, violate his right to movement and to non-violent political expression.
Arrest and Detention of Ahmed Mansoor
Letter to UAE authorities regarding the arrest of Ahmed Mansoor, a prominent human rights activist and 2015 recipient of the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.
New York State Senate passes bills to prohibit funding of university groups supporting boycott of allied nations
Letter to the New York State Assembly regarding two bills sanctioning students and faculty who advocate a boycott of Israel or other 'allied nations'.
Travel ban for supporters of boycott of Israel
Letter to Israeli state authorities condemning an amendment to the “Entry into Israel” Law that denies entry to anyone who supports a boycott of Israel and/or all territories under Israeli control, including the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Incarceration of nearly 1000 students
Letter to PM Yıldırım regarding incarcerated students in Turkey, numbering close to 1000, and the alarming deterioration in conditions of their detention. Credible reports suggest that evidence for terrorism-related charges is weak, while students are subjected to lengthy detentions as pre-trial punishment.
Maltreatment of political prisoner Abduljalil Al-Singace
Letter to the King of Bahrain urging the release, but at minimum, proper medical care and family visits for Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace.
“Code of Ethics” for Israeli academics
Letter to Israeli state authorities expressing concern about a possible “code of ethics” for academics in Israeli universities.
Peaceful protesters experience excessive police force and detention
Letter to PM Yıldırım regarding the excessive police force at Ankara University targeting peaceful protesters and the subsequent detentions that occurred at a demonstration on 10 February 2017 protesting the dismissal of academics en masse from the university. The dismissal was direct result of the emergency decree issued on 7 February 2017, Kanun Hükmünde Kararname (KHK) 686, which resulted in the dismissal of 330 academics in general, 95 of which were from Ankara University.For information on Rector Erkan İbiş’s violations of academic freedom at Ankara University see our letters dating 12 January 2017, 3 November 2015, and 12 December 2012. For more on the emergency decree KHK 686, see our letter dated 8 February 2017.
Exclusion of Baha’is from higher education
Letter to the Iranian authorities vigorously protesting the Islamic Republic of Iran’s longstanding discrimination against Baha’is in higher education.
More Termination of Academics at 49 Universities
Letter to Turkish PM Yıldırım regarding the February 7th Emergency Decree (KHK 686) removing 330 academics from their positions at 49 public universities in Turkey.