Response from University of California President to August 8 Letter
Letter from University of California President Mark Yudof responding to CAF's concerns about the report on Jewish Student Campus Climate and the definition of hate crimes.
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- All Committee on Academic Freedom
University of California Report on Jewish Student Campus Climate
Letter to University of California President Mark G. Yudof expressing concerns about the recent report on “University of California Jewish Student Campus Climate” and its recommendations for new hate speech guidelines.
Arrest and Detention of Muge Tuzcuoglu Charged under Anti-Terror Law Linked to Support of Kurdish Rights
Letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressing dismay and concern over March 8th arrest and detention of Müge Tuzcuoğlu, charged under the Anti-Terror Law on grounds that her attendance at training workshops and her presence at two public demonstrations in support of Kurdish rights allegedly link her to the PKK (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan- Kurdistan Workers’ Party).
Response from Birzeit University President to July 2 letter
Response from Birzeit University President Khalil Hindi to the July 2 letter regarding the University's actions to the caricatures on the door of Professor Musa Budeiri.
Controversy over Birzeit University Professor Musa Budeiri Caricatures Placed on His Office Door
Letter to Birzeit University President Khalil Hindi regarding the university administration's handling of the controversy surrounding the caricatures Professor Musa Budeiri placed on his office door.
Israel’s Treatment of Palestinian Education and its Denial of Gaza Students’ Right to Study in the West Bank
Israeli Government’s ongoing violations against Palestinian education and its denial of Gaza students’ right to study in the West Bank, in particular the cases of four students who had to discontinue their studies in 2000, and are now seeking to resume their studies at Birzeit University, as well as Lujain Zaim who Israel is denying the right to begin university studies there.
NYT Advertisement by David Horowitz Freedom Center Listing Professors to Shame and Condemn for Support of BDS
New York Times advertisement placed by the David Horowitz Freedom Center that lists 14 professors by name, describing them (in most cases without any specific accusations) as people who “should be publicly shamed and condemned for the crimes their hatred incites.” It thereby suggests that these scholars are complicit in hate crimes merely for expressing their support for the BDS campaign.
TEACH Cross-cultural Program Asked to Introduce Participants to Education Sector in Bahrain
Letter to the Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce regarding its program, Teachers Educating Across Cultures in Harmony (TEACH), aimed at cross cultural exchanges and increased knowledge between educators in the United States and the Arab World. The 5th annual educator trip is planned for the Kingdom of Bahrain and State of Qatar “to raise awareness, understanding, and cooperation between educators in the United States and the Middle East.” The letter asks that the program introduce its participants to the situation of the educational sector in Bahrain.
Bahraini Prosecution and Harassment of University Community
Letter to Bahrain Minister of Justice Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa regarding the ongoing state prosecution and harassment of university faculty, staff, and students.
IDF Invasion of Al-Quds University’s Institute of Modern Media at the Abu Dis
Early-morning IDF invasion of al-Quds University’s Institute of Modern Media at the Abu Dis campus when televising equipment was destroyed and the television transmitter seized. This wanton attack upon an educational establishment is a direct infringement upon academic freedom and seems to be part of a broader Israeli campaign against education and academic freedom in the West Bank and Gaza.
Removal of Baylor University Professor Marc Ellis
Disciplinary charges which Baylor University has brought against Professor Marc Ellis and about his removal from his teaching and administrative duties without a hearing.
Punitive Recommendation Ben Gurion University Consider Closing Department of Politics and Government
Letter to the Israeli Council for Higher Education (CHE) chairman Gideon Sa’ar regarding the recommendation that Ben Gurion University consider closing down the Department of Politics and Government.
Police Force used on University of California Campuses against Peace Protestors
Letter to University of California President Mark G. Yudof regarding police violence toward the campus communities engaged in peaceful protest on university campuses.
Assembly of Turkish-American Associations Allegations that Keith Watenpaugh Defamed Organization
Letter to Assembly of Turkish-American Associations President Ergun Kirlikovali regarding allegations that Prof. Keith Watenpaugh had defamed the organization.
Pressure on Faculty Expressing Solidarity with McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association Strike
Letter to McGill University administrators for pressure put on members of its faculty who have expressed solidarity with the strike called by the McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association (MUNACA).
Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism July 2011 Report that Loosely Defines Antisemitism
Response to the July 7, 2011, Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism (CPCCA) report whose loose and overly broad definition of antisemitism may threaten freedom of speech and violate the principles of academic freedom by defining criticism of Israeli policies, of Zionism or of Israel as a self-defined Jewish state as inherently antisemitic.
Response by Yale University Provost to July 5 Letter
Letter from Yale University Provost Peter Salovey regarding CAF's request for an investigation into possible improper government influence on the University's 2006 decisoin not to hire Juan Cole.
Government Investigation into Juan Cole May Have Influenced Yale University Position
Letter to Yale University's president and provost asking for an investigation into possible improper government influence on or communication regarding the university's 2006 decision not to hire Professor Juan Cole, as recommended by two departments. A June 15, 2011 New York Times article indicated that during that same time period the Bush administration was apparently seeking to have the CIA collect and provide information that might be used to discredit him.
Allegations against Claremont McKenna College Professor Bassam Frangieh that Appeared in Local Publications
Letter to Claremont McKenna Vice President Gregory D. Hess regarding allegations made against Professor Bassam Frangieh in articles that appeared in at least two local publications. The allegations and the resulting calls for Professor Frangieh’s dismissal threaten not only the right to free speech but also the principles of academic freedom.
Prosecutor Decision to Bring Misdemeanor Conspiracy Charges against 11 UC Irvine Students for Protesting Israeli Ambassador Speech
Letter to Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas expressing concern about the decision to bring misdemeanor conspiracy charges against eleven university students in connection with their disruption of a speech by Israeli ambassador Michael Oren at UC Irvine on February 8, 2010.
Turkish Coalition of America Lawsuit against University of Minnesota Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Letter to the Turkish Coalition of America on its decision to file a lawsuit against the University of Minnesota and its Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, allegedly prompted by the Center’s listing of the organization’s website as an “unreliable” source with respect to the history of Armenians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.
Canadian Legislators’ Remarks over Masters Thesis Disregarding Academic Freedom
Remarks by two members of Ontario’s Legislative Assembly, and by Ontario’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, with regard to the contents of a thesis accepted by a master’s program at the University of Toronto. These assertions inappropriately conflate criticism of Zionism and Israel with anti-Semitism. They also evince a disregard for the principles of academic freedom and threaten the autonomy of Canadian universities.
Harsh treatment of student activists and blatant disregard for freedom of expression on university campuses
Since the disputed election of 2009, the Iranian authorities have intensified their repression and persecution of non-violent student activists and scholars on and off university campuses. Hundreds of students on campuses throughout Iran have been banned from study, arrested, given arbitrary and harsh sentences, imprisoned, and tortured. The letter calls for immediate and unconditional release of all students and scholars of conscience imprisoned in Iran for their political views and non-violent activism.
Tenure case of Dr. Ariela Azoulay
Letter to Bar-Ilan University President Moshe Kaveh regarding the tenure case of Dr. Ariela Azoulay. She may have been denied tenure as a result of opaque and improper evaluation procedures and because of her political views, rather than on the basis of her record as a scholar, teacher, and member of her university and academic communities.
Violations of the rights of university students to engage in lawful, peaceful activism
Letter to Egyptian President Husni Mubarak and Minister of Higher Education Dr. Hany Mahfouz Helal expressing grave concern over numerous recent violations of the rights of university students to engage in lawful, peaceful activism. According to numerous media reports, university security officers and administrators systematically suppressed student activities prior to student union elections on October 18. Students have been verbally abused, beaten, detained, arrested, and suspended.