Letter to President Erdoğan regarding the detention of Cihan Erdal, a doctoral candidate at Carleton University, apparently due to his having signed a letter in 2014 addressing events in Kobane, Syria while serving as a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).
Letter regarding the restrictions on Kurdish language rights and studies in Turkey—undergraduate enrollment, research and writing in the language of study, recognition of publications towards scholarly promotion and employment opportunities for graduates
MESA 2020 Special Session 3-1 organized by Katie J. Hickerson, University of Chicago
Fourteen individuals in nine categories including the Academic Freedom Award, Mentoring, Service, and three book awards, were honored at MESA's 2020 Awards Ceremony held October 11, 2020,
MESA 2020 Special Session 3-2 organized by Catherine Batruni, Independent Scholar, Lara Deeb, Scripps College, and Sherene Seikaly, UC Santa Barbara.
MESA awarded 14 individuals for excellence in scholarship, mentoring, service, and defending academic freedom on October 11, 2020.
MESA 2020 Special Session 2-2 organized by Sara Palmer, MESA and Jeffrey Reger, MESA.
MESA 2020 Special Session 2-1 organized by Dina Rizk Khoury, George Washington University.
MESA 2020 Special Session 1-2 organized by Asli Bali, UCLA, Beth Baron, CUNY, Mimi Kirk, MESA, Greta Scharnweber, NYU, and Judith Tucker, Georgetown University.
MESA 2020 Special Session 1-3 organized by Heather Ferguson, Claremont McKenna College and Joel Gordon, University of Arkansas.
MESA 2020 Special Session 1-1 organized by Lisa Anderson, Columbia University
Press release regarding MESA's first virtual conference (#MESA2020), which will take place live October 5-17, 2020.
The MESA Task Force on Civil and Human Rights calls on DHS to withdraw a proposed rule that would effectively deprive international students of lawful status for the duration required for many degree programs, restricting students from much of the developing world to two-year visas insufficient even for undergraduate study. The administration's proposed regulation would effectively mean that the United States no longer welcomes international students. If this rule were to go into effect, students from much of the world would face severe disincentives in considering degree programs in the U.S. Such actions would inflict broad harm on the intellectual life and economic viability of American universities, future generations of students, and the sectors of the economy that require highly qualified researchers and professionals.
The Middle East Studies Association Task Force on Civil and Human Rights and the Committee on Academic Freedom join together in expressing our shock and outrage at reports concerning the arrest and detention of Iranian materials scientist Dr. Sirous Asgari.
Letter to the president of the University of Toronto protesting the rescinding of the offer of employment to Dr. Valentina Azarova.
Letter to Iranian authorities protesting students' detention, and reports according to which they are being pressured into making televised false confessions in order to escape the death penalty.
Letter to Israeli authorities protesting the continued detention of Imad Barghouthi, Professor of Theoretical Space Plasma Physics at Al-Quds University, and the order to place him under administrative detention.
Letter to Egyptian authorities expressing deep concern regarding the verdict against Bahey eldin Hassan, in absentia, on 25 August 2020. Hassan is a leading human rights advocate in Egypt and founder of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS). CAF also urges the authorities to drop all charges against Hassan.
Letter regarding a new social media law in Turkey that endangers academic freedom by further expanding government censorship.
University of Southern California President Carol L. Folt responds to August 17 CAF letter regarding her recent message conflating anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.
Letter to the President of USC criticizing her recent message conflating anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.
Letter to Israeli authorities condemning the detention and conditional release of Rania Elias, Suhail Khoury, and Daoud Al-Ghoul, directors of cultural institutions in occupied East Jerusalem, and the infringements on educational and cultural rights of Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem.
Letter regarding the case of Dr. Kayıhan Pala, a Public Health professor at Uludağ University, who faces a disciplinary investigation for sharing his scholarly views on the numbers of reported Covid-19 cases and fatalities in Bursa.
Letter to Iranian authorities protesting the transfer of Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert from Evin to Qarchak prison and expressing grave concern for her safety and well-being.
Letter to Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu about the most recent arrest and administrative detention of Dr. Imad Barghouti of Al-Quds University without charge or trial.