Fifth letter to Iranian authorities on behalf of Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, expressing alarm over his recent transfer to an undisclosed location, raising new threats of torture and execution.
A list of resources and links to websites related to academic freedom.
Letter to Iranian authorities protesting the detention and unsubstantiated accusation of espionage of Dr. Fariba Adelkhah.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a two-year grant of $350,000 to UCLA to support a pilot project seeking to reframe how Middle Eastern studies are conceptualized and taught.
MESA mourns the passing of University of Michigan Professor Michael Bonner.
Letter demanding Israel lift the restrictions preventing international academics from staying and working in the West Bank, refrain from imposing arbitrary restrictions on the duration of stay or extension of stay for international academics, and order the publication of a clear and lawful procedure for issuing entry visas and work permits for international academics in the West Bank, to enable the university to manage and maintain its academic freedom.
Letter demanding that the Egyptian government investigate new information provided by Italian authorities on suspects in the murder of Italian graduate student Giulio Regeni and end government obstruction of the investigation into his death.
AUC Provost Ehab Abel-Rahman responds to CAF's letter regarding the termination of the Abdulhadi H. Taher Endowed Chair.
Letter acknowledging SOAS for cancelling an event organized by the Turkish Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and calling upon SOAS and other reputable institutions to refrain from collaborating with YÖK as long as the current climate of repression for academics persists in Turkey.
Letter to Iraqi authorities expressing concern over the threats made against academics who highlight cases of corruption by Iraqi members of parliament.
Letter regarding recent developments in the prosecution and specifically imprisonment of scholars who signed the declaration “We will not be a party to this crime”—commonly referred to as the “Academics for Peace Petition.”
Letter to the administration of the American University in Cairo to express concerns regarding the termination of the Abdulhadi H. Taher Endowed Chair.
This memo offers basic guidance for those seeking to conduct academic research in countries impacted by U.S. sanctions (notably, Iran, Sudan and Syria).
Letter protesting the US government's denial of a visa to Palestinian leader Hanan Ashrawi.
MESA mourns the passing of McGill University Professor Emeritus Issa Boullata.
A federal court in Maryland has rejected the Trump administration’s bid to outright dismiss IRAP v. Trump, a lawsuit challenging the president’s Muslim ban executive order that bars people from select Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the United States.
MESA is very pleased to report that Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi was released from prison in Saudi Arabia on May 2, 2019, and has been allowed to return home to her family. Dr. al-Fassi is a renowned historian of women in pre-Islamic Arabia, a prominent advocate for women's rights, and a long-time member of MESA. She was the recipient in November 2018, in absentia, of the MESA Academic Freedom Award, the highest recognition MESA can bestow in acknowledgement of contributions to academic freedom. Dr. al-Fassi's release has been characterized as "temporary;" we continue to call for her full exoneration. We call, as well, for the release of the other women's rights advocates who remain in detention.
Letter to UAE authorities expressing concern at reports that the health of internationally-recognized human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor has deteriorated significantly.
Letter to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Supreme Court Justices and Registrars, Ministers Shaked and Deri expressing grave concerns regarding the Jerusalem District Court’s decision to uphold the deportation of Mr. Omar Shakir on the basis of his human rights advocacy. CAF calls on the Israeli Supreme Court to reverse the district court’s decision. CAF also calls on the Interior Ministry to cease deporting or barring people from entry on the basis of their political views.
Congratulations to MESA students William Bamber, Matthew Ghazarian, Allison Korinek, Randa Tawil, and Daniel J. Williford who are among the 67 chosen as 2019 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellows.
Letter calling on Tufts University to adhere to accepted standards of equity and transparency with regard to Dr. Thomas Abowd's contract renewal and to uphold the principles of academic freedom.
Scholars at Risk (SAR) and the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression in Egypt (AFTE) have filed a joint submission with the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR), highlighting attacks and pressures on higher education in Egypt.
Scholars at Risk (SAR), in cooperation with the Human Rights Law Centre at the University of Nottingham, has filed a submission with the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review, highlighting attacks and pressures on higher education in Iran.
Letter to Secretary of State Pompeo protesting the decision to deny Omar Barghouti entry to the U.S.
Congratulations to Zeynep Çelik as recipient for the 2019 Giorgio Levi Della Vida Award for Excellence in Islamic Studies.