Statement concerning the situation of Dr Maâti Monjib
CAF along with several European societies has issued a statement to Moroccan authorities regarding the persecution of historian Maâti Monjib.
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U.S. Director
American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS)
AIMS invites applications for U.S. Director position.
Call for contributors for edited volume: Reframing the History of International Organizations: (edited volume) Gender, Religion, and Global Governance (1919–1989)
KU Leuven - Asociación Española de Historia Religiosa Contemporánea
The editorial team invite proposals for two additional chapters to be included in a forthcoming edited volume.
Letter regarding the intensifying repression of students across Iran
Our letter to Iranian authorities expressing concerns about the intensification of repression of Iranian students and condemning the recent execution of graduate student, Erfan Shakourzadeh.
Call for Book Chapters: Alternatives to the Nation-State: Federalism, Autonomy, and Post-Imperial Imaginaries in the Mediterranean Long Nineteenth Century
Aix-Marseille University
Chapter abstracts are invited for a volume in Routledge's Ideas beyond Borders series.
Letter to the administration of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago regarding the investigations initiated against Professor Savneet Talwar
Our letter expressing concern about the decision to suspend Professor Savneet Talwar, a member of the faculty of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), from teaching and subject her to multiple investigations on dubious grounds
Statement on Trump Administration Targeting of Iranian Visa and Green Card Holders
MESA's Task Force on Civil and Human Rights released a statement regarding the Trump administration’s accelerated targeting of visa and green card holders from Iran since the Israel/U.S. war against Iran began in late February.
Letter to document and condemn Israel’s efforts at taking full control over and re-defining archaeological sites in the occupied Palestinian Territories
Please see our letter that both documents and condemns ongoing as well as new efforts of the government of Israel to take full control of archaeological sites in the occupied Palestinian Territories and institute measures that serve to erase the historic link of the Palestinian people to those sites and thereby deny the Palestinians' centuries-old connection to the land
Letter regarding the initiation of an investigation of NYU students and faculty because of their alleged involvement with an “Anti-Zionist Passover Seder”
Our letter expressing concern about the launching of an investigation by New York University’s Title VI Office of a number of NYU students and faculty for alleged violation of the university’s Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy (NDAH)
Letter regarding the cancellation of Rami Elghandour’s graduate address at the School of Engineering because of his views on Palestine
Our letter expressing concern about Dean Alberto Cuitiño’s decision to cancel the graduation address that Arcellx chair and CEO Rami Elghandour had been invited to deliver on 15 May 2026 at Rutgers University’s School of Engineering
New article on MESA’s lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from targeting noncitizens on the basis of constitutionally protected speech
MESA Past President Aslı Bâli has written an article in the latest issue of MERIP entitled "Fighting the Campus Crackdown: Why the Middle East Studies Association Took the Trump Administration to Court."
Letter to the University of Washington regarding the termination of Professor Aria Fani as director of the Middle East Center
Our letter expressing cconcern about the decision of the University of Washington to remove Associate Professor Aria Fani, who holds the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Professorship in Persian and Iranian Studies, from his position as director of the Middle East Center at the University’s Jackson School of International Studies
Letter regarding U.S.-Israel attacks on Iranian educational infrastructure
Our letter to U.N., E.U. and U.S. officials expressing urgent concern about Iran’s educational and academic institutions becoming a frontline in the U.S.-Israel war against the country.
Webinar to Launch New Website Supporting Academic Freedom and Challenging Repression on North American Campuses
MESA’s Task Force on Civil and Human Rights established the Academic Freedom Initiative (AFI) in October 2024 to produce analysis and resources for MESA members and the wider public to support academic freedom and to challenge repression on North American campuses. The AFI website includes data on topics such as Title VI lawsuits, congressional hearings of higher education representatives, cases of retaliation against employees on university and college campuses, and information about interference with campus events related to Palestine since October 7, 2023. The website also features resources for academic freedom advocacy and Know Your Rights and FAQ documents about visa and immigration issues.
Letter to the University of Arkansas about the dismissal of Associate Professor Shirin Saeidi
Our letter expressing concern regarding the University of Arkansas’s decision to dismiss tenured Professor Shirin Saeidi despite the unanimous recommendation of the Faculty Hearing Committee that Professor Saeidi not be fired.
Letter regarding the Forced Resignation of AGMI Director Gzoyan
Our letter expressing concern about the forced resignation of Dr. Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute-Foundation (AGMI), following her hosting of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the museum in February 2026, calling for her immediate reinstatement and urging the Armenian government to restore the AGMI's institutional independence and uphold its commitment to academic freedom.
Letter to California State University, Long Beach regarding the removal of Professor Azza Basarudin as SJP faculty advisor
Our letter expressing concern about the sudden and arbitrary removal of Professor Azza Basarudin from her role as faculty advisor to the CSULB student organization Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
Letter about the Targeted Killing of Academics in Lebanon
Our letter protesting the recent targeted killings by Israel's armed forces of two Lebanese professors and calling upon international organizations and actors to to condemn this egregious violation of international law by the government of Israel and demand the immediate cessation of such deliberate attack.
Letter to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill about its policy permitting secret recording in classrooms
Our letter expressing concern about the recently announced policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that permits the university to record classes without providing notice to, or obtaining consent from, the instructor
Letter about the decision of the Los Angeles Public Library to rescind invitations to two authors and effectively cancel Read Palestine Week
Our letter expressing dismay concerning the Los Angeles Public Library’s decision to cancel an event featuring the writers Jenan Matari and Nora Lester Murad that was slated for the library’s 2025 Read Palestine Week, scheduled for 29 November-5 December 2025.
Letter to the University of Arkansas regarding Mohja Kahf’s posters
Our letter expressing concern about the university administration's improper demand that Professor Mohja Kahf remove two posters from her office door because they are allegedly discriminatory
Monterey Summer Symposium 2026
Middlebury Institute of International Studies
The Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies invites applications for the Monterey Summer Symposium 2026.
Judge’s Order on Lawsuit Restricts Trump Administration
Following the September 30 ruling by Judge William G. Young regarding the lawsuit AAUP v. Rubio lawsuit in which MESA is a plaintiff, Judge Young's order makes it clear that the administration’s ideological deportation policy must stop.
Letter to government of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding its violent response to the protests in the country
Our letter expressing concern about the unprecedented lethal state violence against the nationwide protests in Iran since 28 December 2025, including the killing of over 3,700 civilians and thousands of arrests, among them many students and faculty members, and calling for an immediate end to violence and arrests, and the restoration of internet access.
In Memoriam, Stuart Schaar (1937-2026)
MESA mourns the passing of Dr. Stuart Schaar on January 5, 2026.