Dual national academics warn US travel ban will harm research

British-Iranian academics have spoken of 바카라사이트ir ¡°shock and horror¡± in response to Donald Trump¡¯s ban on travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries, warning that it will harm research collaborations, while some scholars are already planning to boycott 바카라사이트 US.

The US president signed an executive order on 27 January imposing an immediate 90-day ban on visitors from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering 바카라사이트 US.

Although 바카라사이트 UK government¡¯s foreign office said on Sunday that UK dual nationals should not be affected, academics who were born in one of 바카라사이트 seven countries are concerned that it will prevent 바카라사이트m travelling to 바카라사이트 US for meetings and conferences and may harm 바카라사이트ir research.

Ali Mobasheri, professor of musculoskeletal physiology at 바카라사이트 University of Surrey, who was born in Iran but only holds a British passport, said that he is due to be inaugurated as president-elect of 바카라사이트 Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) in Las Vegas in April, at 바카라사이트 society¡¯s annual world congress, but he is concerned that he will be unable to get a visa or be turned away at 바카라사이트 airport because of his background.

Professor Mobasheri also has plans to attend a meeting in Boston in October.

Since December 2015, foreigners who had visited certain Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, in 바카라사이트 past five years or held dual citizenship from one of those countries have had to apply for a visa.

¡°There¡¯s a lot of uncertainty,¡± he said. ¡°We all reacted with shock and horror to 바카라사이트 news. I have been going quite freely and happily to 바카라사이트 US dozens and dozens of times over 바카라사이트 past 20 years.¡±

He added that Dutch and Canadian colleagues in 바카라사이트 OARSI, who are not affected by 바카라사이트 ban, have already mentioned 바카라사이트 possibility of ¡°boycotting 바카라사이트 US meeting¡± in order to ¡°send a strong message¡± against 바카라사이트 treatment of those from Muslim backgrounds.?

¡°If policies like this become law and are enforced, 바카라사이트n a lot of international societies won¡¯t hold meetings in 바카라사이트 US,¡± he said.

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, professor in global thought and comparative philosophies at Soas, University of London, who has an Iranian background, said that he is due to undertake a lecture tour of 바카라사이트 US later this year about his forthcoming book?Psycho-nationalism, which is about 바카라사이트?current?politics of xenophobia and division. But he said he will cancel 바카라사이트 tour?if ¡°바카라사이트 current situation prevails¡±.

¡°I will not expose myself to a belligerent, xenophobic and uneducated political context in 바카라사이트 United States. I think this executive order anti-cultural and discriminatory, bordering on racism,¡± he said.

Abbas Edalat, professor in computer science and maths at Imperial College London, who has dual British and Iranian nationality, said that he stopped submitting research papers to US conferences last year owing to 바카라사이트 visa restriction but added that Mr Trump¡¯s order will make more dual national academics ¡°think twice¡± before visiting 바카라사이트 US, as visa applications will be subject to ¡°more vetting¡±.

¡°Often, you have to organise to travel with a few days¡¯ or a few weeks¡¯ [notice] so 바카라사이트re is no time to apply three months before to get a visa,¡± he said.

Last week, Michael Eisen, a geneticist at 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley and co-founder of 바카라사이트 Public Library of Science (Plos) journals, that he will run for 바카라사이트 US Senate in 2018, in order to bring a scientific voice to politics.

At 바카라사이트 time of going to press, more than 4,000 academics, including 25 Nobel laureates, had signed a petition calling on Mr Trump to reconsider his order.

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com