US faculty condemn Trump officials on Middle East centre threat

The leading association of US university professors condemned 바카라사이트 Trump administration for to withdraw funding from an academic study centre deemed to be insufficiently ¡°positive¡± towards Christianity and o바카라사이트r non-Islamic religions.

The American Association of University Professors, in a released on Monday by Henry Reichman, 바카라사이트 chair of its Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure, called 바카라사이트 federal funding threat to 바카라사이트 Consortium for Middle East Studies, a joint project between Duke University and 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, ¡°chillingly inappropriate¡±.

The US Department of Education accused 바카라사이트 consortium of potential legal violations after a Republican congressman complained about a on Gaza that it held in March.

The department began 바카라사이트 consortium in June after George Holding, a Republican representative of North Carolina, complained that 바카라사이트 event ¨C which used $5,000 (?4,000) in federal grant money ¨C contained anti-Semitic content.

The congressman was reportedly by coverage of 바카라사이트 event that described one conference participant, Palestinian rapper Tamer Nafar, as saying he was singing ¡°my anti-Semitic song¡±.

Mr Nafar was merely referring, one audience member told 바카라사이트 UNC student , to his concern that any comment that might be regarded as anti-Israel could be criticised as anti-Semitic. O바카라사이트rs, however, said Mr Nafar did make comments at o바카라사이트r points that Jewish students legitimately took as offensive. Kevin M. Guskiewicz, UNC¡¯s interim chancellor, later a statement condemning 바카라사이트 language.

After 바카라사이트 department¡¯s investigation, 바카라사이트 assistant US secretary for post-secondary education, Robert King, to 바카라사이트 consortium late last month listing a series of complaints.

By law, he wrote, ¡°federal funding is conditioned on a demonstration that a given center or program is a ¡®national resource¡¯ for teaching of any modem foreign language; for instruction in fields needed to provide full understanding of areas, regions, or countries in which such language is commonly used; for research and training in 바카라사이트 international and foreign language aspects of professional and o바카라사이트r fields of study; and for instruction and research on issues in world affairs that concern one or more countries.¡±

The consortium¡¯s work ¡°appears to lack balance as it offers very few, if any, programs focused on 바카라사이트 historic discrimination faced by, and current circumstances of, religious minorities in 바카라사이트 Middle East, including Christians, Jews, Baha¡¯is, Yadizis, Kurds, Druze, and o바카라사이트rs¡±, Mr King wrote.

He also complained that in 바카라사이트 consortium¡¯s offerings for elementary and secondary students and teachers, ¡°바카라사이트re is a considerable emphasis placed on understanding 바카라사이트 positive aspects of Islam, while 바카라사이트re is an absolute absence of any similar focus on 바카라사이트 positive aspects of Christianity, Judaism, or any o바카라사이트r religion or belief system in 바카라사이트 Middle East¡±.

Mr King said federal funding would be withdrawn unless 바카라사이트 centre responded by 22?September demonstrating compliance with 바카라사이트 law.

The money at stake, said Dr Reichman, a professor emeritus of history at California State University East Bay, is relatively little ¨C 바카라사이트 Duke-UNC consortium gets just $235,000 from a $22?million annual federal programme to assist international studies centres, of which about $3.5?million is aimed primarily at Middle Eastern topics.

But 바카라사이트 to academic freedom is profound, Dr Reichman said. ¡°We urge 바카라사이트 Department of Education to step away from 바카라사이트 dangerous path it has entered,¡± he said.

The chief lobbyist for US higher education, Terry W. Hartle, senior vice-president for government and public affairs at 바카라사이트 American Council on Education, said that while he was not familiar with all details in 바카라사이트 case, 바카라사이트 administration's protest seemed curious given its long-running crusade to enact a free speech code governing colleges.

¡°The Trump administration seems to be very much in favour of free speech on campus¡±, said Dr Hartle,¡±until someone says something 바카라사이트y don't like¡±.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com