Campus Watch Weekly Update

Campus Watch reports the following from December 1 – 8, 2019:

Campus Watch in the Media

Al-Monitor on how the DoE’s scrutiny of foreign funding of US universities is affecting Gulf donors: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60030/gulf-donors-drawn-into-controversy-over-foreign

Reporter Sara Carter on Harvard prof and Trump impeachment “witness” Noah Feldman’s past apologias for Islamism: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60048/feldman-who-argued-islamists-never-got-a-chanceto

Middle East Studies in the News

UC Santa Cruz establishes a new Center for the Middle East and North Africa with anti-Israel prof Jennifer Derr as director: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60056/uc-santa-cruz-establishes-new-center-for

Rice U. prof Craig Considine’s “Muslims in America” class features outside speakers, incl. representatives from CAIR: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60070/rice-class-explores-what-it-means-to-be-muslim-in

One of the woman who accused scholar Tariq Ramadan of rape is now suing him (in Switzerland) for slander: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60069/new-slander-case-brought-against-tariq-ramadan

NPR on the fallout from allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct against Muslim preacher Usama Canon (incl. Tariq Ramadan, Huron U. College’s Ingrid Mattson): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60050/navigating-the-fallout-of-alleged-abuse

On the final program in UCLA’s “10 Question” series, in which “UCLA experts discuss 10 big questions over 10 weeks” (incl. UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies Director Ali Behdad): https://www.meforum.org/admin/campus-watch/doc_edit.php

Brown U. PhD religious studies candidate Cyril Uy delivers his inaugural lecture as a New Global Islamic Studies fellow and visiting scholar at Connecticut College: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60075/lost-in-a-sea-of-letters-on-cyril-uy-incl-eileen

Robert Spencer on journalist Mehdi Hasan claiming his wife was harassed on a flight due to “Islamophobia (incl. U. of Arkansas prof Khaled Beydoun): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60079/mehdi-hasan-claims-flight-attendant-harassed-his

The Middle East Studies Association presents its Jere L. Bacharach Service Award to UC Davis prof Suad Joseph: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60040/laurels-suad-joseph-receives-service-award-incl

Mitchell Bard on “Losing the Semantic War on ‘Palestine’” (incl. Middle East Studies Association): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60052/losing-the-semantic-war-on-palestine-incl-middle

Brown U’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies sponsors an Arab-Israel conflict discussion with two Washington Institute policy experts: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60022/policy-experts-talk-israel-palestine-conflict

Former Arabic lecturer Samir Bitar’s discrimination lawsuit against the University of Montana Faculty Association is dismissed due to a cash settlement: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60017/former-arabic-lecturer-lawsuit-dismissed-on-samir

Israel Hayom on UC Berkeley prof Ron Hassner’s revealing survey of Berkeley undergraduates’ views on the Arab-Israeli conflict: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60016/they-support-palestine-but-cant-find-it-on-a-map

From 11/27: Alex Joffe’s latest “BDS Monitor” for SPME (incl. Middle East Studies Association, Boston U’s Sarah Ihmoud, Temple U’s Marc Lamont Hill, Columbia U’s Joseph Massad, Norman Finkelstein): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60024/bds-monitor-incl-middle-east-studies-association

On the Iranian regime freeing US citizen and Princeton graduate student Xiyue Wang—who was studying Farsi and conducting research in Iran when he was imprisoned for “spying” in 2016— in a prisoner swap with the US:

Reuters: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60059/united-states-and-iran-swap-prisoners-in-rare-act

Associated Press (AP): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60067/iran-frees-chinese-american-scholar-for-us-held

New York Times: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60060/in-prisoner-swap-iran-frees-american-held-since

National Public Radio (NPR): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60061/american-student-xiyue-wang-freed-in-us-iran

Al-Jazeera: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60062/iran-frees-chinese-american-scholar-for-us-held

NBC News: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60063/american-student-freed-in-prisoner-swap-after

The Hill: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60064/iran-releases-american-graduate-student-in

Fox News: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60065/american-graduate-student-held-in-iran-on-spy

BBC News: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60066/us-and-iranian-men-released-in-prisoner-swap-on

On the AMCHA Initiative’s letter—signed by 88 groups, incl. the Middle East Forum—to Betsy DeVos, calling on the DoE to prevent directors and affiliated faculty of Title VI federally-funded Middle East Studies programs from implementing BDS:

AMCHA Initiative (press release): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60043/88-orgs-to-sec-devos-dont-let-federally-funded

Jewish Journal: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60045/nearly-90-pro-israel-groups-call-for-devos-to

JNS: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60046/88-groups-call-on-devos-to-prevent-federal

The Algemeiner: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60044/88-groups-urge-us-education-dept-to-prevent

The Jerusalem Post: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60071/pressure-on-us-education-dept-to-stop-funding

On Harvard prof and Trump impeachment “witness” Noah Feldman’s past apologias for Sharia law and Islamism:

(Also: See Sara Carter in “Campus Watch in the Media”).

Israel National News (Phyllis Chesler): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60076/why-is-the-nyt-allying-with-islamists-against

Gateway Pundit: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60047/democrat-impeachment-witness-noah-feldman

Patheos: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60049/what-i-remember-about-noah-feldman

The Tennessee Star: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60051/dem-witness-noah-feldman-penned-fawning-defense

On the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) annual conference in Chicago, which included Temple U’s Marc Lamont Hill (a Moonlighter), UC Berkeley’s Hatem Bazian, Columbia U’s Joseph Massad, and Rutgers prof Golbarg Bashi:

Legal Insurrection (Samantha Mandeles): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60078/rep-rashida-tlaib-keynotes-american-muslims-for

The Investigative Project on Terrorism: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60053/a-weekend-with-american-muslims-for-palestine

Israellycool Blog: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60039/watch-linda-sarsour-makes-antisemitic-remarks

Middle East Eye: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60038/american-muslims-to-democrats-palestine-is

The Washington Free Beacon (under “Moonlighting”): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60068/rashida-tlaib-headlined-anti-semitic-hate-fest

On Columbia U. and Tel Aviv U. launching a joint undergraduate degree program that will include Middle Eastern studies:

The Times of Israel: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60073/tel-aviv-university-columbia-launch-joint

C’Tech (Calcalist): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/60077/columbia-university-tel-aviv-university-partner

Cinnamon Stillwell analyzes Middle East studies academia in West Coast colleges and universities for Campus Watch. A San Francisco Bay Area native and graduate of San Francisco State University, she is a columnist, blogger, and social media analyst. Ms. Stillwell, a former contributing political columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, has written on a wide variety of topics, including the political atmosphere in American higher education, and has appeared as a guest on television and talk radio.
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