Kaukab Siddique, a Pakistani-born English professor at Lincoln University, has been outspoken on many controversial issues ranging from women to Jews over the years, drawing condemnation and outrage from many quarters for incidents like when, in 2010, Siddique, 72, questioned the Holocaust and called for Israel’s destruction. On July 8, on his personal Facebook page, Siddique again indulged his taste for inflammatory rhetoric when he reportedly made reference to “the homo lobby,” “dirty Jewish Zionist thugs” and “many women are sluts.”
Lincoln University is a historically black public university in southern Pennsylvania. On July 22, the school replied to his comments.
“The Lincoln University Associate Professor Kaukab Siddique, in a July 8 post on his personal Facebook page, appears to defend ISIS fighters and makes derogatory comments about women and rape among other things. His latest comments, like his earlier writings, statements and activities, are an insult to women and other groups he singled out. Dr. Siddique’s statements and assertions are his own, and they in no way represent the views of Lincoln University, its administration, faculty or students.
Dr. Siddique is a tenured member in the department of Languages and Literature. Like all faculty members, he is entitled to express his personal views in conversation or in public forums, as long as he does not present such opinions as the views of the University.”
The Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia opposes his message and takes issue with the schools’ reaction. ADL associate regional director in Philadelphia, Robin Burstein, said the school should also apologize for Siddique’s derogatory remarks towards Jews and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community.
“We think it’s important that if you are condemning someone’s speech that you are specific about what you are offended by,” Burstein said.
On July 22, ADL regional director Nancy Baron-Baer issued the following statement:
“We strongly condemn Professor Kaukab Siddique’s reported remarks targeting the LGBT community, the Jewish community, and women. Such comments are deeply offensive and outrageous, especially coming from a professor whose statements reflect bigoted stereotypes.
Although individuals have a right to free speech, it is incumbent upon us as a community to counter hate speech and bigotry whenever they surface.
We commend the Lincoln University administration for using its own voice to denounce and distance itself from Siddique’s reported misogynistic statements and to make clear that those posts are inconsistent with the values of the university. We urge the university administration to do the same for the anti-Semitic and anti-LGBT posts.”
When asked to comment further on the incident, a spokesperson at Lincoln said that the school stands by its earlier statement.