Academic freedom org supports Chris Hedges after Penn keynote cancelled over Israel criticism

An excellent letter to Mister Akhilesh Goswami.
It would be interesting to be a mouse in the corner when he read it.
In the political air of the university, could he reverse the decision
even if he, himself had an open mind?
It's very troubling to know that minds of the caliber of Chris Hedges
can be silenced by such small minded, self-serving puppets.

Carl Jarvis
On 1/10/15, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@optonline.net> wrote:
> Academic freedom org supports Chris Hedges after Penn keynote cancelled over
> Israel criticism
> US Politics
> Mondoweiss Editors on January 9, 2015 5 Comments
> 
> At the end of December we reported on how Chris Hedges was disinvited from
> speaking at the University of Pennsylvania after likening ISIS to Israel.
> Yesterday, the organization California Scholars for Academic Freedom sent
> the following letter to Penn in support of Hedges.
> 8 January 2015
> Akhilesh Goswami President
> International Affairs Association
> University of Pennsylvania
> Dear Mr. Goswami,
> California Scholars for Academic Freedom, an organization devoted to
> defending academic freedom, writes to express our concern that Chris Hedges
> was disinvited as a keynote speaker because he expressed views critical of
> the Israeli government.
>
> Chris Hedges
> California Scholars for Academic Freedom stands against the intimidation of
> scholars and institutions, whether on the basis of their open advocacy of
> unpopular or politically targeted positions or simply on the basis of the
> fact that their scholarship has been understood to challenge conventionally
> accepted political perspectives. Over the past five years we have,
> accordingly, spoken out against various forms of censorship, sanction, or
> restriction of academic freedom of speech, whether in the form of the denial
> of tenure, proposals to defund institutes or departments, or restrictions of
> the freedom of students to engage in non-violent protest.
> When your group decided not to follow through on its invitation to Chris
> Hedges, it may have been unaware that its decision was part of a larger
> issue.
> For several years, groups that support the Israeli government have waged a
> concerted campaign on and off university campuses to discourage and prevent
> speaking invitations and academic events viewed as either critical of Israel
> or supportive of the Palestinian struggle for their rights under
> international law. Even when these efforts to interfere with free expression
> fail, the campaign itself diverts attention from the message to the
> messenger, and thereby defeats the main educational purpose of exposing
> university audiences to a range of views on controversial questions of
> public policy.
> Beyond this, the extra effort required to oppose such a campaign also often
> discourages campus groups in the future from inviting speakers who would
> arouse controversy. The overall chilling effect is to deprive students,
> faculty, and the wider community from the sort of presentations that are so
> badly needed on sensitive issues of public concern. Part of the educational
> responsibility of academic communities is to encourage engaged citizenship,
> which depends on access to a range of viewpoints in the marketplace of
> ideas.
> We would very much appreciate it if the International Affairs Association of
> the University of Pennsylvania would keep in mind the deleterious effects of
> this campaign as you make your final selection of speakers for your Peace
> Conference. We would ask further that the IAA consider re-including Chris
> Hedges in this conference in order to make a strong statement against the
> kind of intimidation and narrow thinking that always stands in the way of
> peace.
> Sincerely yours,
> California Scholars for Academic Freedom
>
> About Mondoweiss Editors
> Other posts by Mondoweiss Editors.
>
> Academic freedom org supports Chris Hedges after Penn keynote cancelled over
> Israel criticism
> US Politics
> Mondoweiss Editors on January 9, 2015 5 Comments
> 
> At the end of December we reported on how Chris Hedges was disinvited from
> speaking at the University of Pennsylvania after likening ISIS to Israel.
> Yesterday, the organization California Scholars for Academic Freedom sent
> the following letter to Penn in support of Hedges.
> 8 January 2015
> Akhilesh Goswami President
> International Affairs Association
> University of Pennsylvania
> Dear Mr. Goswami,
> California Scholars for Academic Freedom, an organization devoted to
> defending academic freedom, writes to express our concern that Chris Hedges
> was disinvited as a keynote speaker because he expressed views critical of
> the Israeli government.
> http://mondoweiss.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/chris-hedges_520.jpg
> http://mondoweiss.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/chris-hedges_520.jpg
> Chris Hedges
> California Scholars for Academic Freedom stands against the intimidation of
> scholars and institutions, whether on the basis of their open advocacy of
> unpopular or politically targeted positions or simply on the basis of the
> fact that their scholarship has been understood to challenge conventionally
> accepted political perspectives. Over the past five years we have,
> accordingly, spoken out against various forms of censorship, sanction, or
> restriction of academic freedom of speech, whether in the form of the denial
> of tenure, proposals to defund institutes or departments, or restrictions of
> the freedom of students to engage in non-violent protest.
> When your group decided not to follow through on its invitation to Chris
> Hedges, it may have been unaware that its decision was part of a larger
> issue.
> For several years, groups that support the Israeli government have waged a
> concerted campaign on and off university campuses to discourage and prevent
> speaking invitations and academic events viewed as either critical of Israel
> or supportive of the Palestinian struggle for their rights under
> international law. Even when these efforts to interfere with free expression
> fail, the campaign itself diverts attention from the message to the
> messenger, and thereby defeats the main educational purpose of exposing
> university audiences to a range of views on controversial questions of
> public policy.
> Beyond this, the extra effort required to oppose such a campaign also often
> discourages campus groups in the future from inviting speakers who would
> arouse controversy. The overall chilling effect is to deprive students,
> faculty, and the wider community from the sort of presentations that are so
> badly needed on sensitive issues of public concern. Part of the educational
> responsibility of academic communities is to encourage engaged citizenship,
> which depends on access to a range of viewpoints in the marketplace of
> ideas.
> We would very much appreciate it if the International Affairs Association of
> the University of Pennsylvania would keep in mind the deleterious effects of
> this campaign as you make your final selection of speakers for your Peace
> Conference. We would ask further that the IAA consider re-including Chris
> Hedges in this conference in order to make a strong statement against the
> kind of intimidation and narrow thinking that always stands in the way of
> peace.
> Sincerely yours,
> California Scholars for Academic Freedom
>
>
>
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