|
Twin Cities Chapter
Statement on Mayor Frey's Assault on Academic Freedom |
Mayor Frey's Assault on Academic Freedom Harms Us All- Nov 27, 2024
On November 19, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey issued a public statement objecting to members of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) inviting University of Minnesota Ph.D. student Taher Herzallah to speak at an event designed to prepare educators to discuss Palestine in their classrooms. Mr. Herzallah is a Palestinian-American scholar of American social movements. His dissertation research focuses on Muslim and Palestinian political activism in the United States in relation to settler colonialism in Palestine. He has close connections to Gaza, and is a well-known activist in the Twin Cities. As such, he is an authoritative voice on the topic on which he was invited to speak. Using two sentences from a longer videotaped speech as evidence, Mayor Frey accused Mr. Herzallah of being anti-semitic and called on the MFT leadership to block him from speaking. Mayor Frey’s statement came on the heels of similar accusations by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC) and the Anti-Defamation League.The union’s leadership responded by disallowing the use of union facilities for the event.
The two sentences quoted by Mayor Frey could be construed as anti-semitic if taken in isolation. Before making such a serious accusation, however, Mayor Frey had the responsibility to examine the full text of the speech. Mr. Herzallah’s central claims in the speech were that Zionism is antithetical to Palestinian interests and that interfaith cooperation should not be conditioned on silence about Israel’s actions in Palestine. But here, as well as in his community-facing work, Mr. Herzallah also emphasized cooperation between Palestinians and Jews who oppose Zionism. His body of work does not speak against Jewish people as a whole, and he has acknowledged publicly that he misspoke in these two sentences and has corrected his words (see here and here). While people are free to disagree with his views, it is inaccurate to portray them as anti-semitic. As numerous scholars have observed, opposition to Zionism or actions taken by the Israeli state is not tantamount to anti-semitism. Teachers who educate our students about Palestine should be aware of such views if they are to fulfill their duties as educators.
Mr. Herzallah’s statements about Zionism, the Israeli state, and the aspirations and conditions of the Palestinian people, are rooted in his disciplinary expertise and protected by academic freedom. Recently, we have witnessed a systematic assault on scholars like Mr. Herzallah who express critical views about Zionism and Israel. Earlier this year, for example, University of Minnesota Interim President Ettinger retracted a job offer to Raz Segal, an Israeli-American scholar, who has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocidal. Pro-Israel political organizations had orchestrated a campaign demanding that Segal not be hired as the director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. The current campaign to discredit Mr. Herzallah bears many similarities to the Segal affair: pro-Israel actors disagree with an academic who is critical of Israel and/or Zionism, they portray them as being anti-semitic, and then demand that action be taken to punish the person in question. In the case of Mr. Herzallah, that demand was that MFT disinvite him from addressing their meeting. Such a demand shows a flagrant disregard for principles of free speech and academic freedom.
These assaults on academic freedom and free speech have made it increasingly difficult to hold a frank and open dialogue about the ongoing horrors perpetrated against Palestinians. It is especially disconcerting to see Jacob Frey, the mayor of the city, misusing his office to attempt to deny educators the opportunity to learn from Mr. Herzallah’s perspectives. Mayor Frey’s effort to prevent Mr. Herzallah from speaking to educators is yet another example of politicians limiting students’ freedom to learn. In this way, it is similar to recent book bannings and legislation prohibiting teaching about the history of enslavement and racism.These efforts must be strongly resisted. As a student at the University of Minnesota, Mr. Herzallah has a right to develop his scholarship and to present his views without political interference, even though some may feel uncomfortable about what he says and may disagree with him. We call upon the university administration to defend his rights and to support him in the face of these attacks on his academic freedom.
The Executive Committee of the Twin Cities chapter of the AAUP
Will Jones, President
Heather Holcombe, Vice President
Gopalan Nadathur, Secretary
Teri L. Caraway, Treasurer
Ruth Shaw, Member-at-large
Nathaniel Mills, Member-at-large
The two sentences quoted by Mayor Frey could be construed as anti-semitic if taken in isolation. Before making such a serious accusation, however, Mayor Frey had the responsibility to examine the full text of the speech. Mr. Herzallah’s central claims in the speech were that Zionism is antithetical to Palestinian interests and that interfaith cooperation should not be conditioned on silence about Israel’s actions in Palestine. But here, as well as in his community-facing work, Mr. Herzallah also emphasized cooperation between Palestinians and Jews who oppose Zionism. His body of work does not speak against Jewish people as a whole, and he has acknowledged publicly that he misspoke in these two sentences and has corrected his words (see here and here). While people are free to disagree with his views, it is inaccurate to portray them as anti-semitic. As numerous scholars have observed, opposition to Zionism or actions taken by the Israeli state is not tantamount to anti-semitism. Teachers who educate our students about Palestine should be aware of such views if they are to fulfill their duties as educators.
Mr. Herzallah’s statements about Zionism, the Israeli state, and the aspirations and conditions of the Palestinian people, are rooted in his disciplinary expertise and protected by academic freedom. Recently, we have witnessed a systematic assault on scholars like Mr. Herzallah who express critical views about Zionism and Israel. Earlier this year, for example, University of Minnesota Interim President Ettinger retracted a job offer to Raz Segal, an Israeli-American scholar, who has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocidal. Pro-Israel political organizations had orchestrated a campaign demanding that Segal not be hired as the director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. The current campaign to discredit Mr. Herzallah bears many similarities to the Segal affair: pro-Israel actors disagree with an academic who is critical of Israel and/or Zionism, they portray them as being anti-semitic, and then demand that action be taken to punish the person in question. In the case of Mr. Herzallah, that demand was that MFT disinvite him from addressing their meeting. Such a demand shows a flagrant disregard for principles of free speech and academic freedom.
These assaults on academic freedom and free speech have made it increasingly difficult to hold a frank and open dialogue about the ongoing horrors perpetrated against Palestinians. It is especially disconcerting to see Jacob Frey, the mayor of the city, misusing his office to attempt to deny educators the opportunity to learn from Mr. Herzallah’s perspectives. Mayor Frey’s effort to prevent Mr. Herzallah from speaking to educators is yet another example of politicians limiting students’ freedom to learn. In this way, it is similar to recent book bannings and legislation prohibiting teaching about the history of enslavement and racism.These efforts must be strongly resisted. As a student at the University of Minnesota, Mr. Herzallah has a right to develop his scholarship and to present his views without political interference, even though some may feel uncomfortable about what he says and may disagree with him. We call upon the university administration to defend his rights and to support him in the face of these attacks on his academic freedom.
The Executive Committee of the Twin Cities chapter of the AAUP
Will Jones, President
Heather Holcombe, Vice President
Gopalan Nadathur, Secretary
Teri L. Caraway, Treasurer
Ruth Shaw, Member-at-large
Nathaniel Mills, Member-at-large