Our statement regarding the firing of Professor Steven Salaita:
American University Students for Justice in Palestine expresses solidarity with the students and faculty of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the larger network of activists in their struggle against the university administration’s termination of the newly hired American Indian Studies professor Steven Salaita. We express support for the 11 UIUC departments in their votes of no-confidence against Chancellor Wise, the cancellation of events on UIUC campus and the boycott decision by over 5 thousand scholars.
The Board of Trustees decision to terminate Professor Salaita’s employment after he signed a contract with the department and the college in which he would be working is an attack on the freedom of speech and shared governance of faculty on university campuses. Professor Salaita’s tweets, which were the sole reason he was declared as ‘unfit’ for UIUC, express in as civil language as possible our thoughts and feelings during Israel’s most recent massacre, Operation Protective Edge, during which over 2 thousand Palestinian civilians were killed (more than a quarter of them children) over 10 thousand Palestinians wounded, over 17 thousand homes destroyed including entire neighborhoods like Beit Hanoun and Shuja’iyya and 500 thousand Palestinians in Gaza displaced (again). When read in the context of his larger discussion on social media, Professor Salaita’s comments are consistent and expressive of righteous outrage over the repetition of massacres in Gaza, continued violence against Palestinians and the occupation of their land in the West Bank and Israel. We condemn Israel for these actions and demand accountability. And we support Steven Salaita for speaking out against them so profoundly and with courage.
We are writing as concerned students who believe our say is important when it comes to decisions made about our schools. The outcry following Steven Salaita's firing should come as a warning to all university administrations. Your indiscretion in firing Professor Salaita will not silence his voice as an activist, it will not silence our voices as students, and it will not silence the voices of the Palestinians begging to be heard.
Whether you agree with Professor Salaita's comments or not, it is inarguable that his termination is a violation of free speech and it should be treated as such. No matter what his beliefs are, university administrations do not have the right to end their contracts with professors as a way to punish them for using self-expression. We hope to see Steven Salaita reinstated to his tenured position in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UIUC. To refuse his reinstatement would be an attack on academic freedom and a blow to student activists everywhere.
American University Students for Justice in Palestine
American University Students for Justice in Palestine expresses solidarity with the students and faculty of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the larger network of activists in their struggle against the university administration’s termination of the newly hired American Indian Studies professor Steven Salaita. We express support for the 11 UIUC departments in their votes of no-confidence against Chancellor Wise, the cancellation of events on UIUC campus and the boycott decision by over 5 thousand scholars.
The Board of Trustees decision to terminate Professor Salaita’s employment after he signed a contract with the department and the college in which he would be working is an attack on the freedom of speech and shared governance of faculty on university campuses. Professor Salaita’s tweets, which were the sole reason he was declared as ‘unfit’ for UIUC, express in as civil language as possible our thoughts and feelings during Israel’s most recent massacre, Operation Protective Edge, during which over 2 thousand Palestinian civilians were killed (more than a quarter of them children) over 10 thousand Palestinians wounded, over 17 thousand homes destroyed including entire neighborhoods like Beit Hanoun and Shuja’iyya and 500 thousand Palestinians in Gaza displaced (again). When read in the context of his larger discussion on social media, Professor Salaita’s comments are consistent and expressive of righteous outrage over the repetition of massacres in Gaza, continued violence against Palestinians and the occupation of their land in the West Bank and Israel. We condemn Israel for these actions and demand accountability. And we support Steven Salaita for speaking out against them so profoundly and with courage.
We are writing as concerned students who believe our say is important when it comes to decisions made about our schools. The outcry following Steven Salaita's firing should come as a warning to all university administrations. Your indiscretion in firing Professor Salaita will not silence his voice as an activist, it will not silence our voices as students, and it will not silence the voices of the Palestinians begging to be heard.
Whether you agree with Professor Salaita's comments or not, it is inarguable that his termination is a violation of free speech and it should be treated as such. No matter what his beliefs are, university administrations do not have the right to end their contracts with professors as a way to punish them for using self-expression. We hope to see Steven Salaita reinstated to his tenured position in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UIUC. To refuse his reinstatement would be an attack on academic freedom and a blow to student activists everywhere.
American University Students for Justice in Palestine
