Just an addendum to Stanley Kurtz’s postings on Cambridge University Press’ banning of Alms for Jihad. The Middle East Studies Association’s Committee on Academic Freedom has yet to raise it as an issue. They do not seem to understand the damage they do to the notion of academic freedom when they conflate it with their own narrow notion of political correctness. This isn’t MESA’s first bout with hypocrisy: They have yet to condemn Iran’s renewed threats against author Salman Rushdie and they decline to take up the matter of university professor Juan Cole seeking an FBI investigation of a professor who had beat Cole out for a television commentator spot.
Michael Rubin specializes in Iran, Turkey and the Horn of Africa. His career includes time as a Pentagon official, with field experiences in Iran, Yemen, and Iraq, as well as engagements with the Taliban prior to 9/11. Mr. Rubin has also contributed to military education, teaching U.S. Navy and Marine units about regional conflicts and terrorism. His scholarly work includes several key publications, such as “Dancing with the Devil” and “Eternal Iran.” Rubin earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in history and a B.S. in biology from Yale University.
