Campus Watch reports the following from October 27 – November 2, 2019:
Howler of the Month
“I think it [ISIL] appealed to people on the internet who were already angry and unstable, often mentally ill, and they would go out and commit violence, and then would attribute it to ISIL even though ISIL knew nothing about it. . . . In many ways, although not with the same systematic effect, Trump also is responsible for a certain amount of stochastic terrorism.”
Juan Cole, University of Michigan history professor, on the news that ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed by U.S. special forces in Syria; Democracy Now, October 28, 2019.
Link: https://www.democracynow.org/2019/10/28/isis_abu_bakr_al_baghdadi_death
Campus Watch Blog
Qatar’s Sponsorship of Duke/UNC K-12 Programs Under Investigation: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59708/qatar-sponsorship-of-duke-unc-k-12-programs-under
U. of Detroit Mercy Prof and BDS Activist Amer Zahr Joins Bernie Sanders Campaign: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59699/u-of-detroit-mercy-prof-and-bds-activist-amer
Canadian ‘Islamophobia’ Prof Jasmin Zine Authored Anti-Israel ‘Muslim Voting Guide': https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59698/canadian-islamophobia-prof-jasmin-zine-authored
Middle East Studies Profs Figure Prominently in ACF Report on Anti-Semitism at Columbia/Barnard: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59697/middle-east-studies-profs-figure-prominently-in
Middle East Studies in the News
Duke U’s Omid Safi gives a talk at Fordham University Lincoln Center (Manhattan) on Martin Luther King Jr.: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59822/dr-omid-safi-speaks-on-justice-and-faith
U. of Wisconsin–Madison prof Samuel England delivers a lecture at Binghamton U. on “Arab Zombie Arts": https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59823/lecture-explores-the-role-of-zombies-in-arabic
The Henry Luce Foundation awards Emory U. prof James Hoesterey a $305,000 grant to study moderate Islam (U. of Michigan’s Yasmin Moll, Emory’s Vincent Cornell): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59705/emory-professor-receives-305k-grant-to-study
Free Malaysia Today on PKR president Anwar Ibrahim’s proposal to give zakat (charity) to non-Muslims (incl. U. of Notre Dame’s Ebrahim Moosa): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59821/lack-of-islamic-literacy-a-hurdle-in-giving-zakat
Arab News (Saudi Arabia) op-ed urges KSA to become “a world leader in Arabic, Islamic studies": https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59709/saudi-arabia-can-be-a-world-leader-in-arabic
Shortlisted authors for the Middle East Monitor’s (MEMO) “Palestine Book Awards” in London incl. Rutgers’ Noura Erakat and UNC’s Nadia Yaqub: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59820/memo-palestine-book-awards-gets-underway-in
Religion News Network on the Border Mosque, a group of Muslims that meets for prayer at the US/Mexico border once a month (incl. Southern Methodist U. adjunct Omar Suleiman): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59704/at-border-mosque-a-muslim-prayer-is-shared-across
On, or related to, Qatari funding for US universities and K-12:
The Arab Weekly on Qatar’s PR problems: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59723/qatar-invests-millions-in-us-lobbying-but-pr
Washington Free Beacon on the Lawfare Project’s investigation (quotes MEF’s Gregg Roman and, formerly of MEF, Oren Litwin): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59703/group-demands-docs-related-to-qatar-suspected
The Middle East North Africa Financial Network on the Harvard team winning QatarDebate’s first “US Universities Arabic Debating Championship” (incl. NYU prof Ahmed Ferhadi): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59720/harvard-university-team-wins-qatardebate-arabic
Articles that reference the Duke-UNC Consortium Title VI funding controversy:
The Amherst Student on the Five College Consortium’s Sept. letter denouncing the DoE (incl. Middle East Studies Association): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59706/five-colleges-file-brief-in-support-of-muslim
Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (Alex Joffe’s “BDS Monitor"; includes Norman Finkelstein, U. of Detroit-Mercy’s Amer Zahr): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59819/bds-monitor-incl-norman-finkelstein
The Union (Nevada County, CA) op-ed: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59710/federal-government-starting-to-meddle-in-academic
Moonlighters
Anadolu Agency (Turkey) cites Norman Finkelstein condemning the ICC’s findings in the Mavi Marmara case: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59721/icc-head-prosecutor-whitewashing-israel
Covington student Nicholas Sandmann’s lawsuit against the Washington Post is allowed to proceed (incl. UC Riverside prof Reza Aslan): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59826/trump-champions-nick-sandmann-lawsuit-against
Articles on, or including, Temple U. prof Marc Lamont Hill:
The Kenyon Collegian (on Hill’s lecture at Kenyon College):
The Kenyon Collegian (student op-ed): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59824/marc-lamont-hill-gives-highly-anticipated-talk
Boston Herald (on the Washington Post’s Baghdadi/"religious scholar” headline): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/59711/headlines-appear-to-praise-dead-terrorist-leader
