2018-09-23-ACRL-Ltr_to_UM_President_Re_BDS.pdf
of 1
- extracted text
-
September 23, 2018
BOARD CHAIRMAN
Nasser Beydoun
VICE CHAIRMAN
James P. Allen, Esq.
TREASURER
Wally Jadan
SECRETARY
Mona Fadlallah, Esq.
FOUNDER
Nabih Ayad, Esq.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ismael Ahmed
Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony
Chaker Aoun
Dr. Mohamad Ayad, MD
Marvin Beatty
Hussein Berry
Nader Fakhouri
Nabil Fakih
Dr. Samuel Fawaz, MD
Helal Farhat, Esq.
Mike Jaafar
313-633-0231
F: 313-633-1976
4917 Schaefer Rd.
Suite 209
Dearborn, Michigan 48126
rula@acrlmich.org
acrlmich.org
Office of the President
Dr. Mark Schlissel
2074 Fleming-Administration Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1340
VIA EMAIL AND FIRST CLASS MAIL
Dear President Schlissel,
I hope this letter reaches you in good health and spirits. I write to you on behalf of the
Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) to express our support for Professor John
Cheney-Lippold, who refused to write a letter of recommendation to a student seeking
to study abroad in Israel.
Both First Amendment jurisprudence and the fundamental American value of free
expression require that Congress hold sacred individual peaceful expression of
Americans regarding political matters both at home and abroad. In 1982, the Supreme
Court upheld boycotts as constitutionally protected political speech (NAACP v.
Claiborne Hardware). As the court recognized, political boycotts empower individuals
to collectively express their dissatisfaction with the status quo and advocate for political,
social, and economic change. In the BDS context, these are precisely the freedoms the
Constitution is meant to protect.
The BDS movement is a campaign that arose to peacefully hold Israel accountable for
her human rights abuses. Unfortunately, on college campuses, a growing number of
students and teachers have been disciplined or threatened with discipline for engaging in
actions in support of Palestinian rights or in opposition to Israeli policies. This conduct
is unconstitutional and a world renowned institution such as the University of Michigan
should take extra caution to preserve its reputation and ensure that it is not branded as
an institution that thwarts constitutional freedoms.
We believe it is firmly within one's discretion to hold any government accountable for
violating the human rights of others-and that includes Israel. But the United States has
given Israel a free pass for decades, providing massive economic and military aid, and
unconditional diplomatic support, thus allowing Israel to take Palestinian land and
destroy Palestinian lives with impunity. It is in this context that the BDS movement
emerged, in order to increase discussion and communication about human rights
abuses.
The ACRL will always stand by any effort to deter and prohibit discrimination, but it does take
firm stance against efforts to suppress free speech As such, all major national civil rights
organizations are passionately opposed to anti-BDS efforts. And while we understand your
position acknowledging that "personal views and politics should never interfere with our support
of students," individual faculty members have the right to express public support for an academic
boycott of Israel, and that right no less important than a student's preference in education.
We therefore call on you to affirm your commitment to the constitutional freedoms of the student
body and faculty at the University, and ensure that no person will be deterred or silenced from
engaging in free political speech. We further ask you to ensure that no actions are taken to impede
faculty's ability to engage in an academic boycott of Israel at the University of Michigan.
Sincerely,
Nasser Beydoun
Chairman
Part of Letter from Arab-American Civil Rights League to President Schlissel