I just finished receiving a bunch of emails from friends around the world about how The University of Texas’ Center for Middle Eastern Studies has cancelled a book which was scheduled to be published this month. Most of the emails contained links to websites around the globe. I think many of these emailed articles have been quite critical of UT. I reached out to the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and got a very informative and thoughtful reply. I personally feel the below two articles provide the most accurate picture of what really happened and why the book was cancelled.
- http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/31/boycott-kills-u-texas-project-women-writers-middle-east
- http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/05/31/university-of-texas-deserves-kudos-not-blame/
I am very proud of my alma mater and the position they took when confronted by unethical and hateful requests to remove the Israeli authors. I feel cancelling the book was unfortunate and these Arab women who withdrew from the book missed an opportunity. I hope authors who are focused on peace in the Middle East read these two articles and see UT as an institution that supports open dialogue.
