EI EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Massad’s statement to Columbia University’s Ad Hoc Grievance Committee

The Electronic Intifada 5 April 2005

Joseph Massad

On 31 March 2005, Columbia University publicly released the report of a faculty Ad Hoc Grievance Committee charged with examining student complaints of intimidation in the classroom by faculty in the department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures (MEALAC).

The Ad Hoc Grievance Committee, which was composed of five University faculty members and advised by First Amendment scholar and Columbia Visiting Professor Floyd Abrams, was formed in December 2004 to identify the facts underlying student concerns of intimidation in the classroom.

The committee met with 62 individuals, including students, alumni, faculty and administrators. They also considered more than 60 written submissions. In this exclusive, EI publishes the full text of Joseph Massad’s rebuttal.

The full text of the Ad Hoc Grievance Committee’s report is available on Columbia University’s Web site at:
columbia.edu/cu/news/05/03/ad_hoc_grievance_committee_report.html

The statement made by Columbia professor Joseph Massad to the Committee can be found at:
electronicIntifada.net/downloads/pdf/JosephMassadStatement.pdf
[PDF format, 156K]

Related Links

  • EI EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Massad’s response to the Ad Hoc Grievance Committee Report, Joseph Massad (5 April 2005)