Academic Freedom Media Review-October 8 – 14, 2011

Here, with my apologies, is a delayed reposting of the Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Media Review.  It is published every Friday, this one on Friday, October 14.  

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available online. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

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IRAQ: Sweeping higher education reforms planned
Wagdy Sawahel, University World News

EGYPT: Elections reinstate some university leaders
Ashraf Khaled, University World News

Myanmar prisoner amnesty prompts call for all political detainees to be freed, not just 10 pct
Associated Press, Washington Post, 10/13

Pressure Builds Over Chen
Grace Kei Lai-see, Radio Free Asia, 10/13

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SAR Academic Freedom Media Review, May 7-13

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.

 

Yemen: 20 teachers killed since protests began

Education International, 5/12
Uzbek Students From Kyrgyzstan Having Problems In Russia
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 5/12
Fundamental Disagreements
Kevin Kiley, Inside Higher Ed, 5/12
After the Review
Dan Berrett, Inside Higher Ed, 5/11
Chaos at Home Stalls Tuition Aid for Libyan Students in U.S.
Dan Frosch, New York Times, 5/10
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Academic Freedom Media Review, March 26-April 1

Compiled by Scholars at Risk
The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.
Malawi police arrest 5 university students for rioting
Afrique en Ligne, 3/31
Unusual Ruling for Academic Freedom
Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed, 3/31
Yale and National U. of Singapore Set Plans for New Liberal-Arts College
Karin Fischer, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/31
‘Academic Freedom’ Offers Little Protection Against New Efforts to Obtain Professors’ E-Mails
Peter Schmidt and Colin Woodard, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/29
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Revolution in the Arab World: Why We Can't Just Stand Aside

Rhapsody playlist: Democratic Revolutions in the Middle East

Here’s a little play list I put together inspired by the wave of democratic revolutions sweeping the Arab world. The play list includes songs celebrating people power and a small sampling of songs from the region. Today, on receiving news from Libya, I added a few songs that go some way, insofar as anything can, to expressing the pure horror and sadness I felt on seeing images of death in the streets of Libya. The images have been shocking, the ruthlessness of the regime truly appalling. This music expresses the pure sadness and outrage I feel.
It is amazing and inspiring to watch these demonstrations! It has been horrifying and shocking to watch the response of the Libyan regime!
It is considered naive to suggest that foreign policy should be based on principle. We are told it is necessary to be Machiavellian in safeguarding our national interest, and in the realm of foreign policy, realpolitik often trumps principle. I disagree. Perhaps I am, indeed, naive, but I believe that democracy, with protection for the rights of the minorities, is a principle that trumps almost all, and our policy ought to reflect that.
In the current wave of peaceful democratic revolutions sweeping the Arab world, US support of the citizen demonstrators has been slow and tepid. This in spite of the fact that sticking to our principles and unequivocally supporting the pro-democracy demonstrators is what is in our best economic and strategic interest. To do otherwise is a risky strategy, a strategy that, should it not go the way proponents believe, will have grave consequences.
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Academic Freedom Media Review, January 29 – February 4

Compiled by Scholars at Risk
Scholars at Risk would like to draw special attention to a country that has not recently received extensive coverage in the weekly media review, Venezuela. Recent attempts to enact significant reforms regarding higher education raise questions about academic freedom and university values in the region. We would like to highlight the following two articles written by a professor of sociology at a university in Venezuela.
VENEZUELA: Academic freedom under threat
Orlando Albornoz, University World News, 1/30
University Values Bulletin, January 2011
The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available at here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.
Managerial era ‘threatens’ academic freedom
Matthew Reisz, Times Higher Education, 2/3
Scientist’s Criticisms of Colleague’s Research Held to Be Protected Speech
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/3
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Academic Freedom Media Review, January 15 – 21, 2011

The Scholars at Risk media review seeks to raise awareness about academic freedom issues in the news. Subscription information and archived media reviews are available at here. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Scholars at Risk.
Protecting academic freedom seen as key
Jimmy Walsh, Irish Times, 1/21
U.S. Bishops Begin 10-Year Review of ‘Ex Corde’
Beckie Supiano, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/21
Scholars at Risk calls for letters on behalf of Nasrin Sotoudeh, Iranian legal scholar sentenced to 11 years in prison
Scholars at Risk, 1/19
And freedom for all includes undergraduates
Bruce Macfarlane, The Australian, 1/19
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Global Connections and Exchange Program Combines Technology and In-Person Exchanges

Midlothian High School Exchange

Midlothian High School students planted trees in honor of their guests. | photo courtesy of Jamie Schlais Barnes

Here’s an interesting item from Midlothian Exchange, a local paper in Midlothian, in Chesterfield County, Virginia and a part of the Richmond Metropolitan Area.

Two weeks ago, three men walked into Midlothian High School looking for a better understanding of American culture. Ten days later, they left having changed their own perceptions of U.S. citizens and their students’ perceptions of Arabic culture. Their challenge and that of the students at Midlothian High School is to continue spreading what they learned.

Abdulwahab Albaadani, a teacher at Ibn Majed in Sanaa, Yemen, Amine Slimani, a teacher from the Secondary School of Nedroma in Nedroma, Algeria and his pupil, Mohamed Belmeliami, traveled to the U.S. as a culmination of nearly a year’s worth of video conferencing, cultural lessons, and web logging with social studies classes at Midlothian High School…

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Press Freedom in the Arab World

Al Jazeera gets such a bum rap in the United States because they are perceived as being biased against the United States and overly critical of US foreign policy. It’s not a fair evaluation, which is not surprising given that it is too often made based on hearsay by people who don’t speak Arabic, but that is not my concern in this post.
The network also does a very good job of holding Middle East governments to account. In fact, that has often gotten them into trouble. This is an episode of Inside Story, a program that is broadcast on the English service of Al Jazeera, assessing freedom of the press in the Arab World.

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Thanks to 3arabawy for finding it.

Ramadan 2009 – The Big Picture – Boston.com

Breaking the fast in Pakistan

Breaking the fast in Pakistan

We are now in the midst of Ramadan, the 9th and holiest month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims celebrate the revelation of the Holy Quran to the Prophet Muhammad.  During this month Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual activity during the day, breaking their fast each sunset, with traditional meals and sweets. It is also a time for pious deeds such as reading It’s called “pattern baldness” as a result of hair is often tadalafil online uk lost in a effectively-outlined “M” shape. Well, there is a big difference between ‘male impotence’ and ‘erectile respitecaresa.org viagra prescriptions dysfunction’. Arginine Can Promote A Healthy Blood Flow Another important role that Arginine plays in the human body is in action. cialis in india price Plus, your relationship with your partner deepens viagra from usa even more. the the entire Quran, prayer, and giving alms to the poor.  Muslims are called to carry out their fast willingly and in a spirit of devotion, humility, and sacrifice.  Ramadan nights in much of the Muslim world are often festive and fun, as things stay open late and people are out and about in the streets.
This link is to a feature from the Boston Globe gathering images of Ramadan throughout the Islamic world.  The photos are absolutely stunning!  Truly talented photographers.
via Ramadan 2009 – The Big Picture – Boston.com.

GOVERNMENT INTERNET FILTERING INCREASES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Below is the text of an August 12 announcement from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

Cambridge, Mass. – 14 countries in the Middle East and North Africa out of 18 countries surveyed filter Internet content using technical means, according to new studies released by the OpenNet Initiative (ONI), a partnership among groups at four leading universities: Toronto, Harvard, Cambridge, and Oxford, funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. These reports offer an updated view of Internet content controls in the region and a point of comparison to an earlier global survey carried out in 2006-2007. The studies show that Internet censorship has continued apace in the Middle East and North Africa.
“Our latest research results on Internet filtering and surveillance in the Middle East and North Africa confirm the growing use of next generation cyberspace controls beyond mere denial of information,” said Ron Deibert, ONI Principal Investigator and Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto. “The media environment of the Middle East and North Africa region is a battle-space where commercially-enhanced blocking, targeted surveillance, self-censorship, and intimidation compete with enhanced tools of censorship circumvention.”
“Internet censorship in the region is increasing in both scope and depth, and filtering of political content continues to be the common denominator among filtering regimes there,” said Helmi Noman, the OpenNet Initiative’s Middle East and North Africa lead researcher. “Governments also continue to disguise their political filtering, while acknowledging blocking of social content, and censors are catching up with increasing amounts of online content, in part by using filtering software developed by companies in the U.S.”
Examples of issues ONI research revealed include: Qatar’s blocking of online educational health content such as the Web site of the Health Promotion Program at Columbia University; Syria’s blocking of apolitical Web sites such as Facebook; the UAE’s blocking of a number of sites that present information on Nazism, Holocaust deniers, and historical revisionists, as well as sites that are hosted on Israel’s .il domain; and two Yemeni ISPs’ use of Websense.
Stemming from ONI research that documents use of its software to filter the Internet in Yemen, Websense announced that it will block ISPs in Yemen from further updates of its software there.
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Today’s release of new data and analysis follows the ONI’s May 2007 release of its first global survey, and the subsequent publication of Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering (MIT Press, 2008). In the coming months, the ONI will release additional, updated reports on countries in Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as on North America and on Australia and New Zealand. These reports will provide the analytical basis for a book to be released in early 2010, Access Controlled: The Shaping of Power, Rights and Rule in Cyberspace.

via GOVERNMENT INTERNET FILTERING INCREASES IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA | Berkman Center
The percentage of countries filtering the Internet is not cause for celebration, but on the other hand there have been real advances in freedom of expression in parts of the MENA region.  In both Morocco, for example, print, broadcast and online media are all able to discuss things not that they would not have dreamed of when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in the 90s.  Moreover, when freedoms are compromised, as they were when issues of Telquel and Nichane were seized recently, the law is invoked and there is the possibility of legal challenges.  They are seldom effective, but nonetheless, the possibility exists.
Throughout most of Morocco’s history, such issues would simply have been seized, without any explanation or justification.  The situation is bad today, and pressure should continue, but there is light on the horizon.