Skip to content
  • Image
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Podcasts
  • Email
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • News
  • Features
  • Comment
  • Store
The Arab Daily News

The Arab Daily News

Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem

  • About
    • About
    • Our Writers
    • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
    • Book Store
    • Contact
    • Submit Book Reviews, Press Releases
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Corrections Policy
    • Profile on Ray Hanania
    • Submit Press Release
  • Features
    • Food
    • Book Review
    • Humor
    • Movies
    • Travel
  • Arab Stores Targeted
  • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Heritage America resources
    • Directory
      • Groups & Organizations
      • Mosques, Churches
      • Restaurants
      • 2008 & 2014 Arab Media Directories
    • National Arab Heritage Month
    • Video: Chicago Arab History
    • Video: Photo Array of Chicago Arabs
    • Overview of Arabs in America
    • Hanania standup comedy
    • Arabs on the Titanic
    • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • Arab News Ray Hanania Radio
    • Arab Radio Podcast intro
    • Radio Baladi Detroit
  • Hanania on Tiktok
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Toggle search form
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, unveils a series of multi language videos to help property tax owners recover overpayments. This one is in Arabic
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments American Arabs
  • Amnesty International ... www.Amnesty.org
    Global: Amnesty International calls for universal social protection, as overlapping crises leave hundreds of millions facing disaster American Arabs
  • Anti-Arab anti-peace U.S. Senator Robert Menendez who has led the fight to censor American who criticize the brutality and human rights violations of Israel
    Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League American Arabs
  • property tax info event
    Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi hosts property Tax workshop for Arab community Activism
  • US Border Notice. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    AHRC Holds Another “Meet, Greet & Open Conversation” Forum Hosting the US Border Patrol (CBP): Human Rights
  • Ald. Raymond Lopez and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas receive the American Arab Chamber of Commerce 2021 Action Award from Hassan Nijem for their support of the Arab and Muslim American community,
    County Treasurer Maria Pappas celebrates Arab Heritage Month with business and community leaders Activism
  • Congresswoman Debbie Dingell Wikipedia
    Dingell, Tlaib Introduce Resolution Recognizing Eid al-Fitr Christian & Muslim
  • Ziyad Food item
    Essential recipes and ingredients during Ramadan  American Arabs
  • Vote Yes campaign button, Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Low Arab early voting turnout in important Orland Park elections American Arabs
  • Aziz Shihab, long time Arab American journalist and author.
    A memorial to a great Arab American Journalist, Aziz Shihab American Arabs
  • Piotr Hofmanski, president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague
    International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued for Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin Civil Rights
  • Orand First Responders candidates Matthew G. Rafferty and William Bonnar Jr.
    Arab Democrats endorse Rafferty and Bonnar in Orland Fire District race American Arabs
  • Paul Vallas addressing the Arab American Democratic Club on Feb. 12, 2023
    AADC releases its endorsements for the April 4, 2023 non-partisan elections American Arabs
  • Arab Democratic Club Feb 12, 2023 Forum & Brunch flier
    Arab Democrats host forum for Chicago and suburban candidates Feb. 12 American Arabs
  • AHRC Executive Director Imad Hamad
    AHRC’s Humanitarian Mission to Lebanon American Arabs

Columbia College reinstates Palestinian professor’s censored class

Posted on April 7, 2014April 13, 2019 By rayhanania No Comments on Columbia College reinstates Palestinian professor’s censored class
SHARE ...
          
 
  

  • Tweet

Loading

Columbia College reinstates Palestinian professor’s censored class

By Ray Hanania

Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi (Photo credit: PunkToad)

Columbia College reinstated a class that had been stripped from Palestinian American Professor Iymen Chehade following weeks of protests from education professionals and activists and within days of receiving a letter of protest from the Israeli director of the film which provoked an anonymous student to assert the class was biased.

Columbia College had revoked one of two classes that Chehade had been teaching when a student, who has never been identified, alleged that Chehade’s class was biased because it included a showing last November of the Israeli-Palestinian film “5 Broken Cameras” which documents the struggles of a Palestinian in the Israeli Occupied West Bank who was trying to videotape protests against the construction of the Israeli Occupation Wall.

In a letter to Columbia College last week, Guy Davidi, the Israeli co-director of the 2012 Academy Award-nominated film, said he was “surprised and disappointed” by the “wrongful decision” to cancel Chehade’s class because of the showing of his film. “5 Broken Cameras” was co-directed by Palestinian Emad Burnat.

In his letter, Davidi noted his documentary was screened in “dozens of Israeli schools.” He also stated his hope that “the American educational system can hold itself to a higher standard and set an example in its ability to face challenging ideas, whether or not they are in accordance with the mainstream.”

Unfortunately, that goal may not be immediately achieved, Chehade and others acknowledged.

Chehade said Monday that Columbia College reinstated the class but did not acknowledge its historic anti-Palestinian bias. The incident with Chehade is not the first time Columbia College has been accused of having an anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab bias. The College has declined to respond to request to address that bias and past incidents that have occurred, including the firing of a Palestinian American broadcast journalist who was also accused of bias by another student who also made an anonymous complaint.

Iymen Chehade Facebook PictureChehade noted in a statement that the reinstatement came in the wake of a three-month effort by Respect Academic Freedom: Palestine is No Exception (RAF-PINE) and two days after receiving Davidi’s letter, and four days after receiving a statement from Peter Kirstein, vice president of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) which concludedColumbia College did indeed violate Chehade’s academic freedoms.

In November, a student complained in an email to the dean and Dr. Steven Corey, department chair of History, Humanities, and Social Sciences (HHSS), that Chehade’s course was “biased” after viewing Davidi’s film 5 Broken Cameras in class. A series of retaliations began as Chehade was summoned to Corey’s office and instructed to teach the course in a more “balanced” manner. A few days later, one section of Chehade’s course was taken off the schedule after it had been made available for student registration.

“A coalition of students, faculty and community members, RAF-PINE, organized a campaign to defend academic freedom with a call-in, a petition that now has over 6,900 signatures from across the world, a public forum on March 20, and multiple articles and interviews in various media,” Chehade’s supporters said in a release. 

The release continued, “Although Chehade’s course has been reinstated, the larger struggle of circumventing mainstream American ideologies of Palestine still exists.”

“A lot of students not only do not know about the occupation, do not know about the systematic suffering of the Palestinian people, they also think that the Palestinians are the ones that are the actual aggressors,” Chehade said. “It is a challenge not only to teach this course, but to get rid of the things that are coming in from the outside, as far as the historic presentation of this issue in the United States.”

Chehade attests that his students not only gain valuable critical thinking skills in his course, but also are thankful to have been offered the reality of occupation and dispossession of the Palestinian people. “I tell my students, I say, ‘This is one of the only places in the country where you can have an honest discussion about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict,’ and the students know that, they understand that, and they appreciate that as well.”

Another key aspect of the effort was a letter sent in Chehade’s defense from the Illinois Chapter — American Association of University Professors (AAUP) to Louise Love, Columbia’s Provost.

The AAUP statement, dated March 25, 2014, applauded what appeared to be the Provost’s efforts to deny bias, but re-asserted that Professor Chehade’s academic freedom was violated. The AAUP statement demands:

“In your March 19, 2014 e-mail you supported the continued use of the 5 Broken Cameras and described Professor Chehade’s course as ‘thought provoking and exciting.’ Yet we believe  your laudable support of Professor Chehade’s academic freedom did not reflect prior actions  dating back to October 2013. We take you at your word that this is presently your position on this unfortunate matter and, therefore, ask you to consider implementing the following two  recommendations.”

The AAUP made two demands:

“First: Columbia College should offer, if sustained by adequate enrollment, Instructor Chehade two sections of the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict in fall semester 2014. Student interest has been robust and given the public scrutiny surrounding this case will likely increase looking forward.

“Second: We urge that the policy of handling student complaints undergo a strategic  reassessment. The current system as revealed in this case is clearly broken and conducive to academic freedom violations. The lack of transparency in which a professor cannot challenge his accuser, much less know the identity is an affront to due process and a shocking display of arbitrary treatment of a faculty member. We made suggestions to improve the process including an initial conference between a student complainant and the instructor.”

Iymen Chehade is a part-time faculty member at Columbia College in Chicago. He has earned an M.A. in History and Education and a B.A. in history from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  He has taught in the Department of Humanities, History and Social Science since 2007. He initially taught Middle Eastern History: From Muhammad to 1800 through spring semester 2011.  Professor Chehade also teaches a course title The Israeli/Palestine Conflict. He has taught nine sections of this course since Fall 2010 and is currently teaching one section of the class in spring semester 2014.

Click here to view story and listen to the podcast interview with Professor Iymen Chehade.

Click here to view the story and listen to the podcast interview with Professor Peter Kirstein.

Although the 95-minute documentary did not win an Oscar, it was celebrated for its forthright expression on the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. The 2012 film chronicles the non-violent Palestinian resistance against the Israeli construction of the Wall in the village of Bil’in in the Israeli Occupied West Bank of Palestine that has been under Israel’s control since Israel invaded the Jordanian controlled Palestinian area in June 1967. Even more ironic is that many Palestinians had criticized the film because Burnat and Davidi had worked together to make the documentary.

The Arab Daily News submitted a list of questions from Columbia College but never received a response. Columbia College did issue this statement last month in response to the controversy from Louise Love, Ph.D., VP of Academic Affairs and Interim Provost, Columbia College Chicago:

“Columbia College Chicago would like to publicly acknowledge its support of Instructor Iymen Chehade in his use of the widely acclaimed documentary, Five Broken Cameras, to educate students in his Israeli/Palestinian Conflict course. The College would also like to note that Mr. Chehade is in fact currently teaching his course, and has taught it since he joined our faculty in fall 2010.

“Mr. Chehade has received strong and continuous support from Dr. Steven Corey, Chair of the Department of Humanities, History, and Social Sciences (HHSS), and Dr. Deborah Holdstein, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS), in using this important film. Indeed, HHSS and other departments in LAS co-sponsored an on-campus screening of Five Broken Cameras last year, which featured Mr. Chehade moderating a discussion afterward, along with Jewish Voice for Peace, the Cinema Arts + Science Department, and other offices at Columbia College Chicago.  HHSS Chair, Dr. Steven H. Corey attended the showing and has never veered in his support for Mr. Chehade’s right to show the movie in a classroom setting.  Dr. Corey and the College encourage Mr. Chehade to continue to use the movie (or selections from the documentary) in his teaching and discuss its content, exposing students to such an important perspective on political tensions in the Middle East.

“We at the College believe that an education should, in part, be about preparing students to be active and engaged world citizens and to think critically about political and historical narratives.  As such, HHSS offers an array of thought provoking and exciting courses like the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict class and makes every effort to schedule them to meet the curricular needs of a diverse student body.

“Reductions in the number of sections or courses offered at Columbia reflect a multitude of factors such as overall student enrollment, targets for average class size, and rotation of curriculum. Reductions are not made to alter a specific academic field of study or political perspective, and any course on campus may be offered at a reduced frequency from past semesters.

“The College reaffirms the right of all faculty members and students to exercise academic freedom in a manner that Mr. Chehade has enjoyed since he became a member of HHSS.”

Click here to read the story posted by the Columbia Chronicle College student newspaper in which the College “disputes the AAUP findings and denies the class was reinstated in response to the report.”

(Ray Hanania is an award winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter and columnist. He is the managing editor of the Arab Daily News www.TheArabDailyNews.com.

Related articles
  • Podcast Interview: Iymen Chehade discusses Columbia College discrimination
  • AAUP Backs Iymen Chehade, Supports Academic Freedom at Columbia College Chicago
  • AAUP Backs Iymen Chehade, Supports Academic Freedom at Columbia College Chicago
[subscribe2]

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
rayhanania
rayhanania
Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News
RAY HANANIA — Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster

Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.

Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.

Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.

Click here to send Ray Hanania email.

Follow RayHanania on Gettr.com, the uncensored Twitter Ray Hanania on Gettr, the new Twitter
rayhanania
Latest posts by rayhanania (see all)
  • Lebanese parliament afraid to vote for next president - June 1, 2023
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments - May 18, 2023
  • Global: Amnesty International calls for universal social protection, as overlapping crises leave hundreds of millions facing disaster - May 10, 2023

  • Tweet

SHARE ...
          
 
  
 
          
 
 Tweet 
American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, News, Ray Hanania, Spotlight Tags:5 Broken Cameras, AAUP, Academic freedom, American Association of University Professors, Chehade, Chicago, Columbia College, Guy Davidi, Iymen Chehade, Palestine, United States

Post navigation

Previous Post: Suheir Hammad to perform at 11th Annual Diversity Conference April 10
Next Post: Norman Podhoretz and the face of modernday hate

Related Posts

  • CAIR warns about hate rallies scheduled this week American Arabs
  • Journalists at a rally for Barack Obama
    Fake news vs Biased news in America’s political system Arab News
  • The Crone, Iraq and a Cool Cat American Arabs
  • American Arab produces new horror film American Arabs
  • Israel, one of the only countries refusing to help Syrian refugees Arab World
  • Ukraine conflict gives Palestinians chance to redefine their conflict Arab News

More Related Articles

Chicago ALderman Raymond Lopez announces his candidacy for Mayor of Chicago on Wednesday April 6, 2022. Photo courtesy of Ray Lopez announcement video Champion of Arab American rights Ray Lopez announces for Mayor American Arabs
Children celebrate Ramadan Eid in Gaza with food vendor. Photo courtesy of Mohammed Asad Palestinian children celebrate Ramadan Eid in besieged Gaza Strip Arab World
Houston BDS targets RE/MAX for supporting illegal settlements American Arabs
Mohammed Dajani, the Holocaust, normalization and peace Arab World
FBI Headquarters. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Hate Crimes Continue to Surge in America Activism
Samar Khalaf, ADC President, 2013-2020 Khalaf announces his retirement as ADC president American Arabs

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Ghassan Rubeiz
    Lebanese parliament afraid to vote for next president
    June 1, 2023
  • Hezbollah billboards in Lebanon celebrate Sheikh Hasan Nasrallah and the righteous war against Israeli extremism and fanaticism. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Who will choose the next Lebanese President?
    May 12, 2023
  • The term Arab will be meaningless if we don’t stand behind it and choose “MENA” instead
    April 29, 2023
  • IDF soldiers and Israeli settlers (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
    Ending Israel’s occupation might save its democracy
    April 26, 2023
  • 300x300-ZIYAD02.jpg
  • 300x300-ZIYAD01.jpg
  • NEWS
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, unveils a series of multi language videos to help property tax owners recover overpayments. This one is in Arabic
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments
    May 18, 2023
  • Amnesty International ... www.Amnesty.org
    Global: Amnesty International calls for universal social protection, as overlapping crises leave hundreds of millions facing disaster
    May 10, 2023
  • Anti-Arab anti-peace U.S. Senator Robert Menendez who has led the fight to censor American who criticize the brutality and human rights violations of Israel
    Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League
    May 10, 2023
  • property tax info event
    Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi hosts property Tax workshop for Arab community
    May 5, 2023
  • NEWSWIRE
  • Anti-Arab anti-peace U.S. Senator Robert Menendez who has led the fight to censor American who criticize the brutality and human rights violations of Israel
    Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League
    May 10, 2023
  • US Border Notice. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    AHRC Holds Another “Meet, Greet & Open Conversation” Forum Hosting the US Border Patrol (CBP):
    May 2, 2023
  • Ald. Raymond Lopez and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas receive the American Arab Chamber of Commerce 2021 Action Award from Hassan Nijem for their support of the Arab and Muslim American community,
    County Treasurer Maria Pappas celebrates Arab Heritage Month with business and community leaders
    April 27, 2023
  • Ziyad Food item
    Essential recipes and ingredients during Ramadan 
    April 4, 2023

Creative Commons License
All work on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

POPULAR POSTS

  • Who will choose the next Lebanese President? Who will choose the next Lebanese President? By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz Since September of last year the Lebanese parliament has ... posted on May 12, 2023
  • Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi hosts property Tax workshop for Arab community Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi hosts property Tax workshop for Arab community Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi will host a ... posted on May 5, 2023
  • Arab-American influencers Furrha Family share secrets of their success Arab-American influencers Furrha Family share secrets of their success Salem Furrha and his eight children @theFurrhaFamily on TikTok and Instagram represent ... posted on February 6, 2021
  • Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman and ... posted on May 10, 2023
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas ... posted on May 18, 2023
  • Essential recipes and ingredients during Ramadan  Essential recipes and ingredients during Ramadan  Ramadan is an important month-long religious observance for Muslims who observe it by fasting ... posted on April 4, 2023

Recent Posts

  • Lebanese parliament afraid to vote for next president
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas releases video in Arabic to help recover property tax overpayments
  • Who will choose the next Lebanese President?
  • Global: Amnesty International calls for universal social protection, as overlapping crises leave hundreds of millions facing disaster
  • Menendez and Risch condemn Syria’s re-admission to Arab League
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • Glory to God int he Lowest by Author Rev. Donald Wagner
    Book Review: Glory to God in the Lowest: journeys to an unholy land
    February 18, 2023
  • Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    October 24, 2022
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • Ziyad Food item
    Essential recipes and ingredients during Ramadan 
    April 4, 2023
  • Hussam al-Mayman, The Mayman Show, podcast Arab News
    Arab News launches third season of The Mayman Show podcast
    December 15, 2022
  • Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    Interlink 2022 Cookbooks Make the Best Holiday Gifts
    October 24, 2022
  • Comedian Ramy Youssef courtesy of his Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ramysfaceboo/
    “Ramy” cable series melds Arab world reality with every day American life
    October 22, 2022
  • The Ray Hanania Radio Show Live Wed 5 PM EST in Detroit, Washington DC, Ontario and on Thursday in Chicago. Watch the program live at Facebook.com/ArabNews
    Second Season of “The Ray Hanania Show” Arab American radio launches April 6
    April 4, 2022
  • New-iTunes-1400-x-1400-The-Ray-Hanania-Show-Podcast-Icon-300-x-300.jpg
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • powerpr300x300ad.jpg
  • Podcast-iTunes-Logo-Chi-City-Hall-1985.jpg
  • terroristbookcover-300-x-300.jpg
Arab News Newspaper Logo
Read the Arab News, the leading English language newspaper in the MIddle East

Follow Ray Hanania at Gab.com, MeWe.com and IDobbinate.com, the alternatives to Facebook and Twitter Censorship.

Click here to get information on The Ray Hanania Radio Show and its podcasts

Copyright © 2023 The Arab Daily News.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme