Gaza war’s spillover effects on American academic freedom.
Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg | 25 January 2024 | Arab News
Israel’s war on Gaza has had a devastating effect on free speech around the world, but especially in the US. Academic freedom is imperiled at college campuses across the country because of restrictions on views opposed to the war. This has had a chilling effect on the public debate about the war, with many expressing fears of a new form of McCarthyism on campus, fueled by traditional and social media and by politicians in the heightened climate of US elections.
At the US Congress grilling of prominent university administrators, the harsh rhetoric used by some members of Congress reinforced those fears of a new McCarthy-like witch hunt. They were fiercely scolded for not doing enough to curb anti-Israel criticism. Following their public humiliation, the presidents of Harvard and Pennsylvania universities were subsequently forced to resign.