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U.S.-accredited American University in Cairo promises academic freedom to professor but sells out to highest bidder
- AUC revoked a chaired title from professor Adam Duker following the request of a donor鈥檚 son, who asked Duker to proselytize for Islam in class
- AUC promises to respect faculty rights and is recognized by an American accreditor that requires 鈥渁 commitment to academic freedom鈥
CAIRO, Egypt, July 24, 2019 鈥 A professor at American University in Cairo has fled Egypt out of concern for the safety of his family after a fight to defend his academic freedom rights and a run-in with Egyptian security forces.
Today, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education wrote to AUC President Francis J. Ricciardone to ask: How did this happen at a university and incorporated in the United States and to academic freedom?
Professor Adam Duker鈥檚 troubles began in October 2016, when a department chair told Duker his proposed course would be approved only if he cut the film 鈥淪uper Size Me,鈥 a PG-13 documentary about fast food, from the syllabus. The chair cited the film鈥檚 鈥渙ffensive鈥 elements, including 鈥渁 graphic medical procedure, and some frank discussion of sexual relations,鈥 and worried that others would find the film controversial, causing AUC 鈥渃onsiderable trouble.鈥
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Tarek Taher, the son of the late Abdulhadi H. Taher, who endowed Duker鈥檚 chaired professorship, was responsible for the management of his father's estate. In January 2017, he contacted Ricciardone requesting to learn more about his father鈥檚 endowment and to ensure that it 鈥渇its within his vision.鈥
AUC shared copies of Duker鈥檚 syllabus with Tarek Taher, who went on to request that Duker use a different translation of the Quran, one that used 鈥淎llah鈥 instead of 鈥淕od.鈥 Duker reported that he met with Taher, who recounted to him a dream in which a celestial being voiced concerns to him about the program. Taher expressed a desire to pre-approve Duker鈥檚 lectures and asked that he proselytize for Islam in class. Duker refused Taher鈥檚 request that he use the position to convert students to Islam.
On July 11, 2017, Provost Ehab Abdel-Rahman unexpectedly informed Duker that his position as the Abdulhadi H. Taher Chair in Comparative Religion had been revoked at Taher鈥檚 request. According to Duker, he was told that the title was removed over his failure to present Islam more favorably than other faiths in class. He was also told to remove any public reference to the endowed professorship.
Taher also later objected to Duker鈥檚 alleged 鈥渕isuse of the chair鈥 and 鈥淶ionist direction,鈥 and said Duker had been 鈥渟topped when we found out.鈥
鈥淲hether at home or abroad, a university鈥檚 commitment to academic freedom is only worthwhile if it can withstand donors鈥 efforts to influence professors鈥 pedagogical decisions,鈥 said FIRESenior Program Officer Sarah McLaughlin. 鈥淕iven the institution鈥檚 American accreditation, students and faculty deserve to know if AUC treats their rights like rock-paper-scissors, where donor demands always beat institutional commitments.鈥
In December, Interim Dean Robert Switzer informed Duker that he was under investigation for continuing to publicly refer to himself as the Taher Chair 鈥 his contractually-specified title 鈥 which he said caused 鈥渃onsiderable embarrassment, and possible further damage鈥 to AUC.
In response to Switzer鈥檚 accusations, Duker filed a grievance with the faculty senate, which found that 鈥渘othing in [Duker鈥檚] contract鈥 gave AUC 鈥渢he right to revoke this title鈥 and that his use of it did not constitute faculty misconduct. The senate also expressed concern 鈥渢hat the donor was allowed to interfere in academic matters and influence the Provost鈥檚 decision to strip Dr. Duker of his title,鈥 which set 鈥渁 very dangerous precedent and infringed on Dr. Duker鈥檚 academic freedom.鈥
(The chairman of the University Senate later revoked the report after Duker made it public, claiming that he 鈥渃ompromised the faculty members of the grievance committee鈥 by disclosing their exculpatory findings.)
In May, Duker chose to resign and leave Egypt out of concern for the safety of his family. His decision was prompted by an earlier incident where he was approached by armed members of Egypt鈥檚 security forces while leading a class field trip to Cairo鈥檚 religious landmarks. Officers, who repeatedly referenced the Taher family, briefly detained him and demanded that Duker follow them to an interrogation room before letting him go.
The following month, AUC found Duker responsible for faculty misconduct over his 鈥渃ontinuing use鈥 of the Taher Chair title and 鈥減ublic statements maligning the reputation of Mr. Taher鈥 鈥 even though he had already resigned.
鈥淚t is a shame to the Taher family legacy that Tarek betrayed his father鈥檚 wishes by demanding that I teach and conduct my research according to his own religious views,鈥 Duker told 果冻传媒app官方. 鈥淏ut it is an even greater shame that the AUC administration would agree to Tarek鈥檚 demand that I be stripped of this position.鈥
Today, FIRE鈥檚 letter asks AUC to acknowledge that its treatment of Duker 鈥 revoking his title at a donor鈥檚 demand and then investigating him for 鈥渕aligning鈥 that same donor 鈥 violated its academic freedom commitments and .
AUC community members deserve better.
鈥淐ensorship and religious discrimination are inconsistent with the charter of an American university,鈥 Duker said. 鈥淐ensorship is inappropriate; it betrays the foundational ethic of a modern university. Religious discrimination is dangerous, especially when it lies just beneath the surface at an ostensibly non-sectarian university.鈥
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The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (果冻传媒app官方) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of students and faculty members at America鈥檚 colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, freedom of association, due process, legal equality, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience 鈥 the essential qualities of liberty.
CONTACT:
Daniel Burnett, Assistant Director of Communications, 果冻传媒app官方: 215-717-3473; media@thefire.org
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