University of Toronto - Faculty Open Letter to President Naylor

OPEN LETTER TO President Naylor (January 16, 2009): Dear President Naylor, Shortly after launching the attack on Gaza, Israel?s jets bombed the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG). The Israeli state claims that the IUG is a ?cultural symbol? of Hamas. Neither this nor any other justification of Israel?s disrespect for human life and breaches of international law is acceptable.

We call on you to show leadership as the president of one of the world?s largest and most respected universities in expressing solidarity with our Palestinian colleagues and students. They have been suffering from Israeli occupation, blockade and now outright destruction of their classrooms and laboratories. We also call on you to express the University of Toronto?s solidarity with our Israeli colleagues and students who have been critical of their country's military occupation, and have been victimized and stigmatized for their moral stance. As a Rhodes Scholar at the height of the anti-Apartheid Movement, you may have witnessed first hand at Oxford how effective international academic declarations of solidarity can be to stop cycles of violence, engage in critical dialogue, and to end an apartheid regime.

We also call on you as a leading medical expert on public health and emergency relief organization to condemn Israeli actions and demand Palestinian access to aid. The population of Gaza suffers from acute shortages of medical supplies and aid. The Red Cross has expressed dismay at Israel?s denial of access to the wounded and the maimed. This constitutes a contravention of universally accepted conduct in war.

The Islamic University of Gaza is home to about 20,000 students, the majority of them female. It offers programs in all fields of education including Medicine and Nursing, Commerce and Chemistry, English and Engineering, and much more. The university is a member of several global university associations including The International Association of Universities and the Community of Mediterranean Universities. IUG has also built links and signed agreements with international academic institutions.

Israel's bombing of the university is one of a string of attacks against academic institutions in Gaza. The Israeli shelling of Fakhora School in Jabaliya refugee camp last week left more than forty children, teachers and staff dead. The victims had sought refuge at the school. Its campus was a clearly marked U.N. site, and the director of the United Nations Relief and Works agency, John Ging, said his office had given its GPS coordinates to the Israeli army.

These attacks are part of a long term Israeli policy that violates Palestinians? right to education. Bombing IUG and any other academic site are clear contraventions of international law and constitute a war crime.

We urge you to add your voice to ours and issue a statement in support of the academic community in Palestine. We also call on the UofT to participate in the rebuilding and rehabilitation of these academic centres. As members of UofT's academic community in general and as individuals who are committed to a better understanding of the Middle East, we are ready to make every effort to aid in such a project. It is particularly important that you publicly support Palestinians academic freedom, both individual and institutional, in light of your administration's earlier invocation of academic freedom to explain your rejection of repeated calls for an academic boycott of Israeli
universities.

We hope to receive a positive response from your office soon. The destruction of Gaza?s academic institutions and killing of its people must not happen in our name, nor under our silent gaze.

Sincerely,

Signatories

Abuodeh, Rashed, NMC

Ali, Abdel-Khalig, Lect. NMC

Ali, Khalidah, Alumnus

Aslam, Jabeen, Social and Equity Studies Awad, Mohamed, Historical Studies

Bonakdarian, Mansour, Prof., Historical StudiesBorcherding, Julia, Philosophy

Cazdyn, Eric, Prof., East Asia Studies

Chak Wan Kam, NMC

Chandrashekar, Jessica, Alumnus

Clement, Anne, NMC

Comay, Rebecca, Prof., Philosophy

Conklin Akbari, Suzanne, Prof., English

Cowen, Deborah, Prof., Geography and Program in Planning

Creasey, Kate, Anthropology and NMC

Davis, Chandler, Prof. Em. Mathematics

Davis, Natalie, Prof. Em, History

DeLombard, Jeanine, Prof. English

Elming, Rebecca, History

Essam, Richard, NMC

Fadel, Mohamed, Prof., Law

Fitting, Peter, Prof. Em., French and Cinema Studies

Franklin, Ursula, Prof. Em.

Galbraith, David, Prof., English

Goonewardena, Kanishska, Prof., Geography and Programme in Planning

Gorman, Rachel, WGSI

Haghgou, Shirin, English

Hanssen, Jens, Prof. NMC/History

Harvey, Elizabeth, Prof., English

Hashemi, Nader, Prof., Alumnus

Hasnain, Sarah, NMC

Hassanpour, Amir, Prof., NMC

Hasssanpour, Binesh, Alumnus

Hehner, Eric, Prof., Computer Science

Helou, Joe, Political Science,

Hemlow, Emily, NMC

Inci, Zeynep, NMC

Itwaru, A.H., Prof., Caribbean Studies

Jagoe, Eva-Lynn, Prof., Spanish and Comparative Literature

Jain, Kajri, History of Art,

Jarzmik, Oscar, NMC

Kassamali, Sumayya, Sociology and Equity Studies

Kilibarda, Kole, Alumnus

Kingston, Paul, Prof., Political Science

Klein, Martin, Prof. Em., History

Kuntz, Blair, Librarian

Lee, Richard B., Prof. Em., Anthropology

Mojab, Shahrzad, Prof., Adult Education and Continuing Psychology

Molavie, Showideh, Alumnus

Mouftah, Nermeen, NMC

Murphy, Michelle, Prof., History and WGSI

Murray, Heather, Prof., English

Newton, Melanie, Prof., History

Nyquist, Mary, Prof., English

Rao, Ajay, Prof., Historical Studies/Religion

Reilly, James, Prof. NMC

Rekabtalaei, Golbarg, NMC

Riley, Krista, Social and Equity Studies

Rockel, Stephen, Prof., Humanities/History

Rothman, Natalie, Prof., History

Safieddine, Hicham, NMC

Salih, Sara, Prof., English

Sarabia, Lisa, Prof. Portuguese and Spanish

Schwebel, Paula, Philosophy

Shaindlinger, Noa, NMC

Slabodsky, Santiago, Centre for Study of Religion/Centre for Jewish Studies

Smith, Gavin, Prof., Anthropology

Song, Jesook, Prof., Dept. of East Asian Studies

Stevens, Paul, Prof., English

Stewart, Bianca, History

Tambe, Ashwini, Prof., WGSI

Tavakoli-Targhi, Mohamed, Prof., NMC

Trotz, Alissa, Prof., Caribbean Studies, WGSI

Valleau, John, Prof. Em., Chemistry

Walcott, Rinaldo, Prof., SESE, OISE