Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
In solidarity with Professor David Miller
Professor Hugh Brady
President and Vice-Chancellor
University of Bristol
Dear Professor Brady,
We are students and former students of Professor David Miller, or students or former students of the University of Bristol and other higher education institutions. We stand in opposition to the censorship and smear campaign being waged against Professor Miller. We believe that the accusations made against him threaten academic freedom. They appear to be aimed at silencing criticism of the State of Israel’s historic and ongoing violation of Palestinian human rights.
We oppose all forms of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, and believe we must all work together to remove racism from campus. Jewish, Muslim and Palestinian students have the right to live in safety and with dignity. But Zionist ideology has tried to erase Palestine and to silence Palestinian voices. If the University of Bristol is serious about opposing racism and grappling with Britain’s colonial past, it is vital to recognise the injustices being carried out against Palestine and its people. The fight against antisemitism must not diminish the fight against the oppression of other peoples.
Professor Miller has spent his entire career researching state and corporate lobby groups and propaganda strategies. His work on Israel and Zionism is only one part of this wider work. The lecture about which the first complaints were made was on the extremely important topic of Islamophobia. We believe that Professor Miller is being targeted and harassed because he discussed the role parts of the Zionist movement play in encouraging Islamophobia. Professor Miller’s work has always been strongly evidence based, and we believe that his recent comments on Israel, the Zionist movement and Islamophobia should be judged on this basis and not in relation to selective outrage and misquotation.
The hostilities directed at Professor Miller and the false allegations of antisemitism made against critics of Zionism and the State of Israel are leaving many students too intimidated to voice concerns about these issues. It is vital for the University of Bristol to promote evidence-based research and teaching without the threat of harassment. No country, government or ideology should be exempt from criticism, not least on a university campus. We ask the University of Bristol to continue its commitment to free speech, academic freedom and a culture of openness where discussions, even on contentious topics, may take place.
We insist that anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel are not antisemitism. The IHRA working definition of antisemitism, adopted by the University of Bristol in 2019, is being used to misrepresent Professor Miller by conflating Judaism with Zionism. This conflation is wrong on two counts; not all Jews are Zionists, and not all Zionists are Jews. We ask the University of Bristol to retract the IHRA definition and replace it with a more precise definition that prevents the misrepresentation of discussions about Zionism, Israel and Palestine.
We feel compelled to come together in solidarity with Professor Miller. The University of Bristol must defend the principle of academic freedom within the law and reject complaints from lobby groups and sectional interests.
cc:
Professor Simon Tormey, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law
Professor Sarah Purdy, Pro VC (Student Experience)
Professor Tansy Jessop, Pro VC (Education)
Professor Judith Squires, Provost
Mr Jack Boyer, Chair, Board of Trustees
Dr Moira Hamlin, Vice-Chair, Board of Trustees
Ms Jane Bridgwater, Director of Legal Services
Yours truly,
Students and alumni from the University of Bristol
Dr David Morgan, University of Bristol
Dr Polly Hill, University of Bristol
Abdulaziz Babak Alsadoon, University of Bristol
Abdulrahman Tawfiq Abdulaal, University of Bristol
Adnan Qureshi, University of Bristol
Ahd Othman, University of Bristol
Alia Mokhtar, University of Bristol
Alice Orme, University of Bristol
Amy Lidde, University of Bristol
Botan Mustafa, University of Bristol
Callum Johnson, University of Bristol
Catherine Bjarnason, University of Bristol
Faizan Ussenbai, University of Bristol
Faten Al Mashrafi, University of Bristol
H Awan, University of Bristol
Hanan Abd, University of Bristol
Hashem Sarairah, University of Bristol
Haydar Ali, University of Bristol
Hector Steenbergen, University of Bristol
Hiba Abdo, University of Bristol
Hugo Parra Muñoz, University of Bristol
Iman Anjarwalla, University of Bristol
Isobel McLeod, University of Bristol
Jáfia Naftali Câmara, University of Bristol
Jago Corry, University of Bristol
Jai Kalyan, University of Bristol
James Barrett, University of Bristol
James Eyre, University of Bristol
James McArdle, University of Bristol
Jawwad Khan, University of Bristol
Jibran Yousafzai, University of Bristol
Khadijah Ginwalla, University of Bristol
Khaled Abuobaid, University of Bristol
Kieran Strong, University of Bristol
Magda Baghazal, University of Bristol
Martha Makin, University of Bristol
Mathew Park, University of Bristol
Matt McDonald, University of Bristol
Mia Fenwick, University of Bristol
Mohamed Nazim Mohamed Nisar, University of Bristol
Mueerah Naeem, University of Bristol
Munazzah Saleem, University of Bristol
Nabil Sajjad, University of Bristol
Nazia Hossain, University of Bristol
Norah Alhosan, University of Bristol
Numra Maryam, University of Bristol
Nurin Jazlina Rozi, University of Bristol
Omar Kawis, University of Bristol
Pratik Gurung, University of Bristol
Rachel Barrett, University of Bristol
Rama Hattab, University of Bristol
Roma Mills, University of Bristol
Safia Cissoko, University of Bristol
Salma Elmasry, University of Bristol
Sam Stewart, University of Bristol
Samad Fazeli, University of Bristol
Sara Ibrahim, University of Bristol
Seif Awadalla, University of Bristol
Sena Dogan, University of Bristol
Seyed Khashayar Taghavirad, University of Bristol
Sofea Khan, University of Bristol
Sophie Dunsby, University of Bristol
Sophie Goodings, University of Bristol
Sukhi Girn, University of Bristol
Suzanne Williams, University of Bristol
Tanzil Choudhury, University of Bristol
Tara Bhasin, University of Bristol
Thanos Tsapas, University of Bristol
Vasileios Meletiadis, University of Bristol
William Nafack, University of Bristol
Yara Hage, University of Bristol
Yara Nabulsi, University of Bristol
Students and alumni from other UK universities
Ada Dajani, University of Leeds
Ada Lebiedzinska, University of Strathclyde
Adam Abdalla, University of Leeds
Ahmad Alagouz, UWE Bristol
Ajay Domun, Birkbeck, University of London
Alex Polkey, University of Oxford
Alexander Nye, City, University of London
Aliyah Hossain, Queen Mary, University of London
Andrew Carmichael, Lancashire College of Agriculture
Angelos Agathangelou, Open University
Anhad S. Oberai, Brunel University
Anna Clemente, University of Bath
Art Grimley, City, University of London
Azad Hussain, University of Leeds
Bill Payne, University of Hull
Callisto St. Henry, Birkbeck, University of London
Carlos Grijalva Eternod, University College London
Charles Elliot Bayles, UWE Bristol
Cian Ronayne, National College of Ireland
Colin Valley, University of Huddersfield
Darragh Keogh, Dublin Business School
Dee Grimes Hayward, University of Sussex
Dominic Jones, University of Reading
Grace Cowan, London Metropolitan University
Hassan Bilal, University of Leeds
Hesham Haikal, University of Leeds
Ian Stewart, University of Edinburgh
Ilaria Tercelli, London School of Economics
Isabelle Burgess, University of Bath
James Godfrey, Birkbeck, University of London
Jeevanthie Senanayake, University of Bath
John Piprani, University of Manchester
Jon Harding, Aberystwyth University
Jon Wilson, Middlesex University
Jonathan Edwards, University of Oxford
Joseph McColl, University of Birmingham
Joseph Usher, King’s College London
Kashif Nasar, University of Liverpool
Kate Ashdowne, UWE Bristol
Kendra Cornelis, University of Oxford
Konrad Rekas, Robert Gordon University
Laurie Donaldson, University of Glasgow
Lucy Nichols, University of Manchester
Maria Bonilla, Farnborough College of Technology
Michael Brown, Staffordshire University and Nottingham Trent University
Mick Haley, University of Nottingham
Mollie Fish, Nottingham Trent University
Morgan Owen Paul Cranshaw, University of Bath
Nazdar Qasem, UWE Bristol
Nazia Iqbal, University of Strathclyde
Neveen Hroub, UWE Bristol
Nicolai Vigneswaren, University of Leeds
Nigel Warren, Open University
Nihaya Jaber, University of Glasgow
Nilo Murphy, London South Bank University
Nina Gavrieli, Graduate School of Education
Nour Kefi, University of Hertfordshire
Okasha Ahmed, University of Manchester
Omaima Azoui, UWE Bristol
Omar Moaz, UWE Bristol
Pam Perryman, Universities of Essex and Warwick
Patrick Chadwick, University of North London
Patrick Gritton, Glasgow Caledonian University
Patrick Higgins, University of Liverpool
Patrick McDonald, University of Dundee
Pucci Dellanno, University of Sussex
Rania Ward, University of Bath
Sally McArthur, Newcastle University
Salma Najjar, UWE Bristol
Salwa Rahman, SOAS, University of London
Sangeeta Lyons, Aston University
Sequoyah De Souza, University of York
Steve Walshe, Birmingham City University
Sumayah Jilani, UWE Bristol
Tommy Kane, University of Strathclyde
Trevor Ryan, University of Warwick
Valle Elena, University of Surrey
Yahia Khalaf, London South Bank University
Zainab Wahid, UWE Bristol
Students and alumni from non-UK universities
Dana Mohamed Hasn Ali Taweel, An-Najah National University (Palestine)
David Heap, University of Western Ontario (Canada)
George Dontas, National Technical University of Athens (Greece)
Karen Alqasem, Barry University (USA)
Kit Klarenberg, Freie Universität Berlin (Germany)
Kyle Bailey, York University, Toronto (Canada)
M Hammoud, Canadian University of Dubai (UAE)
Margaret Ronayne, National University of Ireland Galway (Ireland)
Omaila Taweel, An-Najah National University (Palestine)
Serge Katembera Rhukuzage, Federal University of Paraíba (Brazil)
William B. Hutchinson, Ph.D., McGill University (Canada)
Zeenat Suleman, University of South Africa (South Africa)
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