National Lawyers Guild International Statement in Support of Palestinian Professor Rabab Abdulhadi

Prof. Rabab Abdulhadi of San Francisco State University (SFSU), along with several campus administrators, is named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the Lawfare Project on June 19, 2017.

The lawsuit makes the unsubstantiated claim that the SFSU College of Ethnic Studies, created as the result of the 1968 student strike and which solidified SFSU’s reputation as a social justice institution, is responsible for an alleged rise of anti-Semitism on campus. It hostilely states, “Since SFSU established the College of Ethnic Studies (“COES”) in 1968, an extremely disturbing and consistent pattern of anti-Jewish animus has emerged at SFSU which has only gotten worse over time.”

The lawsuit also repeats a false accusation by AMCHA Initiative (an organization that equates criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism) that Prof. Abdulhadi traveled to Jordan and Palestine with public money to meet with “representatives of designated Islamist terror organizations,” despite SFSU President Wong’s conclusion after multiple investigations that the accusation had “no merit.”

The lawsuit also condemns Prof. Abdulhadi for her academic collaboration with An-Najah National University in Nablus, Palestine, citing the unsubstantiated, false claim of Campus Watch/Middle East Forum that the university is “a recruitment facility for terrorism.”

Prof. Abdulhadi, in addition to being falsely accused by AMCHA, has been targeted with vicious fliers posted on campus (October, 2016) by the David Horowitz Freedom Center and Canary Mission, falsely accusing her, as well as student advocates for justice in Palestine, of being a “collaborator with terrorists” and of “Jew Hatred.” These repeated and spurious attacks create a climate adverse to Prof. Abdulhadi’s safety and her full exercise of academic freedom.

  • NLG International Committee demands that California State University (CSU) and SFSU provide Prof. Abdulhadi with independent quality, legal representation of her choice and at no charge so that she can be properly defended in the lawsuit.
  • NLG International Committee also demands that the university and CSU system uphold Prof. Abdulhadi’s full right of academic freedom by making a public statement defending her academic integrity; and
  • NLG International Committee asks the California State Legislature to appoint an independent, transparent and public commission to investigate the perennial Islamophobia, anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian racist and unsafe campus climate at SFSU.

Stop Lawfare Bullying.

Take action to support Professor Rabab Abdulhadi!

Sign the petition:  

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeArXzfd9MNbGqCIqNGnz3y_yFwYo34Gj1AZEdBiJsW_hizw/viewform

Donate to the defense campaign: 

 https://www.launchgood.com/project/professor_rabab_abdulhadis_legal_fund#/

Like and follow the Facebook page:

 https://www.facebook.com/DefendProfAbdulhadi/

 

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