Did Steven Salaita Just Lose His Job at American University of Beirut?

Some bigots just can’t catch a break. Having been jettisoned from a tenure-track position at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for expressing vile and violent anti-Semitic sentiments on social media, Steven Salaita found refuge at American University of Beirut, where he was hired as the Edward W. Said Chair of American Studies.

But Salaita’s views, it seems, are too unpalatable even in Lebanon. A petition circulated today and signed by students of the university argues that the official search procedure designed to award Salaita his position was cancelled on March 30 by university president Fadlo Khuri, citing “procedural irregularities.” Which, the petitioners argue, is just code for political persecution. “We fear,” the petition continues, “that AUB is reproducing the trend of persecuting scholars who condemn the injustices committed in Palestine.”

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