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AAUP Files Complaint in Ideological Exclusion Case
By Gwendolyn Bradley
In November, the AAUP joined with the American Civil Liberties Union and the PEN American Center in a lawsuit against the U.S. Departments of State, Justice, and Homeland Security and the Central Intelligence Agency. The complaint charges that these federal agencies are illegally withholding information about the government’s practice of excluding prominent foreign intellectuals from entering the United States because of their political views. The government appears to be invoking immigration laws and section 411 of the Patriot Act, which permits the exclusion of prominent individuals who have used their positions to endorse or espouse terrorism. However, some individuals excluded have not done so, and some are, on the contrary, known for their anti-terrorist stands. The complaint cites the experiences of, among others, Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss professor of philosophy and Islamic studies; Dora Maria Tellez, a prominent Nicaraguan scholar and former government official; and a group of Cuban scholars who were scheduled to attend a conference in Las Vegas.
“Our concern about academic freedom is not limited to that of our own students and faculty can say on our campuses,” says Jane Buck, president of the AAUP. “We believe that students, faculty, and others should be able to listen to and engage with speakers from abroad without our government’s restricting our access to a full range of perspectives. Indeed, the government of a free people should encourage, not impede, such access.”
In bringing the complaint, the AAUP seeks to improve public understanding about the use of this controversial section of the Patriot Act and to find out whether it is being misused to stifle political debate. A copy of the complaint is available in .pdf format.
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