Harvard University has recently dismissed key faculty members at its Center for Middle Eastern Studies [Getty]
Harvard University has come under renewed scrutiny after dismissing two leaders of its Centre for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), amid accusations that the move was part of a broader campaign to suppress pro-Palestinian and critical-of-Israel academic discourse.
According to The Harvard Crimson, CMES Director and Professor of Turkish Studies Cemal Kafadar, along with Associate Director and History Professor Rosie Bsheer, were removed from their leadership posts by David Cutler, Interim Dean of Social Science.
Kafadar, who is set to go on leave for the 2024–2025 academic year, will be temporarily replaced by Professor Salmaan Keshavjee, a global health expert. Both Kafadar and Bsheer remain on the Harvard faculty.
“I would value your thoughts on who, in addition to intellectual leadership and a compelling vision for the Center, would also bring the necessary administrative skills to be successful in this crucial role,” Cutler said in a faculty communication.
The shake-up comes in the wake of mounting external and internal criticism, with some accusing the CMES of promoting anti-Israel views and hosting events alleged to contain “antisemitic” content. Critics argue these labels are increasingly being used to delegitimise criticism of Israeli policy and silence Palestinian perspectives.
In response, Harvard has begun distancing itself from some programming perceived as politically contentious. The Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors condemned the dismissals, saying they appeared to be “a shameful attempt to escape punishment from the Trump administration for engaging in academic discussions about topics the president disfavours”.
Asli Bali, president of the Middle East Studies Association, called the university’s move “unprecedented”, warning that elite institutions were being coerced into compromising their independence.
“Now their universities are on notice that the government is looking for a settlement that includes abridging the autonomy of centres and departments devoted to the study of the Middle East,” she said.
Universities across the United States have faced intensifying political pressure from the Trump administration to rein in pro-Palestinian academics, student groups, and departments.
Harvard’s own School of Public Health recently suspended its partnership with Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank, following repeated calls to cut ties with Palestinian institutions.
At Columbia University, the administration is facing legal action from faculty after reportedly bowing to federal pressure to limit campus protests, place Middle East studies programs under external oversight, and accept conditions tied to funding, after threats to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants.
The crackdown has extended to students and alumni as well. On 8 March 8, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate at Columbia, was arrested at his university-owned apartment and transferred to an immigration detention centre in Louisiana, where he remains in custody.
The New Arab has approached Harvard University to provide comment on the issue.Â
