Urgent Call to Action: Stop SFSU anti-Palestinian Hostility & Demand the Immediate Restoration of Professor Abdulhadi’s Canceled Courses

We are sharing the following call to action from the AMED (Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas) and Teaching Palestine team, in support of Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi, facing discrimination and attacks at San Francisco State University: 

Without cause, justification or explanation SFSU canceled Dr. Abdulhadi’s course, “Palestine: An Ethnic Studies Perspective.” Before she went on sabbatical last summer, Dr. Abdulhadi planned AMED’s business and courses for the Academic Year 2023-2024, after the university refused to hire an interim AMED director to mind the program during her academic leave. To make matters worse, the university has assigned Dr. Abdulhadi’s other signature course “Colonialism, Imperialism, and Resistance: Third World Movements Then and Now” to another faculty member, despite their joint opposition and rejection, to drive a wedge between them and harass Dr. Abdulhadi just as she returns from her sabbatical. SFSU has furthermore denied Dr. Abdulhadi much needed disability accommodation for her health and safety needs in accordance with her medical providers and the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).

SFSU‘s cancellation of the only Palestine course in the university and its systematic harassment of Dr. Abdulhadi cannot but be understood for what it is – a new attack on academic freedom and a blatant display of SFSU’s pro-Israel bias and collusion with Zionist organizations who  actively seek to silence Palestinian voices and criminalize teaching Palestine curriculum on campuses nationwide.

It is important to note that these developments do not constitute isolated incidents but are rather consistent with the history of systematic hostile actions undertaken by SFSU against AMED Studies, our Justice-centered curriculum and Teaching Palestine Project almost since their inception.

SFSU has proven once again that it fosters an environment which violates the principles of academic freedom and integrity. We implore you to stand with us in demanding the immediate restoration of Dr. Abdulhadi’s fall courses and the preservation of the AMED Program’s independence. By joining forces, we can bring attention to this critical issue and put pressure on SFSU to rectify its course of action.

Here’s how you can help:

1.  Sign the petition demanding the IMMEDIATE reinstatement of Dr. Abdulhadi’s courses: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/demand-an-end-to-sfsus-aggression-and-hostility-towards-amed-studies

2. Flood the inboxes and phones of SFSU responsible officials demanding that SFSU immediately restore Dr. Abdulhadi’s fall courses “Palestine: Ethnic Studies Perspective” and “Colonialism, Imperialism and Resistance” and end its hostility to Palestine and AMED Studies. Click here (https://tinyurl.com/emailsfsu ) to directly send a sample template, just make sure to scroll down and sign your name!

• President Lynn Mahoney: president@sfsu.edu , + 1 (415) 338-1381

• Provost Amy Sueyoshi: sueyoshi@sfsu.edu , +1 (415) 338-2572

• Dean of Faculty Carleen Mandolfo: mandolfo@sfsu.edu, +1 (415) 338-2205

• Dean of College of Ethnic Studies Grace Yoo: gracey@sfsu.edu ,  + 1 (415) 338-2703

• Thank SFSU Faculty Union, CFA, for standing up for Dr. Abdulhadi, AMED & Labor Rights and ask for their continued and public support!: cfa@calfac.org , +1 (415) 338-6232

3.  Use social media to pressure SFSU by reposting our posts and tagging @sanfranciscostate

Please refer to the attached social media toolkit (https://bit.ly/SFSU_CENSORS_PALESTINE) for sample graphics, messages and tweets! Here’s what we’ve posted so far for your reference:

• Twitter: https://x.com/amedstudies/status/1692745426443653569?s=46

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CwHGIqnMSwA/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

• Facebook:https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0u6q9qovDL5kp77Cu2CyyQsrtpWiN9odWxx6Zj8W8EwBKF73UvVYEipnSs3d3rpQHl&id=100064100371121&mibextid=qC1gEa