Prof. Phylils Chesler Update: "No formal action" by Alabama U.

If you read my two previous posts on Professor Phyllis Chesler's disinvite by University of Alabama, one a breaking-the-story, and another, a follow-up, here is the final delayed response:

FAYETTEVILLE -- No formal action resulted from a University of Arkansas, Fayetteville dean's review of an April decision to cancel a Skype talk by a speaker known for remarks critical of Islam, UA spokesman Mark Rushing said Thursday.

The UA administration in May criticized "the decision to disinvite a participant for his or her views" as "not reflective of the values and practices of our institution," according to a statement made at the time by Rushing.

The university in May suspended geosciences professor Tom Paradise from his administrative duties as director of UA's Middle East Studies center for his decision to cancel a presentation by Phyllis Chesler at a UA academic symposium April 13-14 on honor killing in Western countries.

...Paradise resigned in June as director of UA's King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies, at the time stating in an email to the Democrat-Gazette that he stepped down "due to too many commitments outside of Middle East Studies." He remains a UA professor.

Rushing in an email Thursday said no disciplinary action resulted from the review completed this month by Todd Shields, dean of UA's J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

Shields did not respond to email, phone and text messages asking about the review...

..."After talking to all faculty, the Dean confirmed that the center will take an inclusive approach to special events in the future with the goal of maintaining an environment where a diversity of ideas is welcomed. The University of Arkansas believes in the free exchange of ideas and in a balanced presentation of viewpoints," Rushing said in an email.

Paradise, asked in a phone interview about the Chesler cancellation, said, "I'm accountable for that. The decision came to me."

Paradise said ideological concerns were "an extrinsic component" of the decision to cancel Chesler's appearance at an event co-sponsored by the UA School of Law and the Fahd center. In May, Lisa Avalos, a co-organizer for the symposium and a UA assistant professor of law, told the Democrat-Gazette that both her and Paradise agreed to the initial invitation.

Emails released by UA show faculty a week before the event asking the Fahd center to "publicly withdraw its sponsorship from this symposium," citing concerns about Chesler.

Paradise on Thursday said he had scheduling concerns related to Chesler's scheduled Skype talk, titled "Worldwide Trends in Honor Killing." It was scheduled for lunchtime, but meal service was in a separate room from where the Skype presentation could be viewed.

Paradise said he did not view the suspension of his administrative duties as punitive...

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We Have News From Arkansas

Remember my post concerning Prof. Phyllis Chesler being disinvited from an academic conference, one at which she was actually the only academic qualified to speak to the subject?

Well, there's been a development:

Mideast studies chief at UA suspended after canceling presentation from speaker known for criticizing Islam

The director of a Middle East studies center at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville was suspended Wednesday from his administrative duties after canceling a Skype presentation from a speaker known for remarks critical of Islam.Tom Paradise, a geosciences professor who joined the university faculty in 2000, dropped scholar Phyllis Chesler from an academic symposium on honor-based violence in Western countries held April 13-14 at UA, university spokesman Mark Rushing said.

"The decision to disinvite a participant for his or her views is not reflective of the values and practices of our institution," Rushing said in a statement Wednesday. "The decision, made without informing leadership, has resulted in the director's responsibilities for administrative and operational control being suspended pending an internal review focused on the circumstances that led to this decision."

Rushing said in a phone interview that Paradise is not suspended as a faculty member. His faculty salary of $114,512 is unaffected, but his compensation as director of the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies -- which over the course of a year would be an additional $28,628 -- is being withheld...
Chesler was to give a lunchtime talk titled Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings, according to materials prepared in advance of the symposium sponsored by UA's King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies and the UA School of Law.
 Three UA faculty members with the center -- Mohja Kahf, Ted Swedenburg and Joel Gordon -- wrote in an April 7 email that they "cannot countenance official Center endorsement (without some protest noted) of the participation on campus in an academic forum of the kind of hate speech that has been included and therefore tacitly accepted as part of the discourse."
Rushing, in his statement announcing the suspension, said: "We believe that the cancellation was an isolated incident and not indicative of a broader approach toward one ideological viewpoint. However, in an abundance of caution, we are actively working to reinforce an inclusive approach to special events with the goal of maintaining an environment where a diversity of ideas is welcomed."

If my post helped, I am glad.

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UPDATE

Another item.

Unfortunately, it describes Prof. Chesler's work (and her) as "anti-Islam;" quotes Professor Lisa Avalos as saying something that is not true --  there was not talk about whether Skyping equaled non-payment of the honorarium (since she knew that the specific work had been done already as per her specific request); continues the line that publishing in  Breitbart is the new Original Sin and more.

The article does quote Chesler correctly on defending Tom Paradise who is being scapegoated for what the bullies have done and does quote on her work which, overall, documents that human sacrifice/honor killing is tribal in origin and not specific to any one religion--although no religion has worked to abolish this crime.

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