On Thursday, October 19th, 2017, Stockton students and staff piled into F111 to hear Dr. Steven Salatia speak the occupation of Palestine and academic freedom. This event was hosted by the Stockton Muslim Student Association. Salaita was offered a tenure position at the University of Illinois, which was rescinded after they saw his tweets, because he sided with Palestine in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Salaita believes that “conflict” is not an accurate way to describe the struggle between Israel and Palestine, but it is actually an example of colonization, where the Israelis are trying to settle land inhabited by indigenous Palestinians.  Salaita argued that there is no point throughout history that indigenous or native people have not resisted colonization, and believes more people should understand the plight of the Palestinians, whose only goal is to return to their native lands. Salaita also believed that both anti-Semitism and islamophobia both contribute to the conflict, because from an outsider’s perspective, the Israelis and Palestinians both appear to be barbaric because they have been in conflict for 50 years, and outsiders believe that all they know how to do is fight.

Salaita’s goal is for more people to educate themselves about the Israel-Palestine conflict, but he also knows the topic is controversial. Salaita defined academic freedom as, “students, faculty, and employees at a university have the right to pursue controversial research”. However, according to Salaita, universities are increasingly becoming brands, and high-ranking university officials are increasingly concerned with donations, public image, and real estate instead of learning. Universities are willing to silence research in order to protect their brand. He mentioned that colleges are capitalists at heart, instead of places of learning.

Salaita encouraged the Stockton students to not give into cynicism. Although the environment on college campuses can be hostile, Salaita encouraged the student body to engage in debates and programs that can be seen as controversial. Salaita also encouraged students to stand up for their professors when their academic freedom is threatened. He mentioned the case of George Maher, who taught at Drexel University and was placed on leave because of controversial tweets. According to Salaita, the students stood up for their professor, saying they signed up for his class and had the right to learn from him.

This lecture was similar to Galileo’s Middle Finger, one of the Honors Seminar required readings, because it described the struggle between scholarship and activism. Dreger also faced censorship in academia after choosing to pursue research on a controversial subject, the treatment of hermaphrodites by medical professionals. The Salaita controversy occurred in 2014, while Galileo’s Middle Finger was published in 2015, showing that there were multiple conflicts in academia regarding academic freedom, and the controversy continues to this day. Salaita still does not have job in academia. Salaita encouraged Stockton students to stand up for academic freedom, and this generation can use its voice to stand up for academic freedom. The overarching message of Salaita’s speech was that we must unify as human beings instead of separating, to create positive change.