SOCIETY
FOR ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND SCHOLARSHIP (SAFS)
Motion passed at the
Annual General Meeting, London, Ontario,
Canada, May 14, 2005
(Emailed
to British
Association of University Teachers, May 20, 2005)
On Friday, April 22, 2005, the
executive of the
British Association of University Teachers (BAUT) voted to boycott Haifa
University and Bar
Ilan University,
and their professoriates, because of the BAUT’s view of the
politics of
the Israeli government.
The members of The
Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship (SAFS) condemn this
boycott as
violating the spirit and principles of academic freedom.
Academic
freedom means the right to engage in free inquiry – to conduct
research, teach,
and communicate the results of one's research without regard to
prevailing
doctrine. The hallmark
of science and scholarship is reasoned debate, based on logic and
evidence. Political boycotts of scholars
are antithetical to truth seeking. They
diminish the dignity of the individuals affected and debase the
scholarly
process.
We call on the British
Association of University Teachers to rescind their boycott.
Website: www.safs.ca
Contact: Clive Seligman,
president, safs@safs.ca