SAFS MOTION ON BOYCOTT
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.
POSTSCRIPT: At
their next meeting the BAUT rescinded
their boycott.