Texas lawmakers allegedly urged university administrators to cancel the planned lectures, delete student art exhibitions and review campus free speech policies, and invoke so-called anti-Semitism. ntdaily, The school’s news media.
In a letter to University President Harrison Keller and UNT Systems Prime Minister Michael Williams, Texas Representative Mitch Little claimed that the exhibition and speech violated Gov. Greg Abbott’s March 2024 executive order GA-44, which stipulates Texas universities with the consequences of “proper eviction” (including appropriate anti-Semitism) appeal.
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Little, along with four other state representatives, requested the exhibition’s recall and speech cancellation within 48 hours. The exhibition “Perception: Observation and Thinking of Western Muslims” was created by students Dania Bayan and Fatima Kubra and mentioned references to Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Palestine, Afghanistan, Afghan and Uiger people, and appeared in several sections as “#Genocide”. The speech, “Palestine Children and Genocide Politics,” is scheduled to be held on April 3 and will be presented by Nancy Stockdale, an associate professor who studies Middle East studies.
In both cases, the term “genocide” was condemned, claiming it was inflammatory and inaccurate. He also claimed that Stockdale has raised a bias in the past comments about Israel.
“While we know that the mission of the University of North Texas is to enable students to understand geopolitical issues and to create an environment that can thrive, you will certainly appreciate the framework that is not only inflammatory but is actually about the allegations of “racial sterilization”.
UNT’s Muslim Student Association wrote “Shame” on its official Instagram page. ntdaily Little calls for review of the exhibition and talks related to it. The university has not responded publicly.
