CARA Scholars at Risk UK Universities Network Newsletter, May 2015 Issue

CARA Scholars at Risk UK Universities Network Newsletter

The CARA Scholars At Risk UK Universities Network is a joint initiative of CARA and Scholars at Risk aimed at protecting threatened academics and promoting academic freedom and university values worldwide. This newsletter summarises the efforts of CARA and SAR, respectively, in serving this mission.

Contents

· Placements

· News & Events

· Al-Shabaab attacks Somali Ministry of Education

· Academics in need: placement opportunities

· New Members

PLACEMENTS

Secured

· Syrian academic to complete post-doctoral research in plant sciences at Plymouth University.

· Syrian academic to begin pre-sessional course at the University of Chichester before beginning an MRes at the University of Brighton.

· Academic from Syria has been offered a post-doctoral position in electrical engineering at the University of Strathclyde.

· Syrian academic is to begin an MRes in Oral Cancer at the University of Dundee.

· Iraqi academic offered a post-doctoral position in biomedicine at the University of Manchester.

· Syrian chemist is to begin a post-doctoral placement at the University of Poitiers, France.

· Economist from Syria is to begin an English Language and Academic Studies (ELAS) course at SOAS, University of London.

· Iraqi academic to begin a two year post-doctoral position at King's College London.

· Iraqi mechanical engineer secures post-doctoral research position at the University of Birmingham.

· Two Syrian academics to complete a University of Kent and University of Greenwich collaborative Master's in Applied Drug Discovery.

Family Arrivals

· Syrian academic currently completing a post-doctoral research programme at the University of Nottingham was reunited with his wife and 2 children on the 4 April.

NEWS & EVENTS

CARA is sad to announce the death of Dr Hana Said Al-Salih, a Lecturer at the College of Science, University of Mosul.

Dr Al-Salih was a member of the CARA Iraq Research Fellowship Programme (IRFP), which aimed to deliver real benefits to Iraq in the aftermath of the coalition invasion. Her work on the Contaminated Soils team explored solutions to Iraq's increasing incidence of various cancers and birth defects resulting from depleted uranium pollution. Over 1200 tonnes of ammunition fell on Iraq during both Gulf Wars, contaminating over 350 sites across the country, and in some areas leading to a doubling, or even tripling of cancer incidences.

Their research explored the use of Acacia to absorb depleted uranium from contaminated soil. Their results showed that one species in particular was able to uptake considerable amounts of depleted uranium from the soil. This research has the potential to help reduce depleted uranium in the food chain, which would reduce its harmful effects on humans, flora and fauna.

CARA North East Workshop: supporting persecuted academics in the North East of England
27 May 2015, Durham University Business School

The CARA North East Workshop will bring together the five North East England universities (Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Teesside and Sunderland) alongside other local organisations to support CARA's work, its values, initiatives and campaigns.

The afternoon will include an introduction to CARA, a personal story from an academic who has benefited from CARA's assistance, and the opportunity to engage in one of three practical workshops. In brief, they will cover:

Workshop 1: Raising the profile of CARA among university communities
Workshop 2: Raising the profile of CARA among potential beneficiaries and networks overseas
Workshop 3: Developing the pathway of asylum-seeking academics dispersed to the North East

If you are based in the North East and would like to attend the event please RSVP to jonathon.murphy@durham.ac.uk by Wednesday 13 May 2015, indicating which workshop you would like to attend. Please also state whether you would like to join us for lunch, along with any dietary requirements.

Crimes of the Powerful Working group: Launch Event
Friday 5 June 2015 (09:30-18:00)
Abertay University, Dundee

The Crimes of the Powerful working group is a one day conference, which includes a series of panels, Q & As and workshops entitled:

· Crimes of the Power: Where are we now?

· Researching the Crimes of the Powerful

· Resisting and Contesting the Crimes of the Powerful

Speakers: Monish Bhatia (Abertay University), Graham Campbell (Secretary of the Ethnic Minority Civic Congress Scotland and Convener of Black Lives Matter, Glasgow), Victoria Canning (The Open University) Hazel Croall (Emeritus Professor of Criminology), Will Jackson (LJMU), Tobias Kelly (The University of Edinburgh), Helen Monk (LJMU) and Steve Tombs (The Open University) with additional speaker announcements forthcoming from various academic institutions and activist groups.

For more information please click here.

Refugee Week 2015: Abertay University Film Festival
8 June - 12 June (17:30-19:30)

The Sociology Department and Amina Muslim Women's Resource Centre are hosting the very first Refugee Week in the city of Dundee. They will be screening films at the Hannah Maclure Centre, Abertay University, Top Floor, Abertay Student Centre, 1 - 3 Bell Street, DD1 1HP.

8 June: Welcome
9 June: Carla's Song
10 June: In this World
11 June: Dirty Pretty Things
12 June: 2Be

This festival celebrates the contribution of refugees to Scotland over the past 30 years (and beyond). No booking needed, however, due to limited capacity, people are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment.

For more information, please contact Dr Monish Bhatia, m.bhatia@abertay.ac.uk

DISCIPLINE-BASED SOLIDARITY GROUPS

The Fellowship Programme is seeking academics to join disciplined-based solidarity groups to extend its own expertise. Fellow profiles reflect the full academic spectrum in terms of seniority and discipline.

14 April 2015

Al-Shabaab attacks Somali Ministry of Education

East Africa experiences yet another brazen attack on education as Al-Shabaab militants attack the Somali Ministry of Education.

Al-Shabaab militants detonated two bombs outside the education ministry in the capital Mogadishu before storming inside killing ten people. Fighting raged in the surrounding buildings that included the ministries for higher education, and petroleum and minerals before security forces were able to regain control, killing at least 7 attackers.

This is the latest attack by Al-Shabaab, following the devastating siege of Garissa University in Kenya that killed 184 people. In the wake of these attacks, a senior Somali academic feels that the lack of education in countries like Somalia are generating poverty and unemployment

leaving the youth vulnerable to recruitment from terrorist organisations like Al-Shabaab; "universities in Somaliland were created to deal with this situation [the radicalisation of youth] through the use of education and innovative training techniques. Yet most of the universities did not receive any support from the international and-or Islamic community." Without international intervention, adequate human resources and basic academic materials to support the higher education sector it is simply unable to deal with the many issues that plague the region.

Where higher education is destroyed or incapacitated, a country loses its ability to produce teachers, doctors, lawyers architects and leaders. Young people will learn no skills, and with no futures, will turn to extremism. The country and region will suffer for many generations to come.

Preventing further attacks on education in East Africa requires a multifaceted approach to cope with the internationalism of terrorism and its fluidity over state boundaries. Terrorism can no longer be considered a local issue, but a regional and global one. Unless tackled, we will continue to see further attacks on education in East Africa.

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME
A lifeline to academics in need

The fate of academics threatened by tyrannical regimes is a matter of deep concern to all and a profound threat to society.

It only takes the death of one academic to silence hundreds.

ACADEMICS IN NEED

The UK Programme is seeking support for persecuted academics in the UK. We request that Representatives disseminate profiles to relevant faculties and departments in their institution to enquire about possible placement opportunities.

Contact: info.cara@lsbu.ac.uk

H-IRAQ

Field: Human Rights Law
Seeking: Fellowship

H is a lawyer and human rights activist and has extensive experience in political reform, human rights and political process. Research interests include; Kurdistan law, competitive struggle in Kurdistan's public sphere and other law/human rights focused areas and is seeking an opportunity to continue research.

L-IRAN

Field: Human Rights Law
Seeking: Fellowship

L is a lawyer and human rights activist with a Master's and PhD in Law, both from British universities. L has worked as a

human rights lawyer and has done advocacy and legal work against child execution in Iran. Research interests include Islamic Law and Gender Equality. L has published 13 articles, presented at over 30 conferences and won numerous awards. L seeks opportunities to continue her research in the UK.

K-IRAQ

Field: Human Rights Law
Seeking: Fellowship

K is a lawyer and human rights activist with a degree in Law from a Kurdish university. K has served as a spokesperson for activists calling for political reforms in Kurdistan. K has been a research fellow at a UK university and conducted a case study on the application of international law in Iraqi Kurdistan. Research interests include; the legitimacy and legal responsibility of power. Looking to continue his research and writing in a stable environment.

M-IRAQ

Field: Islamic Law
Seeking: Work shadowing opportunity

M has a BA in English Language and a PhD in Comparative

Jurisprudence, both from Iraqi institutions. He has 10 years' experience as a lecturer in Iraqi Law Faculties and has served on a number of Committees in higher education and Islamic finance institutions. Further, he was also Dean of the Law Faculty at Hawler University, Iraq for two years. Newly arrived in the UK, he is keen to shadow an academic to develop his understanding UK Higher Education and to find out what areas of the Shari'a are being studied here.

B-IRAQ

Field: Microbiology
Seeking: Placement

B has an MSc in Medical Microbiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). B has further academic qualifications from Iraq, including a PhD in Microbiology and an MSc in Genetics. She has 10 years' experience working as a lecturer in Iraqi institutions, along with extensive voluntary experience in medical laboratories. B has worked on different research projects at the LSHTM investigating the effects of Campylobacter jejuni bacteria. B is keen to put her extensive scientific skills to use and is seeking opportunities to continue her research in the UK.

New Member

· Nottingham Trent University

For a full list of all 106 Network Members please click here.

RECENT CARA PUBLICATIONS

Education Under Attack 2014 - Global Coalition to Protect Education under Attack (GCPEA)

Education Under Attack 2014 is an inter-agency coalition publication organisations working in education in emergencies and conflict-affected contexts, higher education, human rights and humanitarian law who were concerned about attacks on educational institutions, their students and staff in-countries affected by conflict and insecurity.

Institutional Autonomy and the Protection of Higher Education from Attack

A research study of the Higher Education Working Group of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack.

This study examines the relationship between institutional autonomy and the security of higher education institutions from violent and coercive attacks. The paper includes a review of the limited literature available, as well as a series of examples illustrating different forms of attacks.

Art of Resistance: Defending Academic Freedom

Several artists share their personal or family stories of exile in the auction publication.

The full auction publication is on sale for £20+pp (unsigned) or £40+pp for copies signed by Steven Appleby, Edmund de Waal, Maggi Hambling, Marcella Hanselaar, Hanaa Malallah, Jane McAdam Freud and Shelagh Atkinson.

NEW HOSTS

· The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands, welcomed a Syrian scholar to campus for a year-long visiting research position and Wageningen University for a three month period. This placement was organized in cooperation with SAR's partner in the Netherlands, the Foundation for Refugee Students/University Assistance Fund, and supported by funds from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

· Ghent University, the Netherlands, offered a three month visiting research position to an Iranian scholar. This placement was organized in cooperation with SAR's partner in the Netherlands, the Foundation for Refugee Students/University Assistance Fund

· University of Pittsburgh, USA, offered a one year extension to a Sri Lankan scholar.

· New York University, USA, offered an extension to a Syrian scholar for summer and fall 2015.

NEW MEMBERS

· University of Pretoria, South Africa

UPCOMING EVENTS

May 5, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: UAF, SAR's partner in The Netherlands, will hold an event honoring Liberation Day featuring a presentation of one of the Courage to Think monologues from a Congolese SAR scholar of African literature and an interview with a Syrian SAR scholar of musicology.

May 5-6, Vilnius, Lithuania: SAR Program Assistant Margaret Coons will present on ethics in international partnerships at the annual Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA) International Relations Officer meeting. If you will be attending the meeting or are based in Vilnius, please let us know; write to scholarstatrisk@nyu.edu to schedule a time to speak with SAR staff.

May 25-29, Boston, Massachusetts: Scholars at Risk and Roger Williams University will co-present a poster at the annual conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The poster presentation is entitled "#free2think: Roger Williams University and Scholars at Risk Service-in-Learning Collaborative" and will provide a model for institutions interested in hands-on opportunities for students. The poster will be part of the Connections Between Peace and Justice, Social Responsibility, and International Education fair on Thursday, May 28th, from 10am-12pm. If you will be attending the conference, please let us know; write to scholarstatrisk@nyu.edu to schedule a time to speak with SAR staff.

June 1, London, UK: SAR Executive Director Rob Quinn will participate in on a panel entitled "Can universities go global without losing their values?" at the British Council's 2015 Going Global conference. The panel, which is hosted by The Chronicle of Higher Education, will take place at 4:45 pm at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre.

June 3-5, Geneva, Switzerland: SAR will hold a Faculty/Researcher Development Workshop to introduce representatives of SAR member institutions, section and partner networks to SAR academic freedom research and advocacy projects, for the purpose of involving their home institutions, sections and networks in one or more activities over the coming academic year. If you are interested in attending or nominating someone from your institution to attend, please contact scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu.

UNIVERSITY VALUES BULLETIN

University Values is an electronic bulletin promoting discussion and understanding of university values, including values of access, accountability, academic freedom, autonomy and social responsibility. Join the conversation.

NEW RESOURCES

UNESCO released the 2015 Education for All Report, Education for All 2000-2015: Achievements and Challenges. The report assesses the world's progress since 2000 in achieving the Dakar Framework's goals by the target date – 2015. The report found that one-third of countries have achieved all the EFA goals and that half of all countries have no achieved Universal Primary Enrolment.

The SAR Academic Freedom MONITOR focuses on developing greater understanding of the volume and nature of attacks on higher education communities in order to develop more effective protection responses. The MONITOR aims to identify, assess and track incidents involving conduct which may constitute violations of academic freedom and/or the human rights of members of higher education communities.

Since January, a group of roughly 200 student protesters have been marching from Mandalay to Yangon, demonstrating against the education law passed by Myanmar in September 2014, which the students allege curbs academic freedom by banning student unions, ignoring calls for classes to be taught in local ethnic languages and giving decision making authority over education policy and curriculum to a body consisting largely of government ministers. The march was stopped during the week of February 28 so that students could negotiate with government authorities. The students, who were camped in a monastery in Letpadan, about 90 miles north of Yangon, sought to begin their march again, but the police attempted to prevent them by reportedly charging, kicking and beating protesters with batons. Between March 2 and March 10, police arrested a total of 127 of the protesters, reportedly including 52 male students, 13 female students, and 62 villagers. Sixteen police and eight protesters were reportedly injured in the clashes. To read more about this incident and for other incidents recently reported, please see http://monitoring.academicfreedom.info/.

SCHOLARS OF THE MONTH

Following are the summaries of scholars currently seeking placement assistance. We ask for your help in reviewing the information and encourage you to share it with your institution and other colleagues who may be able to help. More information is available from SAR at scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu/+1 212 998-2179.

PAKI-558
Field: Human Rights; Development Economics
Risk: Harassment/Intimidation (Displaced)
Language: English; Urdu (Fluent)
Education: MS (US); MA
Seeking: Opportunities beginning immediately to continue research in a safe location

ERIT-529
Field: Mathematics; Higher Education
Risk: Risk of Imprisonment/ Discrimination (Displaced)
Language: Tigrigna, English (Fluent), Dutch (Basic)
Education: PhD (The Netherlands)
Seeking: Opportunities beginning immediately to continue research and/or teaching in a safe location

PAKI-562
Field: English Literature; Gender Studies
Risk: Threat to Life; Loss of Position (Displaced)
Language: Urdu, English (Fluent)
Education: PhD (UK)
Seeking: Opportunities beginning Fall 2015 to continue research and/or teaching in a safe location

IRAQ-784
Field: Cardiovascular Medicine
Risk: Threat to life/person
Language: Arabic, English (Fluent)
Education: PhD
Seeking: Opportunities beginning immediately to continue research and/or teaching in a safe location

IRAQ-780
Field: Physiology
Risk: Threat to life/person
Language: Arabic, English (Fluent)
Education: PhD
Seeking: Opportunities beginning immediately to continue research and/or teaching in a safe location

NEW ALERTS

Scholars at Risk recently circulated alerts or information updates on the following scholars. For more information on SAR's efforts on behalf of imprisoned scholars, please click here.

· Write today! Abdul Jalil Al-Singace of Bahrain (Mechanical Engineering): Imprisoned; ongoing health concerns; hunger strike

GIFTS TO SAR

· Susan Chung

Scholars at Risk monitors reports of threats to academic freedom and higher education communities worldwide, including media articles, blogs, opinion pieces and other announcements.

Unless otherwise indicated (such as in articles written by SAR), the language and views contained in the search results reflect those of the originating author and/or publication and do not necessarily represent the views of Scholars at Risk or its members, affiliates, board or staff. Archived media reviews are available on the SAR website.

Members in the Media

· Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Pakistan has cancelled a talk scheduled to take place April 9, 2015, allegedly under government pressure. The event, titled "Unsilencing Balochistan," was to feature human rights activist Abdul "Mama" Qadeer, a critic of Pakistan's treatment of the minority Baloch population, among other activists and academics. Qadeer is the founder of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, a group that seeks to expose forced disappearances of Baloch activists. According to a LUMS faculty member, Pakistani intelligence officials visited the campus and presented a letter demanding that the talk be cancelled; the officials reportedly indicated that "Balochistan is a sensitive issue and that the moot could be used to malign Pakistan." To read more about this incident and for other incidents recently reported, please see http://monitoring.academicfreedom.info/.

Student Opportunities

SAR is seeking a summer intern to assist with SAR's scholar protection work. Based at SAR's NYC headquarters, the intern will provide vital support to threatened scholars, including reviewing, researching and assessing applications and compiling nomination documents for circulation within SAR's network. The intern will have the opportunity to work directly with courageous scholars from around the world, as SAR views the internship as a way to provide meaningful real-life experience to complement a student's academic coursework. The ideal candidate has excellent research and communication skills and an interest in human rights, higher education, and/or refugee support. We would be grateful if you would share this opening with students you think may be interested. Students should apply via online application instructions, although we also welcome recommendations of highly qualified candidates to scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu.

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