The University of Notre Dame’s Community Statement in Solidarity with Professor Emad Shahin
8 February 2014
We, the faculty, alumni, and students of the University of Notre Dame, write to express our grave concern at the charges brought against Professor Emad El Din Shahin, a former Notre Dame professor at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Professor Shahin has been wrongly accused by the Egyptian State Security apparatus of “grand espionage,” “leading an illegal organization,” and “harming national security and national unity,” among other charges. Professor Shahin has vehemently denied these charges but has not been afforded proper judicial recourse or due process rights to refute these far-fetched accusations. We urge the Egyptian authorities to show respect for the rule of law and academic freedom by rescinding the charges against Professor Shahin. We ask U.S. government officials to make the same urgent request of Egyptian officials.
Professor Shahin taught at Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies from 2009 until 2012. He returned to Egypt soon after the revolution to support the transition to democracy and received an appointment at the American University in Cairo. Prior to teaching at Notre Dame, Shahin taught at Harvard University, George Washington University, and Georgetown University where he is still a board member of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. Professor Shahin is an eminent academic who has been described by the Middle East Studies Association of North America as “a distinguished political scientist with an impressive scholarly and pedagogical record.” He is a leading scholar of Islam and democracy, and a respected and honored teacher.
We stand in solidarity with Professor Shahin and support his right to criticize all forms of authoritarianism in Egypt and impartially advocate the rule of law, human rights and democratization. We believe that restoring stability and democracy in Egypt can only be attained through respect for human rights. In this light, we urge the Egyptian authorities to drop all the charges against Professor Shahin and other scholars and journalists who have been unjustly charged, and to guarantee full rights of academic freedom and judicial due process.
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Signatories:
(To add your name please send an email with your name and affiliation to: aibrahi1@nd.edu)
Academics:
– Scott Mainwaring, Eugene and Helen Conley Professor of Political Science.
– Michael Desch, Chair of the Political Science Department, and Co-Director of Notre Dame International Security Program (NDISP).
– David Cortright, Director of Policy Studies, Interim Co-Director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
– Michael Coppedge, Professor of Political Science, Political Science Department.
– Catherine E. Bolten, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Peace Studies
Concurrent Assistant Professor of Africana Studies.
– Susan St. Ville, director of the master’s program at the Kroc Institute.
– Amitava Krishna Dutt, Professor of Economics and Political Science, Political Science Department.
– Joseph G. Bock, Teaching Professor, Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame.
– Douglass Cassel, Professor of Law, the law school.
– Monika Nalepa, Associate Professor of Political Science, Political Science Department.
– Victoria Tin-bor Hui, Associate Professor of Political Science, Political Science Department.
– Christine Cervenak, Associate Director of Center for Civil and Human Rights, and Program Director of Program on Law and Human Development.
– Patrick Regan, Professor of Political Science, Political Science Department.
– Benjamin Radcliff, Professor of Political Science, Political Science Department.
– Karen B. Graubart, Associate Professor of History, History Department.
– Ernesto Verdeja, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Peace Studies.
– David E. Campbell, Professor of Political Science, Director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy.
– Daniel Philpott, Professor of Political Science and wordpress Peace Studies, Director, Center for Civil and Human Rights.
– Geoffrey Layman, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Political Science.
– Asher Kaufman, Professor of History, Director of the PhD. Program at Kroc Institute.
– Larissa Fast, Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution, Kroc Institute.
– Prof. Fred Dallmayr, Packey J. Dee Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Political Science
Staff:
– Rachel Fairhurst, research assistant, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. (Kroc, 2013)
– Terry Fitzgibbons, rector, Duncan Hall.
Alumni:
– Mirakmal Niyazmatov, Staff attorney at Freedom Now, Washington DC. (JSD, Notre Dame 2014)
– Liliana Castañeda Rossmann, Professor of Communication, California State University at San Marcos.
– Samuel Nicholas, graduate of Kroc Institute, Class of 2013.
– Saideh Ezzatebaghani (Eshraghi), Graduate of Kroc Institute, Class of 2011.
– Christina Buchhold, Graduate of Kroc Institute, Class of 2011.
– Emmanuel Gore, Graduate of Kroc Institute, Class of 2012.
– Wissam Khalifah, Graduate of Kroc Institute, Class of 2013.
– Anna Zaros, Graduate of Kroc, Class of 2011.
– Ojong Odidi, Graduate of Kroc Institute, Class of 2000.
– Damon Lynch, Graduate of Kroc Institute, Class of 2007.
Students:
– Lindsay McClain Obiyo, MA candidate in International Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
– Abdulla Ibrahim, MA candidate in International Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
– Doris Maholo Saydee, MA candidate in International Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
– Marko Kardzic, former State Secretary for Human Right of the Republic of Serbia, and MA candidate in International Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
– David O’brien, MA candidate in International Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
– Katie Conlon, MA candidate in International Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
– M. Tahir Kilavuz, PhD student in Political Science.
– Luis Felipe Botero, First year MA in International Peace Studies, Kroc Institute.
– William Kepto, MA candidate in International Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
– Elizabet Valicheva, MA candidate in International Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
– Taylor Jean Roberts, senior student of Biological Sciences and Peace Studies
– Natalia Tejada Vargas, MA student in International Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
– Sarah Spengeman, PhD student in Political Science.
– Karie Cross, PhD student in Political Science.
– Omar Coronel, PhD student in Political Science.
– Kelly McGee, undergrad student in Arabic and Political Science.
– Claire Kouatli, undergrad student of Pre-medical and Peace Studies.
– Gabriela Leskur, undergrad student at the program of Liberal Studies and Anthropology.
– Claire DeMars, undergrad student in Arabic.
– Ben Denison, PhD Student in Political Science.
– Nathanael Sumaktoyo, PhD Student in Political Science.
– Justin McDevitt, PhD Student in Political Science.
– Michael Polito, PhD Student in Political Science.
– Chonghyun Choi, PhD Student in Political Science.
– Caleb Hamman, PhD Student in Political Science and Peace Studies
– Mark Hoipkemier, PhD candidate, Political Theory.
– Monica Torres, undergraduate student of Arabic and Political Science.
