Letter to the National Communication Association (NCA) expressing our concern about the censorship of Palestinian speech
Executive Committee of the Legislative Assembly
National Communication Association (NCA)
Cc: Executive Director, NCA
November 21, 2023
Dear colleagues,
We are writing this email to express our deep concern about the censorship of the speech of Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb, Professor of media studies at California State University, San Bernardino, to be delivered as part of the Presidential Address at the National Communication Association Convention on November 18, 2023.
In preparing for the event, Professor Muhtaseb sent her speech in English to the NCA President on November 13, and no objections or concerns were raised regarding her speech.
On November 18, when Professor Muhtaseb went to rehearse her speech at the venue, she was told that her speech was not acceptable because of the use of terms such as “genocide” and “colonization,” noting that this might cause damage to the reputation of the organization. Once the other speakers scheduled to speak in the session as part of the Presidential address learned that Professor Muhtaseb’s performance was being censored, they refused to speak. They instead attempted to go on stage in protest of the censorship as a sign of solidarity with Professor Muhtaseb. They were told that they would be removed by security. When speakers and event attendees walked out of the room and started chanting outside the room in protest, NCA-hired security disrupted their performance multiple times.
We are deeply concerned about this gross violation of participants’ academic freedom and freedom of expression at an academic conference, paradoxically organized around the theme of “Freedom.” We are especially concerned that NCA has upheld and perpetuated strategies of Zionism and Islamophobia by silencing Palestinians who are witnessing the ongoing genocide in Gaza (see also this petition on the question of genocide) .
Whereas on one hand, NCA has taken vitally important steps to challenge the whiteness of the field and affirms its commitment to free speech, on the other hand, responses such as the one demonstrated on November 18 reinforce the infrastructures of whiteness that perpetuate disciplinary erasures when voices from the margins speak out against white supremacy, colonization, and settler colonial genocide. Viewpoint-neutrality is central to free speech and academic freedom. We do not believe it was respected here. Instead, the perspectives of one group appear to have been silenced.
In light of the events of November 18 and the serious concerns they raise, we ask that the following be done immediately:
a) NCA investigates its processes around free speech, particularly speech from the margins;
b) NCA investigates the processes of decision-making that led to the censorship of Professor Muhtaseb, and offer a public account of the decision-making processes;
c) NCA issues an apology to Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb and to the participants on the panel;
d) NCA creates transparent and nondiscriminatory processes to make sure such censorship of free speech and academic freedom doesn’t happen at NCA going forward; and
e) NCA provides an opportunity to publicly platform the work of scholars who were deplatformed, after seeking their consent.
We look forward to hearing from you,
Yours sincerely,
Bernadette M Calafell, Gonzaga University
Karma R. Chávez, University of Texas at Austin
Lisa M. Corrigan, University of Arkansas
Mohan J. Dutta, Massey University
Bryan J. McCann, Louisiana State University
Srividya Ramasubramanian, Syracuse University
Anjali Vats, University of Pittsburgh
Ambar Basu, University of South Florida
Reham H. Bohamad, Kuwait University
National Communication Association (NCA)
Cc: Executive Director, NCA
November 21, 2023
Dear colleagues,
We are writing this email to express our deep concern about the censorship of the speech of Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb, Professor of media studies at California State University, San Bernardino, to be delivered as part of the Presidential Address at the National Communication Association Convention on November 18, 2023.
In preparing for the event, Professor Muhtaseb sent her speech in English to the NCA President on November 13, and no objections or concerns were raised regarding her speech.
On November 18, when Professor Muhtaseb went to rehearse her speech at the venue, she was told that her speech was not acceptable because of the use of terms such as “genocide” and “colonization,” noting that this might cause damage to the reputation of the organization. Once the other speakers scheduled to speak in the session as part of the Presidential address learned that Professor Muhtaseb’s performance was being censored, they refused to speak. They instead attempted to go on stage in protest of the censorship as a sign of solidarity with Professor Muhtaseb. They were told that they would be removed by security. When speakers and event attendees walked out of the room and started chanting outside the room in protest, NCA-hired security disrupted their performance multiple times.
We are deeply concerned about this gross violation of participants’ academic freedom and freedom of expression at an academic conference, paradoxically organized around the theme of “Freedom.” We are especially concerned that NCA has upheld and perpetuated strategies of Zionism and Islamophobia by silencing Palestinians who are witnessing the ongoing genocide in Gaza (see also this petition on the question of genocide) .
Whereas on one hand, NCA has taken vitally important steps to challenge the whiteness of the field and affirms its commitment to free speech, on the other hand, responses such as the one demonstrated on November 18 reinforce the infrastructures of whiteness that perpetuate disciplinary erasures when voices from the margins speak out against white supremacy, colonization, and settler colonial genocide. Viewpoint-neutrality is central to free speech and academic freedom. We do not believe it was respected here. Instead, the perspectives of one group appear to have been silenced.
In light of the events of November 18 and the serious concerns they raise, we ask that the following be done immediately:
a) NCA investigates its processes around free speech, particularly speech from the margins;
b) NCA investigates the processes of decision-making that led to the censorship of Professor Muhtaseb, and offer a public account of the decision-making processes;
c) NCA issues an apology to Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb and to the participants on the panel;
d) NCA creates transparent and nondiscriminatory processes to make sure such censorship of free speech and academic freedom doesn’t happen at NCA going forward; and
e) NCA provides an opportunity to publicly platform the work of scholars who were deplatformed, after seeking their consent.
We look forward to hearing from you,
Yours sincerely,
Bernadette M Calafell, Gonzaga University
Karma R. Chávez, University of Texas at Austin
Lisa M. Corrigan, University of Arkansas
Mohan J. Dutta, Massey University
Bryan J. McCann, Louisiana State University
Srividya Ramasubramanian, Syracuse University
Anjali Vats, University of Pittsburgh
Ambar Basu, University of South Florida
Reham H. Bohamad, Kuwait University
Rebecca de Souza, San Diego State University
Nina Lozano, Loyola Marymount University
Keisuke Kimura, Miami University
Rati Kumar, San Diego State University
Ashley R. Hall, University of Iowa
Patrick G. Wheaton, Georgia Southern University
Uttaran Dutta, Arizona State University
Raihan Jamil, Center for Bangladesh Genocide Research
Bernardita M. Yunis (Varas), University of Colorado, Boulder
Michael Klajbor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Laila Kunaish, Michigan State University
Loretta LeMaster, Arizona State University
Rona Halualani, San Jose State University
Susana Martinez Guillem, University of New Mexico
Santhosh Chandrashekar, University of Denver
Julia Talante, CSU-Dominguez Hills
Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson, CSU-Long Beach
sang kil, San Jose State University
Liahnna Stanley (Mvskoke, Poarch Band of Creek Indians), University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Robin A. Bedenbaugh, University of Tennessee
Shinsuke Eguchi, University of New Mexico
Ana Terminel Iberri, San Francisco State University
Devika Chawla, Ohio University
Fatima Chrifi Alaoui, San Francisco State University
Constance Gordon, San Francisco State University
Tyler Rife, St. Lawrence University
Michael Tristano, Jr., Towson University
Pablo Ramirez, Arizona State University
Angela Labador, Arizona State University
Corey Reutlinger, Arizona State University
Rabab Abdulhadi, Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies, San Francisco State University
Jonathan S Carter, Georgia Southwestern State University
Jessica Chaplain, University of Utah
Rachael Steyker, CSU East Bay
Megan Foster, UNC Chapel Hill
Matthew Parnell, Pennsylvania State University
Josh Miller, Texas State University
Sudeshna Roy, Stephen F. Austin State University
Stacey Sowards, The University of Texas at Austin
Myles W. Mason, Georgia State University
Sara Baugh-Harris, Davidson College
Amy Kilgard, San Francisco State University
Jo Hsu, University of Texas at Austin
Ken Harper, Syracuse University
E. Victoria Zamora, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
KC Councilor, Southern Connecticut State University
Sumana Chattopadhyay, Marquette University
Tomeka Robinson, Hofstra University
Stephanie L. Hartzell, CSU, Long Beach
Madison Pollino, University of South Florida
Sergio Peña, Penn State University
Tamara Afifi, University of California, Santa Barbara
Eddah Mutua, St. Cloud State University
Laura Partain, Ohio State University
Muhammad Ittefaq, James Madison University
Mohammad Ala-Uddin, James Madison University
Rula Hammoud, San Bernardino
Sarah Amira de la Garza, Independent Scholar and Emeritus Professor, Arizona State University
S. Brammer, University of North Florida
Kevin Thompson, Thomas Jefferson University
Amanda R. Martinez, Davidson College
J.J. De La Cruz, Penn State University
rin O’Connor, University of North Texas
Omedi Ochieng, University of Colorado Boulder
Lisa Calvente, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Adeja Powell, San Diego State University
David Oh, Ramapo College of New Jersey
Rahul Rastogi, Independent Scholar
Naomi Tan, Rutgers University
Satveer Kaur-Gill, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Zhuo Ban, University of Cincinnati
Dacheng Zhang, Arizona State University
Joshua P. Bolton, Salisbury University
Teresa Thompson, U of KS
Ali Zain, University of South Carolina
Dana Cloud, California State University Fullerton
Guadalupe Garcia, Florida International University
Peter Rodgers Jensen, University of Alabama
Karen Lovaas, San Francisco State University
Leslie Harris, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Jade Metzger-Riftkin, Northern Arizona University
Shumaila Bhatti, Texas A&M University
Anthony Irizarry, Penn State University
Keven James Rudrow, Syracuse University
Sarah Gonzalez Noveiri, AHRC
Christopher Duerringer, California State University, Long Beach
Iccha Basnyat, George Mason University
Abigail Burns, University of Texas at Austin
Nicole Allen, Utah State University
Eva Margarita, University of Texas at Austin
Hannah Tabrizi, Syracuse University
Mahuya Pal, University of South Florida
Andy Kai-chun Chuang, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY
M. Elizabeth Thorpe, SUNY Brockport
Leandra Hernández, University of Utah
Virginia Sánchez Sánchez, Auburn University
Lamiyah Bahrainwala, Southwestern University
Armond Towns, Carleton University
Kelly Opdycke, CSU, Northridge
Amy Lind, University of Cincinnati
Shane T. Moreman, California State University, Fresno
Tiara Na’puti, University of California Irvine
Deb Breede, Coastal Carolina university
Micki Burdick, University of Pennsylvania
E Cram, University of Iowa
Shiv Ganesh, UT Austin
Brittney Morrissey, University of Oklahoma
Chenjerai Kumanyika, New York University
Robert Gutierrez-Perez, California State University, San Marcos
Vicky Ortiz , Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Radhika Gajjala, BGSU
Andrew Parayil Boge, University of Iowa
Aswin Punathambekar, University of Pennsylvania
Christa Olson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Corinne Sugino, Gonzaga University
Logan Gomez, University of Utah
Nabil Echchaibi, University of Colorado Boulder
Anthony Cuomo, West Los Angeles College
Robin M. Boylorn , University of Alabama
Azhar Iqbal , University of Kansas
Raquel Monroe, University of Texas at Austin
Tom Boroujeni, Fresno City College
Annie Hill, University of Texas
Heather Zoller, U. of Cincinnati
Roopali Mukherjee, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Charles Athanasopoulos, Gonzaga University
Vivian Huang, San Francisco State University
Monica Cornejo, Cornell University
Charles E. Morris III, Syracuse University
Delaney Couri, Texas A&M University
Joel Lemuel, California State University - Northridge
Suzanne Pullen, San Francisco State University
Eunjung Kim, Syracuse University
Phaedra C. Pezzullo, University of Colorado Boulder
Sarah J. Jackson, University of Pennsylvania
Cassidy D. Ellis, University of Cincinnati
Sarah D, Penn State University
Alexis Pulos, Santa Rosa Junior College
Arienne Ferchaud, Florida State University
Lisa Flores, Penn State University
Jinah Kim, California State University, Northridge
Michelle Colpean, University of Cincinnati
Lynsey Medd, Penn State University
Shadee Abdi, San Francisco State University
Matthew Poole, California State University, San Bernardino
C. Kyle Rudick, University of Northern Iowa
Kristen Col, San Jose State University
Pavithra Prasad, California State University, Northridge
Michaela Frischherz , Towson University
Jennifer Sandoval, University of Central Florida
Maha Zubaidi, Stanford University
Noura Hajjaj, Duquesne University
Suzanne Enck, University of North Texas
Jasmine Austin, Texas State University
Victoria Bello, Louisiana State University
Oona Hatton, San José State University
Shannon Burth, Syracuse University
Rachel Guldin, Denison University
Annisa MP Rochadiat, California State University - Stanislaus
Wunpini F. Mohammed, University of Georgia
Alaina Walberg, University of Kansas
Kiersten Lynn Bloom, University of Memphis
Kathryn Montalbano, University of Kentucky
Jaime Guzmán, California State University, Northridge
Lawson Hudson, Baylor University
Jason Buel, North Carolina Wesleyan University
Nathaniel R. Repay, The University of Texas at Austin
Joey Konrad, Joey Konrad
Raka Shome, Villanova University
Emily Scroggins, University of Minnesota
Rebekah Mangels, Illinois State University
Nur E Makbul, The University of Alabama in Huntsville
E. Chebrolu, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Katie Webber, University of Connecticut
Claire Sisco King, Vanderbilt University
Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt , Linfield University
Anjana Mudambi, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Hongwei Thorn Chen, Tulane University
Cody M. Clemens, Marietta College
Andy Acosta, Northwestern University
Lauren J. DeCarvalho, University of Denver
David Dooling, university of south Florida
Mackenzie Myer, University of Delaware
Toqa Hassan, Purdue University Northwest
Bobbi J. Van Gilder, Suffolk University
Yohanna Tesfai, University of Texas at Austin
Sandra Faulkner, BGSU
Jonathan Espinoza, University of Texas
Meenakshi Yadav, University of Texas at Austin
Andrea J. Vickery, State University of New York at Oswego
Benjamin Clancy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sara McKinnon, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Anthony Gargiulo, University of Georgia
Raisa Alvarado, California State University, San Bernardino
Hannah P. Luz, University of Colorado, Boulder
Carolyn Cross, Houston Community College
Sydney Forde, The Pennsylvania State University
Kumarini Silva, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Eleanor “Ellie” Estrada, University of Utah
Eric Karikari, Towson University
Pamela VanHaitsma, Penn State University
Jin Choi, University of Maryland
Hailey N. Otis, University of Maryland
Nina Lozano, Loyola Marymount University
Keisuke Kimura, Miami University
Rati Kumar, San Diego State University
Ashley R. Hall, University of Iowa
Patrick G. Wheaton, Georgia Southern University
Uttaran Dutta, Arizona State University
Raihan Jamil, Center for Bangladesh Genocide Research
Bernardita M. Yunis (Varas), University of Colorado, Boulder
Michael Klajbor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Laila Kunaish, Michigan State University
Loretta LeMaster, Arizona State University
Rona Halualani, San Jose State University
Susana Martinez Guillem, University of New Mexico
Santhosh Chandrashekar, University of Denver
Julia Talante, CSU-Dominguez Hills
Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson, CSU-Long Beach
sang kil, San Jose State University
Liahnna Stanley (Mvskoke, Poarch Band of Creek Indians), University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Robin A. Bedenbaugh, University of Tennessee
Shinsuke Eguchi, University of New Mexico
Ana Terminel Iberri, San Francisco State University
Devika Chawla, Ohio University
Fatima Chrifi Alaoui, San Francisco State University
Constance Gordon, San Francisco State University
Tyler Rife, St. Lawrence University
Michael Tristano, Jr., Towson University
Pablo Ramirez, Arizona State University
Angela Labador, Arizona State University
Corey Reutlinger, Arizona State University
Rabab Abdulhadi, Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies, San Francisco State University
Jonathan S Carter, Georgia Southwestern State University
Jessica Chaplain, University of Utah
Rachael Steyker, CSU East Bay
Megan Foster, UNC Chapel Hill
Matthew Parnell, Pennsylvania State University
Josh Miller, Texas State University
Sudeshna Roy, Stephen F. Austin State University
Stacey Sowards, The University of Texas at Austin
Myles W. Mason, Georgia State University
Sara Baugh-Harris, Davidson College
Amy Kilgard, San Francisco State University
Jo Hsu, University of Texas at Austin
Ken Harper, Syracuse University
E. Victoria Zamora, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
KC Councilor, Southern Connecticut State University
Sumana Chattopadhyay, Marquette University
Tomeka Robinson, Hofstra University
Stephanie L. Hartzell, CSU, Long Beach
Madison Pollino, University of South Florida
Sergio Peña, Penn State University
Tamara Afifi, University of California, Santa Barbara
Eddah Mutua, St. Cloud State University
Laura Partain, Ohio State University
Muhammad Ittefaq, James Madison University
Mohammad Ala-Uddin, James Madison University
Rula Hammoud, San Bernardino
Sarah Amira de la Garza, Independent Scholar and Emeritus Professor, Arizona State University
S. Brammer, University of North Florida
Kevin Thompson, Thomas Jefferson University
Amanda R. Martinez, Davidson College
J.J. De La Cruz, Penn State University
rin O’Connor, University of North Texas
Omedi Ochieng, University of Colorado Boulder
Lisa Calvente, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Adeja Powell, San Diego State University
David Oh, Ramapo College of New Jersey
Rahul Rastogi, Independent Scholar
Naomi Tan, Rutgers University
Satveer Kaur-Gill, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Zhuo Ban, University of Cincinnati
Dacheng Zhang, Arizona State University
Joshua P. Bolton, Salisbury University
Teresa Thompson, U of KS
Ali Zain, University of South Carolina
Dana Cloud, California State University Fullerton
Guadalupe Garcia, Florida International University
Peter Rodgers Jensen, University of Alabama
Karen Lovaas, San Francisco State University
Leslie Harris, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Jade Metzger-Riftkin, Northern Arizona University
Shumaila Bhatti, Texas A&M University
Anthony Irizarry, Penn State University
Keven James Rudrow, Syracuse University
Sarah Gonzalez Noveiri, AHRC
Christopher Duerringer, California State University, Long Beach
Iccha Basnyat, George Mason University
Abigail Burns, University of Texas at Austin
Nicole Allen, Utah State University
Eva Margarita, University of Texas at Austin
Hannah Tabrizi, Syracuse University
Mahuya Pal, University of South Florida
Andy Kai-chun Chuang, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY
M. Elizabeth Thorpe, SUNY Brockport
Leandra Hernández, University of Utah
Virginia Sánchez Sánchez, Auburn University
Lamiyah Bahrainwala, Southwestern University
Armond Towns, Carleton University
Kelly Opdycke, CSU, Northridge
Amy Lind, University of Cincinnati
Shane T. Moreman, California State University, Fresno
Tiara Na’puti, University of California Irvine
Deb Breede, Coastal Carolina university
Micki Burdick, University of Pennsylvania
E Cram, University of Iowa
Shiv Ganesh, UT Austin
Brittney Morrissey, University of Oklahoma
Chenjerai Kumanyika, New York University
Robert Gutierrez-Perez, California State University, San Marcos
Vicky Ortiz , Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Radhika Gajjala, BGSU
Andrew Parayil Boge, University of Iowa
Aswin Punathambekar, University of Pennsylvania
Christa Olson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Corinne Sugino, Gonzaga University
Logan Gomez, University of Utah
Nabil Echchaibi, University of Colorado Boulder
Anthony Cuomo, West Los Angeles College
Robin M. Boylorn , University of Alabama
Azhar Iqbal , University of Kansas
Raquel Monroe, University of Texas at Austin
Tom Boroujeni, Fresno City College
Annie Hill, University of Texas
Heather Zoller, U. of Cincinnati
Roopali Mukherjee, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Charles Athanasopoulos, Gonzaga University
Vivian Huang, San Francisco State University
Monica Cornejo, Cornell University
Charles E. Morris III, Syracuse University
Delaney Couri, Texas A&M University
Joel Lemuel, California State University - Northridge
Suzanne Pullen, San Francisco State University
Eunjung Kim, Syracuse University
Phaedra C. Pezzullo, University of Colorado Boulder
Sarah J. Jackson, University of Pennsylvania
Cassidy D. Ellis, University of Cincinnati
Sarah D, Penn State University
Alexis Pulos, Santa Rosa Junior College
Arienne Ferchaud, Florida State University
Lisa Flores, Penn State University
Jinah Kim, California State University, Northridge
Michelle Colpean, University of Cincinnati
Lynsey Medd, Penn State University
Shadee Abdi, San Francisco State University
Matthew Poole, California State University, San Bernardino
C. Kyle Rudick, University of Northern Iowa
Kristen Col, San Jose State University
Pavithra Prasad, California State University, Northridge
Michaela Frischherz , Towson University
Jennifer Sandoval, University of Central Florida
Maha Zubaidi, Stanford University
Noura Hajjaj, Duquesne University
Suzanne Enck, University of North Texas
Jasmine Austin, Texas State University
Victoria Bello, Louisiana State University
Oona Hatton, San José State University
Shannon Burth, Syracuse University
Rachel Guldin, Denison University
Annisa MP Rochadiat, California State University - Stanislaus
Wunpini F. Mohammed, University of Georgia
Alaina Walberg, University of Kansas
Kiersten Lynn Bloom, University of Memphis
Kathryn Montalbano, University of Kentucky
Jaime Guzmán, California State University, Northridge
Lawson Hudson, Baylor University
Jason Buel, North Carolina Wesleyan University
Nathaniel R. Repay, The University of Texas at Austin
Joey Konrad, Joey Konrad
Raka Shome, Villanova University
Emily Scroggins, University of Minnesota
Rebekah Mangels, Illinois State University
Nur E Makbul, The University of Alabama in Huntsville
E. Chebrolu, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Katie Webber, University of Connecticut
Claire Sisco King, Vanderbilt University
Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt , Linfield University
Anjana Mudambi, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Hongwei Thorn Chen, Tulane University
Cody M. Clemens, Marietta College
Andy Acosta, Northwestern University
Lauren J. DeCarvalho, University of Denver
David Dooling, university of south Florida
Mackenzie Myer, University of Delaware
Toqa Hassan, Purdue University Northwest
Bobbi J. Van Gilder, Suffolk University
Yohanna Tesfai, University of Texas at Austin
Sandra Faulkner, BGSU
Jonathan Espinoza, University of Texas
Meenakshi Yadav, University of Texas at Austin
Andrea J. Vickery, State University of New York at Oswego
Benjamin Clancy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sara McKinnon, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Anthony Gargiulo, University of Georgia
Raisa Alvarado, California State University, San Bernardino
Hannah P. Luz, University of Colorado, Boulder
Carolyn Cross, Houston Community College
Sydney Forde, The Pennsylvania State University
Kumarini Silva, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Eleanor “Ellie” Estrada, University of Utah
Eric Karikari, Towson University
Pamela VanHaitsma, Penn State University
Jin Choi, University of Maryland
Hailey N. Otis, University of Maryland