The Dept. of Education is threatening to revoke funding for a Middle East studies program run by Duke and UNC because it allegedly favors Islam over Judaism and Christianity.
In a response, DeVos said she was"troubled" by Holding's letter and would take a closer look at the consortium.
In the UNC-Duke case, the department's findings did not directly address any bias against Israel but instead evaluated whether the consortium's proposed activities met the goals of the National Resource Center program, which was created in 1965 to support language and culture initiatives that prepare students for careers in diplomacy and national security.
Investigators also saw a disconnect between the grant's mission and some academic papers by scholars at the consortium. They objected to one paper titled"Performance, Gender-Bending and Subversion in the Early Modern Ottoman Intellectual History," and another titled"Radical Love: Teachings from Islamic Mystical Tradition."
Academic freedom advocates say the government could be setting a dangerous precedent if it injects politics into funding decisions.Jay Smith, a history professor at UNC and vice president of its chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said the letter amounts to"ideologically driven harassment.
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