26.11.25
Editorial Note
The German Middle East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation (DAVO), founded in 1993, is a “nonpolitical, nonprofit scholarly association dedicated to advancing research and public understanding of North Africa, the Middle East, and West Asia.” The 1300 or so members teach, research, and engage critically and also “address pressing issues within Germany and Europe, including antisemitism, anti-Muslim sentiment, and migration.” DAVO also “maintains and promotes exchange with thematically related professional associations such as the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES), the US-based Middle East Studies Association (MESA), and the Italian SeSaMO.”
Worth noting that MESA joined the BDS movement in 2022, and earlier, in 2019, BRISMES adopted a boycott resolution. In the same year, however, the German Bundestag condemned the “argumentation patterns and methods” of the BDS campaign and described it as anti-Semitic.
Recently, DAVO has turned into a political activist group against Israel. According to the new Board, DAVO opposes its own “colonial thought patterns” and wants to “overcome Orientalism.” Christine Binzel, Professor of Economics at Friedrich-Alexander-University Nuremberg-Erlangen, the chairperson who has been in office since September, said that science should not be neutral. DAVO stands “against genocide, colonialism and racism” and wants to show “visible solidarity with Palestine”. Binzel calls for an academic boycott of Israel. Scientific cooperation with local institutions that have been “complicit” in crimes such as “occupation, apartheid and genocide in Palestine” must be ended, as stated by the European Uppsala Declaration from September, which DAVO also signed.
In an open letter to the German government in June, Binzel called for an “immediate review of all diplomatic, political and economic relations with Israel.” She further accused, with the Gaza War, that Germany supported the “extermination and expulsion of the Palestinian population” and thus “one of the greatest crimes of our time.”
A recent example of how German Middle Eastern Studies are taking a political stance against Israel can be seen when, on November 28, 2025, a seminar titled “The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia” was due to take place at Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich (LMU). The speakers were as follows:
2:00 pm: “Carceral Regime and Prisoners Resistance” by Dr. Basel Farraj (Birzeit University, Philosophy & Cultural Studies).
3:00 pm: “Scholasticide in Gaza: Challenges and Resilience of Academic Institutions” by Dr. Ahmed Abu Shaban (Al-Azhar University, Gaza).
4:00 pm: “Scholasticide by Law” by Dr. Osama Risheq (Al-Quds University, Human Rights Clinic).
5:00 pm: “Israel’s Carceral Regime and Relentless Violence” by Ghaid Hijaz (student, Right to Education Campaign, Birzeit University).
The scheduled seminar was met with opposition. On November 17, 2025, the University Board published a statement explaining that it was engaged in discussions with the organizer of the planned seminar, Professor Andreas Kaplony, the Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies, addressing “both the academic character of the event and security concerns.” They all agreed that “The event scheduled for 28 November 2025 will not take place.”
Yet, they agreed that, “In the near future, Professor Kaplony, members of the university leadership, and Faculty members will begin developing suitable academic formats for topics of this sensitivity.” Further explaining that in this seminar, “there were doubts as to whether the event met the necessary academic standards… we will design academically grounded event formats that may serve as models for how LMU will address similar topics in the future.”
DAVO was furious. It published a public letter addressing LMU, stating, “There is no reason to assume that the planned event will not meet established standards of academic discourse. On the contrary, it addresses a contemporary historical topic and offers participants the opportunity to hear Palestinian scholars, including colleagues from Gaza, and their academic expertise. Universities have a mandate to engage in scholarly discussion of controversial, sensitive, and politically charged topics. Academic debates about conflicts or human rights situations must take place, especially when societal tensions are high. We are observing with growing concern attempts by political and state actors to influence academic debates through predefined terms and assessments, to defame researchers, and, on this basis, to criminalize them. Preventing individual events creates a climate of self-censorship and contradicts the principle of an open university. A cancellation would set a precedent where political pressure or public sentiment determines which academic perspectives are permitted. This jeopardizes not only this event but also future research and teaching. Students have a right to encounter diverse perspectives during their studies. A cancellation deprives them of access to knowledge and prevents critical learning experiences.”
They ended with a request that the university “clearly and unequivocally oppose the politically motivated instrumentalization of accusations of anti-Semitism.”
Two student organizations published a harsh statement concerning the scheduled seminar, stating they “condemn the selection of speakers for the seminar.” Adding that the Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies and the Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies should have “recognized the ideologies these speakers represented. Such public statements and their impact are unacceptable in a university setting. We firmly believe that there is no place at LMU for speakers who downplay terrorist organizations. We expect those responsible to critically review their selection of speakers and exercise the utmost care in the future.”
Andreas Kaplony, the organizer of the seminar, published his response, stating that “the university administration received 25 statements from professors of Arabic and Islamic Studies from across Germany, including the president of the European Association for Middle Eastern Studies (EURAMES). All of them emphasized the academic rigor of the workshop and its urgent necessity. On Monday afternoon, the university administration assured me that, should the workshop be cancelled in its currently planned form, they would actively participate in developing a second version. The university administration wants to develop formats to demonstrate ‘that it is possible in the university environment to combine heated debates with respectful discourse and to reconcile engagement with academic detachment.’ My goal remains to inform, reflect upon, and deeply understand the situation at Palestinian universities (especially in Gaza), and thus contribute to improving this situation.”
In response, the Network of Jewish University Lecturers (NJH) published its reservations of the scheduled seminar in an open letter, requesting “immediate review of content and security aspects,” stating, “We have compiled a range of publicly available information, screenshots, quotes, and social media posts that point to significant problems regarding the scientific rigor, security, and potential antisemitic content.”
NJH argued that “This clearly fails to meet the minimum academic standard of a multi-perspective discourse… There is evidence of public contributions from individual speakers in which Hamas or the PFLP are mentioned positively or portrayed as legitimate actors… We urge you to review the content and wording of the event [to be] consistent with the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.” Adding, “Several titles and statements already meet formal criteria for anti-Israel forms of antisemitism according to the IHRA.” The group stressed that “LMU’s duty of care towards Jewish students and employees. We are receiving increasing feedback from Jewish students and faculty who experience events of this kind as threatening and intimidating. Given the current security situation, LMU is obligated to ensure an environment that does not contribute to the normalization of extremist narratives or the delegitimization of Jewish life.”
As IAM reported before, Palestinian and pro-Palestinian activists are taking over professional academic institutions. IAM will report further on this issue when it unfolds.
REFERENCES:
Calls for a boycott of Israel
How German Middle East scholars oppose the Jewish state
By Kevin CulinaEditor for Domestic Politics
Published on October 27, 2025.
In German Middle Eastern science, a turn to political activism is taking place – and against Israel. According to the program, the new board of the Vorderer Orient (Davo), which has around 1300 members, is opposed to its own “colonial thought patterns”, wants to “overcome Orientalism” and give the most important association in the area a new name. Science should not be neutral, writes Christine Binzel, Professor of Economics at Friedrich-Alexander-University Nuremberg-Erlangen, who has been in office since September. They stand “against genocide and genocide, colonialism and racism” and want to show “visible solidarity with Palestine”.
Binzel’s political admissions show what this could mean. The economist calls for an academic boycott of Israel. Scientific cooperation with local institutions that have been “complicit” in crimes such as “ocpation, apartheid and genocide in Palestine” must be ended, according to the European Uppsala Declaration from September this year, which it also signed.
In an open letter to the German government in June, Binzel called for an “immediate review of all diplomatic, political and economic relations with Israel”. With the Gaza War, Germany supported the “extermination and expulsion of the Palestinian population” and thus “one of the greatest crimes of our time”. In addition to Binzel, Hanna Kienzler, professor of global health at King’s College London and also on the Davo board, appeared as co-initiator.
The anti-Israeli orientation is already manifested internationally. The US umbrella organization Middle East Studies Association (Mesa) joined the BDS movement in 2022, which wants to isolate the Jewish state by boycotting. In 2019, the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (Brismes) also decided on a boycott. In the same year, however, the Bundestag condemned the “argumentation patterns and methods” of the BDS campaign as anti-Semitic.
The new Davo Vice President Hanna Al-Taher writes about the Hamas attack on Israel on 7. October 2023: “Paraglides over the Gaza border fence. A bulldozer breaks through the border fence that surrounds Gaza. The symbolic power of these images is enormous: breakout, return, freedom.” A bulldozer, according to the political scientist from the TU Dresden, who previously destroyed Palestinian houses, tore down the border fence: “In this short moment, an idea becomes possible: liberation.” This applies “regardless of the strategic, military or political position of the operation carried out by different groups”.
Reminder: On the 7th In October, about 1,200 Israelis were murdered, thousands were injured, tortured, raped. Al-Taher writes: “The fact that the 7th October not only stands for death, but is also associated with freedom, cannot simply be ignored, even if the German reason for state cannot allow such an interpretation.
From the Davo comes isolated contradiction. An Islamic scholar who wants to remain anonymous for fear of professional consequences criticizes a “monothematic” orientation. A position for Palestine is a consensus, he says, referring to the approximately 60,000 Palestinians killed in the Gaza war. However, the board does not explain to whom “solidarity” applies: “For the country, the people in Palestine, local organizations – or the Palestinian oppressors of the Palestinians?” An Israel boycott is wrong, it also affects government-critical and Arab Israelis.
“Transformation into ideological echo chamber”
Johannes Becke, Professor of Israel Studies at the University of Jewish Studies Heidelberg and himself a member of Davo, promotes close cooperation between Islamic studies and its discipline after the 7th “With the transformation of the Davo into an ideological echo chamber led by BDS supporters, such a conversation is no longer possible there,” says the researcher. “Research on Arab-Israeli relations, in which not one or the other side is marked as a political enemy in advance, must therefore seek other spaces – outside the Davo.”
The Network of Jewish University Lecturers also expresses criticism: “Statements that the 7. October, esthetic, relativizing or translating into a ‘liberation’ narrative, perpetrators and victims, negate the suffering of those affected and reproduce anti-Semitic patterns of interpretation, “says Director Julia Bernstein, Professor of Social Work at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. Instead of “romantization”, the terrorist massacre must be condemned.
The academic boycott of Israel undermines scientific freedom and credibility of research. “For Jewish and Israeli researchers in Germany, such an orientation leads to experiences of exclusion, self-censorship, invitation and cooperation losses, increased security pressure and real career losses,” says Bernstein. In addition, there is the psychological burden of increasing threats.
The Central Council of Jews considers boycott calls against Israel in science to be an “expression of historical forgetfulness”. A spokesman says: “It is not German professors who have to interrupt their lectures because of a missile alarm. This is common in Israel.” Davo has a special responsibility to “promote the ideals and potential of science: exchange, understanding across national and cultural borders as well as mutual understanding”. With boycott calls, “any constructive work is torpedoed”.
In response to a request, the head of the association Binzel emphasized that the Uppsala Declaration and its open letter are about cooperation with Israeli institutions, not about individual scientists. “Both are in no way related to my function as chairman of Davo and are protected by freedom of science and expression.” Deputy Al-Taher only refers to the board program, according to which the working group should be a place for “critical, interdisciplinary, international and committed science”.
Political editor Kevin Culina reports for WELT on health policy, the Left Party and the alliance Sahra Wagenknecht. He also regularly reports on anti-Semitism, criminal trials and crime.
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LMU as a place of pluralistic discourse
17 Nov 2025
Statement on the Planned Event “The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia” at LMU Munich
The LMU board has engaged in discussions with the organizer of the planned seminar “The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia,” Professor Andreas Kaplony, Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies. These discussions addressed both the academic character of the event and security concerns. The following mutually agreed approach resulted:
- The event scheduled for 28 November 2025 will not take place.
- In the near future, Professor Kaplony, members of the university leadership, and Faculty members will begin developing suitable academic formats for topics of this sensitivity.
- Such a format will be implemented in the foreseeable future.
LMU did not take this decision lightly and weighed all relevant academic and legal considerations. Academic freedom is of paramount importance; in this case, however, there were doubts as to whether the event met the necessary academic standards. LMU is committed to upholding academic freedom, free speech, constructive conflict resolution, and respect for differing viewpoints.
Because LMU stands for providing opportunities rather than imposing prohibitions, we will use this occasion to develop an integrative strategy. Beyond this specific case, we will design academically grounded event formats that may serve as models for how LMU will address similar topics in the future.
With these formats, we aim to demonstrate that within the university setting it is possible to combine intense controversy with respectful dialogue, and to reconcile personal engagement with scholarly distance. If we succeed, we will come closer to the true idea of the university—one in which the scientific process is what ultimately matters.
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Public statement by DAVO-GfW regarding the potential cancellation of the event “The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia” at LMU
To Vice President Dr. Margit Weber
To Dean Prof. Dr. Irene Götz
Sent via email
November 17, 2025
Dear Vice President Dr. Weber, dear Dean Prof. Dr. Götz, we are writing to you with great concern regarding the potential cancellation of the event “The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia” at Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich.
We are the Committee for Academic Freedom of the German Association for Middle Eastern Studies (DAVO). The committee’s mission is to
monitor and defend academic freedom in research, study, and teaching related to contemporary Middle Eastern and North Africa in German-speaking countries and beyond, including institutions in the Middle East.
The event planned for November 28, 2025, is clearly protected by academic freedom. This is based on Article 5, Paragraph 3 of the Basic Law and the 1997 UNESCO Recommendation on the Status of University Teaching Staff, which defines academic freedom as “the right to teach and debate freely, to conduct research and disseminate and publish the results, and to express one’s opinion about the institution or system without restriction by a prescribed doctrine.”
There is no reason to assume that the planned event will not meet established standards of academic discourse. On the contrary, it addresses a contemporary historical topic and offers participants the opportunity to hear Palestinian scholars, including colleagues from Gaza, and their academic expertise.
Universities have a mandate to engage in scholarly discussion of controversial, sensitive, and politically charged topics. Academic debates about conflicts or human rights situations must take place, especially when societal
tensions are high. We are observing with growing concern attempts by political and state actors to influence academic debates through predefined terms and assessments, to defame researchers, and, on this basis, to criminalize them.
Preventing individual events creates a climate of self-censorship and contradicts the principle of an open university. A cancellation would set a precedent where political pressure or public sentiment determines which academic perspectives are permitted. This jeopardizes not only this event but also future research and teaching. Students have a right to encounter diverse perspectives during their studies. A cancellation deprives them of access to knowledge and prevents critical learning experiences.
We therefore kindly request that you:
- to advocate for the implementation of the aforementioned course and thereby protect the freedom of academic teaching and research;
- to take decisive action against disruptions to the workflows of scientific operations;
- to clearly and unequivocally oppose the politically motivated instrumentalization of accusations of anti-Semitism.
Thank you for your attention. We look forward to your feedback with great interest. We are also happy to answer any questions and discuss the matter further. As is our usual practice, we will publish this letter on our website.
Best regards
Dr. Sevil Çakır,
Spokesperson of the DAVO Committee for Academic Freedom
Dr. Nils Riecken,
Spokesperson of the DAVO Committee for Academic Freedom
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On the cancellation of the workshop “The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia” (November 28, 2025)
November 19, 2025
In short:
Last Monday morning, the university administration received 25 statements from professors of Arabic and Islamic Studies from across Germany, including the president of the European Association for Middle Eastern Studies (EURAMES). All of them emphasized the academic rigor of the workshop and its urgent necessity.
On Monday afternoon, the university administration assured me that, should the workshop be cancelled in its currently planned form, they would actively participate in developing a second version. The university administration wants to develop formats to demonstrate “that it is possible in the university environment to combine heated debates with respectful discourse and to reconcile engagement with academic detachment.”
My goal remains to inform, reflect upon, and deeply understand the situation at Palestinian universities (especially in Gaza), and thus contribute to improving this situation. To achieve this even more effectively, I am willing to take an intermediate step.
Munich, November 20, 2025
Andreas Kaplony, Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, LMU Munich
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Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
The RCDS at LMU e.V. and the VJSB e.V. condemn the selection of speakers for the seminar “The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia” at LMU.
The Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies and the Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies should have recognized the ideologies these speakers represented. Such public statements and their impact are unacceptable in a university setting. We firmly believe that there is no place at LMU for speakers who downplay terrorist organizations.
We expect those responsible to critically review their selection of speakers and exercise the utmost care in the future.
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Open letter regarding the planned event “The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia” on November 28th.
To
Dr. Ludwig Spaenle, Commissioner for Antisemitism at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich;
Prof. Dr. Markus Maier, Commissioner of the Bavarian State Government for Jewish Life and against Antisemitism;
Prof. Dr. Matthias Tschöp, President of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
November 13, 2025
Open letter regarding the planned event “The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia” on November 28 – request for immediate review of content and security aspects
Gentlemen,
As the Network of Jewish University Lecturers (NJH), we urgently request that you thoroughly review and postpone the event “The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia”, scheduled for November 28th at the Institute for Near and Middle East Studies, until then.
We have compiled a range of publicly available information, screenshots, quotes, and social media posts that point to significant problems regarding the scientific rigor, security, and potential antisemitic content.
The attached examples represent only a selection; further evidence can be provided at any time.
1. Problematic orientation of the event
The very title of the seminar (“The Targeting of the Palestinian Academia”) establishes a clear political framing and formulates an assertion, not a scientific question. The announced lectures also bear distinctly activist or legally charged titles, including:
- “ Carceral Regime and Prisoners”
- “ Scholasticide in Gaza: Challenges and Resilience of Academic Institutions”
- “ Scholaricide by Law”
- “ Israel’s Carceral Regime and Relentless Violence”
This terminology is emotionally charged, used in some extremist campaigns, and is not established as a scientific term. It assigns blame in a one-sided manner (“relentless violence,” “scholasticide”) and precludes a balanced analysis from the outset.
2. Lack of scientific balance
The entire event features exclusively Palestinian speakers, some with an overtly political agenda. Any other Israeli or international research-based perspective is completely absent. This clearly fails to meet the minimum academic standard of a multi-perspective discourse.
3. Public statements by invited speakers
There is evidence of public contributions from individual speakers in which:
- Hamas or the PFLP are mentioned positively or portrayed as legitimate actors,
- Israel is repeatedly accused of “genocide”,
- Israeli citizens and Jewish people are collectively addressed as perpetrators.
We would like to point out that Hamas and PFLP are classified as terrorist organizations in the EU. Sympathy for or trivialization of these organizations may be a criminal offense (see Sections 129a/b of the German Criminal Code).
4. Compatibility with applicable law and the IHRA definition
We urge you to review the content and wording of the event:
- are consistent with the IHRA working definition of antisemitism,
- comply with the BayHIG (in particular the mandate to ensure a non-discriminatory, security-conscious university environment),
- possess a possible relevance under the Bavarian Assembly Act (BayVersG) or other public safety law norms.
Several titles and statements already meet formal criteria for anti-Israel forms of antisemitism according to the IHRA.
5. LMU’s duty of care towards Jewish students and employees
We are receiving increasing feedback from Jewish students and faculty who experience events of this kind as threatening and intimidating. Given the current security situation, LMU is obligated to ensure an environment that does not contribute to the normalization of extremist narratives or the delegitimization of Jewish life.
6. Security Relevance
Events featuring speakers who spread extremist content or share it on social media are known to attract problematic groups. Particularly at universities across Germany, there have been massive antisemitic incidents in recent months – therefore, an assessment by security authorities is essential.
Our requests and demands:
- Postpone the event until a thorough review by antisemitism-critical, legal, and security authorities has been completed.
- Carefully examine the public statements of the invited speakers for links to terrorism, anti-Semitism-related content, and violations of academic ethics.
- Should the impression of extremist, one-sided or delegitimizing content be confirmed, we request that the event be prohibited.
Attached examples (excerpt):
- Official announcement of the LMU event
- Screenshots and links to public statements by the speakers (Hamas/PFLP references, genocide rhetoric)
- Article passages about connections between individual speakers and politically extremist student groups
- Social media posts that document an activist or extremist orientation
We are available at any time for questions, a short-notice meeting, and to provide further documentation.
Prof. Dr. Julia Bernstein, Board of the Network of Jewish University Lecturers
Prof. Dr. Julia Bernstein
Prof. Roglit Ishay
Dr. Ilya Kogan
Attached/linked examples (excerpt):
- Official announcement of the LMU event: https://www.naher-osten.uni-muenchen.de/wasistlosaminstitut/veranstaltungen/targeting/index.html
- Social media posts and interviews with invited speakers, including direct references to Hamas/PFLP and/or genocide rhetoric (screenshots and links attached): https://x.com/basilafarraj?t=K81Qb2e1CRsKL30oEPxRYg&s=08
- Article passages mentioning collaborations with student factions and even those close to the PFLP/Hamas (screenshots attached): https://redflag.org.au/article/organising-under-apartheid-interview-with-a-palestinian-student-activist
israel-academia-monitor.com 