Martin Eisenstadt’s Blog

I saw on Daniel Pipes’ blog that the American University is falling prey to pan-Arabist conspiracy theory.

The American University in Cairo, founded in 1919, has gone through its share of vicissitudes as an American institution in Egypt. Based throughout its existence in a cramped campus in the heart of modern Cairo, at Tahrir Square, the university is currently building a much larger home in a desert location called New Cairo. As can be imagined, the move is not without its stresses. Here is the latest one, as reviewed by the university’s president, David Arnold.

Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 14:43:32 +0200
From: AUC President Reply-To: AUC President Subject: Message from President David D. Arnold
To: allauc@aucegypt.edu

November 11, 2007

Dear Members of the AUC Community:

Over the past several months rumors have circulated on campus - and have also been reported in the local media - that have had no basis in fact and may seek to harm the university and its reputation as an independent, apolitical institution.

Last May newspapers reported that the university had sold parts of the Tahrir Square Campus to Israel. This was reported despite the fact that the university had stated unequivocally that it was completely untrue. More recently, rumors have surfaced that the university had fired an Egyptian professor so that it could hire an Israeli professor. Again, these rumors are completely false and seek only to harm the university.

AUC remains unswerving in its support of academic freedom and, at the same time, it remains aware of the cultural and intellectual environment in which it operates, as well as the unique security concerns we face as an institution. The university operates under both Egyptian and US law and, accordingly, the university must comply with the laws of both countries. As a result, while the university operates under US laws prohibiting discrimination, it is also governed by Egyptian laws that govern visa issuance and work restrictions.

For nearly 90 years, AUC has been committed to academic excellence and service to Egypt. As an independent, non-sectarian, apolitical educational institution, the university does not take positions on political or religious issues. AUC, therefore, will continue to resist efforts by any group to use this institution to either further its own political agenda or harm the reputation of the university.

David D. Arnold

Comment: As someone who, off and on, spent three years at AUC in the 1970s, I am acutely aware of the sensitivities that Arnold outlines in his message. And as a student of conspiracy theories, I believe that it is best to grab them by the horns and refute them. That said, there is something pandering and ignoble about Arnold's message, especially given the fact that the U.S. taxpayer picks up a part of the university's tab.

Daniel Pipes is a brilliant scholar and public advocate. I deeply respect his service to the AUC, and having spent time there myself as a visiting fellow, I can concur with his assessment.