Dear friends,
Follow-up to the news item I sent on this a few days ago. Here is an action item
Please send a letter to the president of the University of St. Thomas urging him to reverse his decision to bar Archbishop Desmond Tutu from speaking at his university.
The Justice and Peace Studies program at St. Thomas had arranged for Tutu to speak on their campus this coming spring, but the university president, Father Dennis Dease, countermanded that decision and soon after removed the chair of the Justice and Peace program from her position (she has tenure, so she can’t be fired).
Archbishop Tutu has been the target of a slanderous campaign against him waged by the extremist group, the Zionist Organization of America because of his outspoken criticism of Israel’s harsh measures in its occupation of the Palestinian people. Many Jews agree with his criticism and many who do not still believe he has not only a right to be heard, but that his experience in fighting apartheid makes his an important voice on any social justice issue.
Far from being a favor to Jews, actions like this one increase anti-Semitism because they make it appear as if Jews oppose free speech. More importantly, free speech must be defended and promoted on this issue if Palestinians are ever to be free of occupation and if Israelis are ever to lead normal lives.
Please join me in urging Father Dease to change course by clicking on the link below.
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/jvfp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=14061
Defending the right to speak,
Sam
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Sam Bahour is a Palestinian-American business consultant, writer, and commentator based in Al-Bireh/Ramallah, Palestine. He is the principal of Applied Information Management (AIM), a consultancy specializing in business development and startup advisory services.
Bahour was instrumental in establishing two of Palestine’s publicly traded companies: the Palestine Telecommunications Company (PALTEL) and the Arab Palestinian Shopping Centers (APSC). He co-founded Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy (A4VPE), of which he is now an emeritus member, and served as an independent director on the board of Arab Islamic Bank P.L.C. from 2004 to 2025. He currently serves on the board of Just Vision and The Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS).
He frequently gives talks to delegations visiting Palestine on the subjects of Palestine’s political economy, Palestinian Politics 101, and a general orientation to the state of affairs under Israeli military occupation.
A prolific writer on Palestinian affairs, Bahour has been published in major international outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, Haaretz, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, Al Jazeera America, Le Monde diplomatique, Al-Monitor, +972 Magazine, The Hill, and Arab News. He has appeared as a commentator on NPR, CNN, BBC, and other broadcast media.
Bahour is the co-editor of Homeland: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians (Olive Branch Press, 1993) and was profiled in the bestselling anthology Kingdom of Olives and Ash, edited by Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, in a chapter authored by Chabon titled “The Tallest Man in Ramallah.” He holds an Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree in Computer Technology from Youngstown State University, and a Kellogg-Recanati International Executive MBA — a joint program of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Recanati Business School at Tel Aviv University.
He tweets at @SamBahour, blogs at www.epalestine.ps, and may be reached at sbahour[AT]gmail[DOT]com.
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