By Cinnamon Stillwell
Campus Watch | May 16, 2007

Stanford Middle East history professor and former president of the Middle East Studies Association Joel Beinin is known for letting his one-sided political perspectives invade the classroom. As former Stanford professor Steven Zipperstein told The Jewish Weekly of Northern California in 2002, “It’s said that Joel Beinin doesn’t believe in balance as an intrinsically crucial goal in academic life. “The charge is accurate, and he would acknowledge it, I think.”

Alyssa Lappen wrote about Beinin for Campus Watch in 2004 and she encapsulates his less-than-savory viewpoints in the following passage:

He denounces American “imperialism” on Al-Jazeera Television. A former Zionist, he refers to jihadist suicide bombers as “martyrs.” He praised Mideast scholars for ignoring the issue of terrorism, and he regularly repeats the most twisted and paranoid claims of Islamist regimes as though they were historical fact. If one individual can showcase all the flaws of Middle East Studies in academia, Joel Beinin is that man.

Although the exact details are somewhat murky due to Stanford’s policy of not allowing colleagues to discuss personnel moves, according to Beinin, he’s “officially on extended leave of absence [from Stanford] until the end of 2008.” In the interim, Beinin has taken up residence at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, where he is the director of Middle East studies. Continue reading “Stanford Prof. Joel Beinin Dredges Up False ‘Death Threat’ Claim Against L.A. Journalist” →

All Articles, Poems & Commentaries Copyright © 1971-2021 Alyssa A. Lappen
All Rights Reserved.
Printing is allowed for personal use only | Commercial usage (For Profit) is a copyright violation and written permission must be granted first.