Israeli government bans Edward Said

The Israeli government has cancelled a course on multiculturalism because of the inclusion in the curriculum of articles by Palestinian writer and activist Edward Said. The course, initiated and funded by the Jerusalem Foundation, was designed to acquaint students from Palestinian, Arab, secular and orthodox Jewish backgrounds with different narratives within Israeli society. While the official reason for the cancellation was "administrative", according to the Haaretz newspaper, the Jerusalem Foundation had been "unofficially" informed that the main reason was the inclusion of writings by Said and Palestinian Israeli Knesset member Azmi Bishara.

From Green Left Weekly, August 10, 2005.

Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

From GLW issue 637