A Texas lawmaker urged university administrators to cancel a planned lecture, remove a student art exhibition, and review campus free speech policies, citing alleged antisemitism, according to NTdaily, the school’s news outlet.
In a letter addressed to University President Harrison Keller and UNT System Chancellor Michael Williams, Texas representative Mitch Little claimed the exhibition and lecture violated Governor Greg Abbott’s March 2024 Executive Order No. GA-44, which mandates that Texas universities address antisemitic speech and acts with “appropriate” consequences, including expulsion.
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Little, joined by four other state representatives, demanded the exhibition’s removal and the lecture’s cancelation within 48 hours. The exhibition, “Perceptions: Observations & Reflections of the Western Muslim,” was created by students Dania Bayan and Fatima Kubra and features references to Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Palestine, Afghanistan, and the Uyghurs, with “#genocide” appearing in several sections. The lecture, “Palestinian Children and the Politics of Genocide,” is set for April 3 and will be delivered by Associate Professor Nancy Stockdale, who researches the Middle East.
Little condemned the use of the word “genocide” in both contexts, claiming that it was inflammatory and inaccurate. He also alleged that Stockdale’s past comments on Israel suggested a form of bias.
In the letter, Little wrote, “While we understand that it is the mission of the University of North Texas to keep students informed of geopolitical issues and create an environment where free speech can thrive, you surely appreciate that this framing is not only inflammatory, but is also factually false with regard to the allegation of ‘genocide.’”
On its official Instagram page, UNT’s Muslim Student Association wrote “SHAME” over a news article posted by the NTdaily about Little’s calls to censor the exhibition and talks related to it. The university has not yet publicly responded.