Thursday, October 4, 2001

U. of British Columbia Stands Behind Professor Who Blasted U.S. Foreign Policy By KAREN BIRCHARD The University of British Columbia is backing the right of one of its professors to make controversial public statements drawing parallels between terrorism and U.S. foreign policy. Barry McBride, academic vice president of the university, said it was important to realize that "the cornerstone of a university is the ability to speak out on important issues." Speaking on Monday in Ottawa at a conference on violence and injustice against women, Sunera Thobani, an assistant professor of women's studies at British Columbia, won a standing ovation when she said that terrorist attacks should not be used to coerce women into supporting U.S. foreign policy. "Today in the world, the United States is the most dangerous and the most powerful global force unleashing horrific levels of violence," she said during her keynote address. "From Chile to El Salvador to Nicaragua to Iraq, the path of U.S. foreign policy is soaked in blood." Ms. Thobani, a prominent feminist, said she feels the pain "every day" of the thousands of dead and missing in the September 11 terrorist attacks. "But do we feel any pain for the victims of U.S. aggression?" she asked. Politicians have called her comments "outrageous," "atrocious," "unacceptable," and "hateful and disgraceful." The university acknowledged that Ms. Thobani had aroused strong feelings but said that, as a social critic, she is encouraged to express her views. "The issue is academic responsibility, and that means that what you have to say can be supported," said Mr. McBride. "You'll be critiqued by your peers," he said. "You balance academic freedom with academic responsibility." He doesn't think the university's reputation will suffer. "The university is a place where there must be a free exchange of ideas, and I hope people understand that." Issues in depth: Background articles on how the terrorist attacks have affected academe Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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