At Florida’s 12 public universities and colleges, courses are flagged for review if they cover topics that touch on the Middle East, particularly Israel and Palestine.
This executive order from the Florida Board of Governors is causing concern across the state, with some saying it is yet another example of intellectual interference that they find demoralizing and problematic.
Before the start of the fall semester, instructors must submit their syllabi so they can be entered into a database. Keyword searches will highlight courses that use the words “Israel, Israeli, Palestine, Palestinian, Middle East, Zionism, Zionist, Judaism, Jewish, or Jews” in the course description.
A faculty committee will then review textbooks and other materials for “anti-Semitic material and/or anti-Israel bias.”
In an email to university and college presidents clarifying the order, Chancellor Ray Rodrigues makes no mention of anti-Muslimism or anti-Palestinian sentiment.
“(There is) little concern about existing anti-Palestinian sentiment. This creates a very real chilling effect on Muslim students and faculty,” Kevin Aho, professor of philosophy at Florida Gulf Coast University, said in an email to WGCU.
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Aho, who heads FGCU’s Department of Communication and Philosophy, informed faculty on Wednesday, saying the news was “disheartening for those who teach the social, historical and moral dimensions of the Israel/Palestine conflict.”
Lyn Millner is one of those lecturers. She teaches journalism – a subject that requires students to have an understanding of current events. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has dominated the news since over 1,100 Jews were killed by Hamas on October 7. Israeli ground and air strikes in response have killed over 39,000 Palestinians, an average of 250 per day, more than in any other major conflict of the 21st century.
“There are concerns. One concern is how to define or evaluate anti-Semitism or anti-Israel bias,” Millner said. “As we’ve seen, bias can sometimes be obvious. It can also be tricky. For example, opposing sides reading a factual article often claim they are biased when the facts don’t match their beliefs.”
Millner expects differences of opinion, as the topic can be very emotional.
“Don’t get me wrong, anti-Semitism is real,” she said. “There is no question that we all need to combat anti-Semitism while also ensuring that all students, regardless of religion, race, sexual orientation, etc., feel included and safe in our classrooms.”
“I think my colleagues and I are aware that we have a great responsibility. We have to choose our words carefully. We have to limit the damage as much as possible. But for many of us, this feels strange, and some people claim that these gray areas are a violation of academic freedom.”
An FGCU official said the university’s leadership team is reviewing the data request from the State University System of Florida.
Among those claiming that academic freedom and First Amendment rights are being trampled upon is Wilfredo Ruiz, outreach director of CAIR Florida, which stands for Council on American-Islamic Relations.
“What worries us most is that the state dares to invade the classrooms and restrict the academic freedom that our universities have upheld for generations,” Ruiz said.
CAIR filed suit against the chancellor last year when he ordered Gov. Ron DeSantis to disband pro-Palestinian groups on college campuses. The case was dismissed by the court this year after the state admitted it never followed the order.
“So this is more than just a Muslim or Islamic issue. This is really a call to all Floridians to care about the academic freedom that has guaranteed the academic excellence of Florida University for generations. It seems like the academics don’t care if they throw that in the trash at the drop of a hat,” Ruiz said.
