PHILADELPHIA — The president of Lincoln University said Thursday that he cannot fire a tenured professor who has questioned the Holocaust and expressed virulent anti-Israel views because the teacher has kept his opinions out of the classroom.
A statement from Dr. Ivory Nelson, president of the state-supported university, says professor Kaukab Siddique’s beliefs may be “insidious” but he can express them “as long as he does not present such opinions as the views of the university.”
“Dr. Siddique has made it apparent that his opinions are his own and are not a part of his curriculum,” Nelson said.
Siddique has questioned the Holocaust and called for the destruction of Israel in forums including a September rally in Washington, D.C., and an online magazine he edits called New Trend.
After video of the rally was posted last week, Siddique told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he is against Israel, not Jews. On Tuesday, Siddique told the online news site InsideHigherEd.com that his remarks should be put in the context of academic freedom.
“That’s freedom of expression going up the smokestack here,” Siddique said. “I’m not an expert on the Holocaust. If I deny or support it, it doesn’t mean anything.”
Thursday’s statement from Lincoln’s president comes two days after Pennsylvania Board of Education Chairman Joe Torsella questioned whether Siddique is fit to teach and whether school resources have been used to spread anti-Semitism on campus.
