Professor Nicholas Damask worked with FIRE to defend his academic freedom rights after Scottsdale Community College tried to force him to apologize for quiz questions about Islamic terrorism. (Photo courtesy of Damask) The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court’s dismissal of a lawsuit involving a Scottsdale Community College student who asserted a constitutional right to be free from messages “disapproving” of his religion. Rewind to the spring 2020 semester . Nicholas Damask, professor of world politics at SCC, administered a quiz related to a unit on “Islamic Terrorism.” After a student complained that some questions were offensive and “in distaste of Islam,” the college ordered Damask to review the course content with an Islamic religious leader and to issue the student an apology — prewritten for Damask by a marketing administrator. FIRE wrote an urgent letter to the college, stating that this violated Damask’s rights to free speech and academic freedom. As a result, the Maricopa County Community College District, of which SCC is a part, committed to establishing a committee on academic freedom. MCCCD Interim Chancellor Steven R. Gonzales apologized for the handling of the situation, and Damask received a $155,000 […]
