Florida Universities ordered to Scrutinize Course Materials for Criticisms of Israel (“Antisemitism”)

By Jay Waagmeester | –

( Florida Phoenix ) – Florida university presidents have been instructed to scan their syllabi for material deemed antisemitic or exhibiting anti-Israeli bias following concerns raised by Rep. Randy Fine. 

Republican Fine, who is Jewish and has sponsored several laws advocating for Jewish Floridians, raised concern on X in late June about a Florida International University course reportedly using a textbook that asked students, “When Israelis practice terrorism, they often refer to it as _____,” and, “In which country did the Zionists purchase land to create their new homeland?”

The book, “Terrorism and Homeland Security” by Jonathan R. White and Steven M. Chermak, was the subject of a post from the X account “Documenting Israel,” with a declared mission of “[d]ocumenting daily events in Israel relating to security, terrorism and general Jewish life.” Fine replied to the post by calling out FIU.

“I will be speaking to @FIU as soon as possible. There is no room for #MuslimTerror at Florida’s state universities,” Fine posted. 

FIU replied to the original post by Documenting Israel. 

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We have already started a review of the circumstances.

— FIU (@FIU) June 26, 2024

 

Two days later, Fine posted that he was unsatisfied with the outcome of a conversation he had with FIU officials and called for more accountability.

Just over a month later, State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues sent a letter to university presidents asking them to investigate course materials and syllabi that include a list of suspect words. The letter referenced a previous meeting he had with presidents discussing the matter.

The letter, sent in advance of the fall semester, asked that course materials and syllabi that include the words Israel, Israeli, Palestine, Palestinian, Middle East, Zionism, Zionist, Judaism, Jewish, or Jews be reviewed. 

Rodrigues said in his letter that some universities indicated it would not be feasible to search materials before the school year starts and that faculty review of the courses should be complete by the end of the fall semester.

“The most important thing is that we get this right,” Rodrigues wrote. 

Once a course has been reviewed and all instances of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias have been flagged, universities must report their findings to the chancellor’s office, Rodrigues instructed. 

The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned Rodrigues for the order and urged Floridians “to stand up for our constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and for academic freedom in our public university system.”

“It is logical to assume that any courses that are ‘flagged for review’ will be scrubbed of any criticism of the genocidal Israeli government and especially its military,” said Imam Abdullah Jaber, the Florida chapter’s executive director, in a news release. 

CAIR’s stated mission is “to defend the civil rights of Florida’s Muslim community and to promote a more just and equitable society for all.”

Fine indicated his displeasure with Cengage, the book’s publisher, on X. 

 

The book is no longer listed on Cengage’s website. The link for the book leads to a page stating, “We’re sorry, no results found.” Cengage did not respond to questions about when and why the book is no longer posted on its website. 

FIU’s Barnes & Noble course material website states the book is not available for purchase.

According to the website, the book “provides a theoretical and conceptual framework that enables you to understand how terrorism arises and functions.”

Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, legislators at the state and local level have led antisemitism-addressing legislation, including two Fine bills signed days before he raised this book-based concern. The measures authorize enhanced security outside Jewish day schools and adopt a definition of antisemitism that includes “[m]aking mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jewish individuals as such or the power of Jewish people as a collective, such as the myth of a worldwide Jewish conspiracy or of Jewish individuals controlling the media, economy, government, or other societal institutions.”

The declared intention is “to assist in the monitoring and reporting of anti-Semitic hate crimes and discrimination and to make residents aware of and to combat such incidents in this state.”