US 'Kidnaps' Iranian Scholar, Calls It 'National Security'
Mainstream outlets reported that ICE detained US-Iranian scholar Vahid Abedini en route to the annual MESA conference, with his location undisclosed. This 'disappearance' of academics, especially those with ties to nations designated 'hostile,' isn't new. Remember when the US, under Bush, spent years labeling Iran part of an 'Axis of Evil' which then conveniently justified broader surveillance and
targeting of individuals and organizations deemed sympathetic? It appears discussing the Middle East outside approved narratives (i.e., those not funneled through AIPAC-funded think tanks or State Department talking points) has become a border security risk. One might wonder if MESA's scholarship on Palestinian rights or US foreign policy in the region presents a more 'clear and present danger' to
certain agendas than any individual scholar ever could. How many more scholars must vanish before we admit the 'free exchange' of ideas only applies if those ideas are pre-vetted?