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Despite Criticism and Complaints, MIT Won't Cut Ties to Saudi Arabia

posted by Fnord666 on Thursday February 07 2019, @08:39AM   Printer-friendly
from the bigger-scissors dept.

takyon writes:

Despite criticism and complaints, MIT won't cut ties to Saudi Arabia

MIT won't sever its financial and research ties to Saudi Arabian government groups over the brutal killing of a journalist, despite the urging of many faculty and students, and complaints by some of the university's female researchers that they face more restrictions than their male colleagues when working in the Saudi kingdom.

On Wednesday, MIT president, L. Rafael Reif, denounced the behavior of the Saudi regime for violating human rights but rejected calls to unilaterally pull out of engagements in the Middle Eastern country.

MIT needs to provide faculty autonomy to decide whether they want to remain on the current projects and can't abandon those in Saudi Arabia, including alumni, who are trying to modernize the kingdom, Reif said.

"MIT utterly condemns such brutal human rights violations, discrimination and suppression of dissent, including the murder of Jamal Khashoggi," Reif said in a message to the MIT community. "Nevertheless, I hope we can respond to present circumstances in a way that does not suddenly reject, abandon, or isolate worthy Saudi people who share our principles and are doing good work."

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 07 2019, @11:59AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 07 2019, @11:59AM (#797717)

    But on the other hand at edX's MIT were quick to suddenly reject, abandon, and isolate worthy students (allegedly because were students from US trade embargoed countries like Cuba, Venezuela or Iran) and denying them even the free certificates after completing their online courses.

    You know, free or peanuts in one hand, bloody petrodollars on the other. Decisions, decisions.

  • (Score: 1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday February 07 2019, @03:25PM

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Thursday February 07 2019, @03:25PM (#797791) Homepage

    Where in living fuck did anybody claim that MIT was altrustic? They've been by far one of the biggest, if not the biggest bootlicking anti-freedom organizations in history.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 07 2019, @04:11PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 07 2019, @04:11PM (#797819)

    Just to clarify, students from those countries can follow the courses.
    It's only after they complete the courses that edX gives them the finger and denies them their worthless certificate of completion.