Talk:Ayesha Jalal

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Towards an NPOV on the Columbia controversy

I have removed some lines from the section on Jalal's denial of tenure at Columbia, and inserted some additional context. The suggestion that her accusations were "unsupported by other Pakistani or Muslim faculty" is unsubstantiated. If someone wants to put this back in, it is necessary to add a reference. I have left one of the alleged quotes from the legal decision, but a reference should be added there also. The second quotation seems especially suspect to me, for I doubt a court would dismiss a discrimination claim on the basis of "oddness". The last line of that section on the frivolity of Jalal's claim displays clear bias and I have eliminated it. It is indeed true that the vast bulk of discrimination claims are dismissed by courts. In a case such as tenure, in which the university is able to exclude closed-door proceedings, the prosecution essentially needs to get someone to admit to discrimination on the stand. To say these cases are frivolous in the first place is sheer mischief.

Finally, I have added some context regarding Jalal's opposition to accepting the donation for what eventually became the Dharam Hinduja Institute of Indic Research, which lived a short and controversial existence at Columbia. Many have alleged that this move on her part was the reason she was denied tenure. I am not so bold as to suggest this in the entry, but it certainly bears mention and I think none would deny that she did in fact oppose accepting the funding. -elbev