AMCA Statement on Executive Order Concerning Refugees and Immigrants
On January 27, 2017 U.S. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order proposing a 90-day suspension of visas and other immigration benefits to all nationals of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya and Somalia, a move that has grave and immediate consequences for artists, scholars, students, curators, and their families and communities, as well as for refugees and immigrants from various backgrounds throughout the world.
AMCA is an international organization focused on the study of Modern and Contemporary Art from the Arab world, Iran, and Turkey. Our membership not only includes scholars and students from the affected countries, but also depends upon their vital and invaluable contributions to advancing the field. We are deeply concerned with both immediate and long-term barriers to intellectual and artistic exchanges resulting from this Executive Order, along with the harmful and anti-intellectual environment it engenders. We reject fear mongering, Islamophobia, and discriminatory and dangerous arguments concerning refugees and immigrants that have been presented without factual basis.
Please consider adding your name to the petition Academics Against Immigration Executive Order: https://notoimmigrationban.com.
Nada Shabout, President
Sarah Rogers, President Elect
Pamela Karimi, Treasurer
Jessica Gerschultz, Secretary