The president of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville (U of A) terminated the employment of a tenured professor over reported social media remarks that disparaged Israel, citing concerns over federal backlash should the University maintain her employment.
JJ Thompson, part of the legal team representing Dr. Shirin Saeidi, said that U of A President Jay Silveria made the decision in late March, over a month after he was presented with a unanimous opinion from the U of A Faculty Committee on Appointment Promotion and Tenure (APT) that determined Dr. Saeidi should be allowed to continue her appointment.
In 2025, Dr. Saeidi was accused of using university letterhead to campaign for the release of Hamid Nouri, who was convicted in a Swedish court for ordering the execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. That same year, Dr. Saeidi also reportedly posted support online for Palestine and former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was recently killed during a U.S. air strike on Iran.
Dr. Saeidi is accused of reposting a social media statement that advocated for violence against Zionists, but the APT notes that she commented on the repost, saying that "Attacking Muslims and Jews because of what their states do is racist and illegal according to international law."
In February, an APT evidentiary hearing reportedly found that Dr. Saeidi's case did not warrant termination and recommended that she be reinstated.
Nearly a month after the APT's recommendation, University President Silveria moved for Dr. Saeidi's termination, saying in part that he is concerned the university could "suffer a reduction or elimination of funding under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-16-2004 if its responses to antisemitism are determined to be inadequate."
