The odyssey of the professor accused of Islamophobia and “cancelled” who fears for his life

“A lecturer who was canceled after false allegations of Islamophobia revealed he feared Muslim extremists would kill him,” summarizes the times. The story is that of the human rights scholar Steven Greer, 66, who went into hiding after students at Bristol University Law School complained elements of his course were ‘racist’ and ‘Islamophobic’. The academic grew a beard and carried a screwdriver in case he was attacked, revealing he was more afraid for his life than during the Troubles in his native Belfast. Greer, who was cleared of wrongdoing after an inquiry, accused the activists of putting the lives of academics like him at risk and warned of the damage of the “Woke Inquisition”. The book in which Greer recounts her experience, Falsely Accused of Islamophobia: My Struggle Against Academic Cancellationhas just been released. Inside, the story: “Cancel culture is fast becoming the scourge of academia. A climate of fear is already replacing an environment of free and critical research.” “Some, wearing gags and blinders, will join the next generation of leaders. This does not bode well for the future of our society”.

Greer writes that academics “already self-censor” because they fear being falsely labeled as “unfriendly to minorities including gays, transsexuals and Muslims.” He was cleared of any wrongdoing after a five-month investigation, but university leaders canceled his course on Islam, China and the Far East so Muslim students “wouldn’t feel that their religion was being targeted.” “Up until last year, I had enjoyed a wonderful career and believed that I had earned the respect of students and colleagues around the world,” Greer says. A petition launched by members of the Islamic society of the university, the “Brisoc”, was signed by more than four thousand people. “Overnight my name has become synonymous with fanaticism, racism and Islamophobia, especially on social media, due to a handful of malicious students who have decided to ruin my life. I have been vilified and my name and reputation have been dragged through the mud. For my own safety, I was forced to act like a fugitive.” And again: “The campaign was vicious and punitive and put me and my family under intolerable stress. It was scary. To be on the safe side, my wife and I ran away from home to stay in a safer place. Militant minorities are increasingly intent on dictating the law through defamation, intimidation and threats.

Islamophobic allegations were first leveled against Professor Greer after he used a slide that mentioned the 2015 terrorist attack on the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo. The slide was described as containing “Islamophobic rhetoric”. Furthermore, a conference that included remarks on the treatment of women and non-Muslims in Islamic states and the harsh penalties imposed by Sharia law was described as “bigoted and divisive”. He was given no further teaching assignments upon his return, kept on what he calls unofficial “research leave” until his retirement in September 2022. Karolien Celie, of the Free Speech Union, a body that promotes freedom speaking and defending those targeted online, said: “The horrific case of Professor Greer is yet another reminder of the fragility of academic freedom. An alarm bell for those who care about the maintenance of liberal democratic societies”. The bell rings for everyone.

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• Giulio Meotti

• Giulio Meotti has been a journalist for «Il Foglio» since 2003. He is the author of numerous books, including We will not stop dancing. The untold stories of the martyrs of Israel (Capalbio Award); They killed Charlie Hebdo; The end of Europe (Capri Prize); Israel. The last European state; The suicide of Western culture; God’s Tomb; Notre Dame burns; The Last Pope of the West? and Europe without Jews.