Antisemitism Law Helped Get a Professor Fired for Free Speech, Lawsuit Says

An Iranian American professor, Shirin Saeidi, at the University of Arkansas was fired in December 2023 for social media posts critical of Israel, according to a lawsuit. Despite a faculty committee recommending her reinstatement, Saeidi was dismissed in March, a decision upheld in May after an appeal.

The lawsuit claims this firing was part of a coordinated campaign by an Iranian exile group, the Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA), which alleged Saeidi was working for the Iranian government and committed plagiarism in her Cambridge dissertation. Both allegations were denied by Saeidi.

The lawsuit further alleges that state lawmakers, including Arkansas Senator Dan Sullivan and a state senator, colluded with AAIRIA and university officials to pressure the university into firing Saeidi. The lawsuit includes 15 counts and seeks to nullify Saeidi's termination, award her back pay and damages, and overturn Act 721, a 2025 Arkansas law allowing public funds to be cut to institutions perceived to have been lax against antisemitism.

Saeidi's attorney, Badria Mryyan, described Act 721 as an example of limiting free speech under the guise of equal protection, and a deterrent to academic freedom. She also noted that the university showed fear of mentioning Act 721, especially when it came from legislators.

The lawsuit is one of several targeting Iranian and Iranian American academics and journalists, often resulting in violent death threats and personal attacks. It is part of a broader push to target these individuals, particularly those advocating for diplomacy with Iran, which has intensified since Donald Trump's return to the White House.