Rashid Khalidi

Rashid Khalidi is the Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies and Director of the Middle East Institute at SIPA. He is also a professor in the History Department, and teaches popular courses such as History of the Modern Middle East.

He has come under fire from the New York Sun and other conservative newspapers for his politics, especially due to his participation in a program in the New York City public school system, from which he has withdrawn. Professor Khalidi attempted several times to leave for a similar position at Princeton, although he was stymied by protests, again concerning his political views. Many of these stem from what is seen as Khalidi's erstwhile support for the PLO, ostensibly offered while serving in an advisory role during the Madrid Conference of 1991, although Khalidi denies that this marked any affirmation of the PLO's actions or politics.

Despite attempts to portray him otherwise, however, Khalidi is a soft-spoken moderate. His opposition to the war in Iraq stemmed from the view that it reenacted historical fallacies stemming from European imperialism, but welcomes American participation in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He is often as sharply critical of Arab states and Palestinian politicians as he is supportive of Israel's right to exist.

In 2007, Khalidi announced to his students that he would be retiring from teaching, although news of his departure has not been officially confirmed.

External Links

[1]- Khalidi MEI Bio Page