Letter to the Editor: Op-ed was one-sided and bigoted
January 23, 2026
This
piece represents the opinion of the author
.
Dear Editor,
Once again, Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern and North African Studies Nasser Abourahme has expressed his entirely one-sided and bigoted opinion in his op-ed piece. Professor Abourahme is entitled to his opinion and to express said opinion.
However, if Professor Abourahme is teaching this revisionist view of history, without any balanced viewpoint, to Bowdoin students, he is factually wrong, and he is prejudiced.
Professor Abourahme stakes out a position which makes abundantly clear his antipathy to Israel and the Jews who inhabit it. This sentence, from his op-ed piece, epitomizes his extreme position: “But the deeper truth is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to face this genocide as a Zionist because the genocide is at least one logical end of Zionism as a historical project.”
Professor Abourahme is promoting anti-Zionism, which is considered by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance to be antisemitic.
This is a man who we have teaching Middle Eastern studies? I am ashamed of Bowdoin for allowing this entirely one-sided and false narrative to be taught to students.
Jeff Emerson is a trustee emeritus and a member of the Class of 1970.
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Jeff— considering you were last a student at Bowdoin over 50 years ago, it makes sense you might be surprised to hear viewpoints that differ from your own on Israel from faculty members. Many things have changed on campus, from the introduction of women as students to new academic departments such as the Middle Eastern studies department. Professor Abourahme is one of the most thoughtful professors I’ve had the pleasure of learning from and might just be the most knowledgeable. Your usage of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which is widely used to police free speech rather than fight antisemitism, shows your biased viewpoint. I can guarantee you Professor Abourahme presents a balanced viewpoint in his classes that is supported by facts and the Bowdoin of 2026 supports him and his scholarship. You on the other hand, continue to live in the past.
I wanted to comment my support for Professor Abourahme; I took a class with him in the Fall of 2023. It was a rewarding experience – he is professional, caring, and incredibly insightful.
Professor Abourahme has described his lived experience, while also citing a variety of primary and secondary sources. Rather than engaging with Professor Abourahme’s argument or the evidence he presents, Mr. Emerson simply dismisses him as “factually wrong” and “prejudiced,” and on that basis portray him as a disgrace to the college. This approach avoids addressing Professor Abourahme’s actual claims and does not engage with them in a fair or honest way.