Campaign Asking Dr. Salman Akhtar To “Please Don’t Go”
The USA Network had noted that Dr. Salman Akhtar, a noted psychoanalyst living in Philadelphia, was advertised as the Keynote speaker at an online event held on April 4, 2021 hosted by the Tel Aviv Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis.
The website of the Tel Aviv Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis speaks to its concern for “humanist values,” yet the website makes no meaningful reference to the violent Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, the racist propaganda supporting this occupation, or the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated to maintain this occupation. We therefore find the Tel Aviv Institute’s silence on these issues to constitute its complicity and collusion with the Israeli occupation, rather than presenting a genuine defense of humanist values.
We were thus especially dismayed therefore to see that Dr. Akhtar—whose previous books and articles have reflected upon the themes of social displacement, Islam, social prejudices, and identity—had agreed to participate in an event at this Institute.
In March 2021, the USA Network sent a formal emailed letter to Dr. Akhtar, asking him to reconsider his decision to deliver the Keynote address Dr. Akhtar responded promptly and briefly, stating that he did not wish to engage in further discussion about this issue but that he was, in fact, going to deliver the Keynote speech as planned. The USA Network then launched an online petition which was signed by 165 mental health workers and professionals globally. The USA Network issued a final plea to Dr. Akhtar on March 29th, asking him to kindly reconsider in light of the petition and its many international supporters; we received no answer.
Although unsuccessful in persuading Dr. Akhtar to reconsider his plan, we believe that this campaign was successful in advancing an awareness of the issue of Palestinian rights. The petition was emailed to many online groups, chat-rooms, and lists—providing a focus for reflection by putting the question of “Don’t Go” on the radar even among those who chose not to sign it. It was gratifying to see many eminent scholars/activists among the list of signatories; we hope to further engage our colleagues in mental health as a strong voice of resistance to Israeli oppression through similar future actions.
