We, the undersigned professionals, faculty and students, write to express our deep concern at the defamation and termination of Professor Thalia Arawi's contract from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Medical Center (AUBMC).

Professor Arawi is a respected, internationally renowned leading figure in Bioethics credited with establishing the first and only Regional Bioethics and Professionalism Program in the Arab Region. She is also the first Arab member of the International Association of Bioethics and holds memberships in numerous other bioethics organizations. 

Professor Arawi is a renowned scholar with a remarkable record of publications and national, regional as well as international impact which made the SHBPP the first and only WHO Collaborating Center for Health Ethics in the Arab World. Her dedication has been paramount in transforming the SHBPP into a center of excellence. With the help of the Hoss Family, she raised 1.8 million USD for the SHBPP with donors’ full support and respect for her achievements. Dr. Arawi's pioneering work in establishing the first bedside clinical ethics service is truly commendable.

Her dedication to her students is well-documented by consistently high teaching evaluations and the countless testimonials from former students who credit her with shaping their understanding of complex ethical issues in science and medicine, for mentoring them not only as future doctors, but also as morally courageous citizens. Dr. Arawi’s academic contributions have enriched our understanding of ethics, humanism, moral courage and internalization of values and she is a respected professor to her students as well as a valuable member of the scholarly and activist communities. Having worked and collaborated with her, we can confidently attest to her professionalism, ethics, competence and her unwavering readiness to help us shape the bioethics landscape at our own institutions. 

The lack of reasons provided for Professor Arawi's termination of contract is deeply concerning. Her dismissal, surrounded by allegations and lacking transparency, undermines academic freedom and faculty dignity. The allegation that the SHBPP has a “tarnished image due to the suboptimal work” of Dr. Arawi is unfounded and accusing her of incompetence and lack of ethics casts doubt on the fairness of the process. Moreover, silencing Professor Arawi's voice on critical issues in bioethics undermines open and honest academic discourse. AUBMC's loss of Professor Arawi will have a significant negative impact on bioethics not only at AUB but also regionally and internationally as well as on patient care, bioethics education and students. The recent decision to terminate Dr. Arawi's employment, a highly competent and dedicated colleague, raises serious concerns for many people who work at the AUB-AUBMC in particular and academia at large. 

We urgently stand in solidarity with Professor Arawi, whose work, name, and reputation are unfairly tarnished by baseless allegations.
We urge the administration to carefully consider the impact such decisions have on staff morale and trust, and to take swift and decisive action to rectify this injustice.

Sincerely,