Dear petitioners, As my letter below to Trustee James Montgomery indicates, we, Professor Steven Salaita's supporters, will continue to be active on his behalf until justice prevails. In the meantime, I call on you to donate to a fund set up to help Professor Salaita meet the burden of his legal fees as well as allow him to sustain his family throughout this adversity. We are now 18,600 strong. If each one of us donates as little as ten dollars, we can make a difference. Here is a link to the donation site (this is a new site; the old one is still up with information, but has been deactivated because of problems with PayPal). https://fundly.com/support-steven-salaita Below, my letter to Trustee Montgomery: _____________________ UI IS LUCKY TO HAVE YOU ON ITS BOARD, MR. MONTGOMERY Dear Mr. James D. Montgomery, Trustee (james@jdmlaw.com): Cc: uibot I am not sure if you read any of my many e-mails addressed to Chancellor Wise and then to the members of the Board in my capacity as the organizer of the petition in support of Professor Salaita, which has now garnered 18,502 signatories from all over the world. But if you have, you would know that I am a Palestinian-American citizen, like Professor Steven Salaita, currently teaching at Al-Quds University in the West Bank (the campus is just behind Israel's illegal apartheid/annexation wall, east of illegally annexed Jerusalem). Last night, I sat eagerly by my laptop in anticipation of watching the live-stream of the events surrounding the Board meeting at UIUC. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect (perhaps because the online stream was confined to the United States). But I did watch the videos that Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada posted the following day - this morning, my time. When I listened to what you had to say, I was so moved by the unexpected forthrightness of your answers amidst the general fog of dissimulation and callous "realpolitik" blanketing that hall, I couldn't help crying. At the end of the short interview, you were asked what you expected Salaita's next move might be. You seemed confident he would go on fighting - now through the legal system. What I’d like to tell you is that you can be sure his supporters will go on fighting as well, taking action that might hurt your beloved University by way of putting pressure on the administration. As you might know, our struggle for justice in Palestine (Salaita's fight in its most basic elements being but an extension) has run into adversity upon adversity throughout the decades, but we, like you and your people, Mr. Montgomery, are resilient and famous for our “‪#‎sumoud‬” - steadfastness - in the face of that adversity. As a responsible member of the Board at a prestigious American university, your concerns about the decision are related to many factors, as you outlined in the interview, including the possible political motivation behind that shameful decision - which to many of us is already evident. The University is lucky to have you on its Board, Mr. Montgomery. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for not being afraid to speak your conscience. With admiration and respect from Abu Dis, Palestine, Rima Najjar ‪#‎SupportSalaita‬ Blogs » Ali Abunimah's blog Watch: Univ. of Illinois top officials challenged on pro-Israel donor’s role in Salaita firing http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/watch-univ-illinois-top-officials-challenged-pro-israel-donors-role-salaita