Controversy over Canadian-saudi Arabian Student Exchange Program

A student exchange program between King Faisal University in Riyadh and Concordia University here has sparked a controversy between Jewish professors and the administrative staff at Concordia.

The professors pointed out that if an exchange program goes into effect, Jewish faculty and staff members would be excluded from going to Saudi Arabia because of that country’s discriminatory immigration laws and travel restrictions regarding Jews. They also pointed out that any non-Jewish faculty or staff member whose passport indicates travel to Israel would also be barred from Saudi Arabia.

Douglas Potvin, Concordia’s assistant vice rector and director of continuing education, said the proposal for the student exchange program was the result of a tour last November by Saudi Arabian officials of Canadian colleges and universities. When the tour was completed, Potvin said, the Saudis contacted him to establish an exchange program between the communications departments of Concordia and King Faisal Universities.

Replying to the professors’ charges, Potvin said that “any business firm that does business with Saudi Arabia knows that Jews will not be allowed in that country. We may not like the restrictions, but if the United Nations and other countries can’t change them, what can we do?”

He said it was not up to Concordia to “change an internal (Saudi Arabian) matter,” but noted that at the same time.” there are plenty of Saudi students being taught by Jewish professors without a problem” and there was no indication that Saudi Arabia would insist on barring Jewish professors from the exchange program at Concordia. A decision by the university is expected this week.