Thoughtcrime and Punishment: A Year of Shunning and Law Suits at a Canadian University

Gad Saad of Concordia University in Montreal, a Lebanese-born advocate of free speech and open inquiry, has always made a point of telling his audiences to never sit idly by, but to get engaged and defend the freedoms we have long taken for granted in the Western world. He laments that our schools are full of timid souls who won't give voice to their personal convictions for fear of professional consequences-even though in the Middle East, where he's from, activists will risk death or torture. "Academics need to be warriors and stand up for freedom of expression," he says. "The pursuit of truth is greater than careeris[m]."

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