Cambridge Faculty Admits Hiring Flaws in Nathan Cofnas Case as Ghent University Suspends Researcher
Middle East Eye obtained minutes from a 2024 Cambridge meeting revealing that senior academics privately acknowledged that a basic background check would have revealed Nathan Cofnas's controversial views before his hiring. Cofnas, currently suspended by Ghent University in Belgium, accused sociologist Jason Arday of plagiarism, sparking a media frenzy that preceded Arday's death. While US officials and some scholars defend Cofnas's academic freedom, Ghent faculty and critics argue his appointment was an ideological choice lacking expertise, and his broader writings promote racial pseudoscience.