Stony Brook Hires Baghdad Museum Director
Donny George, who directed the National Museum in Baghdad and became a vocal advocate for
protecting Iraqi antiquities before leaving his post recently and fleeing to Syria, has been hired
as a visiting professor at Stony Brook University on Long Island, the university announced. Mr.
George became the international face of the plight of ancient artifacts in Iraq, many of which
have been stolen or destroyed since the war began in 2003, but left his job in August after
telling colleagues that he felt threatened. Mr. George, a Christian, was a midlevel official in
the Baath Party under Saddam Hussein’s government and could have been the target of a revenge
campaign by conservative Shiites, American officials said at the time. Beginning next semester,
Mr. George will teach two courses, “The Archaeology of Mesopotamia” and “The Cultural Heritage of
Iraq.” He will also conduct archaeological research. His appointment was sponsored by Stony Brook
and the Scholar Rescue Fund, a program run by the Institute of International Education to provide
refuge to persecuted scholars.
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