Toronto

Cambridge University withdraws fellowship it offered to Jordan Peterson

England's Cambridge University has withdrawn a visiting fellowship offer from controversial Toronto University professor Jordan Peterson.

The offer was refused following a review of Peterson's work, the university said

Jordan Peterson is no longer in line to receive a fellowship from Cambridge University in England. (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

England's Cambridge University has withdrawn a visiting fellowship offer from controversial Toronto University professor Jordan Peterson.

Peterson requested a two-month fellowship at the university's Faculty of Divinity in October, but the school opted to rescind the opportunity following a review of his work, a spokesperson for Cambridge University said in a press release. 

In a blog post, Peterson said Cambridge did not directly notify him that the fellowship offer had been rescinded. 

The school's decision was "a serious error of judgment" and the Faculty of Divinity "continued [to] decline in relevance that they deserve," he said.  

Peterson rose to prominence after publishing his best-selling book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. Despite his popularity, many have criticized his opinions on feminism, political correctness culture, and gender non-conforming people. 

On Thursday, New Zealand book store chain Whitcoulls stopped selling Peterson's work following the Christchurch terror attack, which left 50 dead inside two mosques. The decision was made "in light of some extremely disturbing material being circulated prior, during and after the Christchurch attacks," Whitcoulls said. 

With files from CBC News