The below article was printed in the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles. It is written by a UC-Irvine student who records her reactions to the Muslim Student Union (UCI)-sponsored event entitled: Israel-The Politics of Genocide.
From the Los Angeles The Jewish Journal
May 20, 2009
Protecting Hate at UC Irvine
by Neelie Genya Milstein
http://www.jewishjournal.com/ opinion/article/protecting_hate_at_uc_irvine_20090520/
Imagine walking on a campus past buildings where you have taken numerous classes with many peers, past the Student Center where you have eaten lunch many times, past all the familiar places where you have felt safe and accepted. Now imagine walking by those same places and seeing blood-stained flags of a nation that is part of your identity. Posters with “anti-hate = anti-Israel” and “Stop Israeli Genocide” parade in front of you. Displays surround you with images of cruel IDF soldiers, dead Gazans, Anne Frank — a symbol of Jewish tragedy — wearing a kaffiyeh, and of Israel’s barrier to protect Jews from terrorism, labeled an “apartheid wall.” It is as if everything Israel and Jews ever stood for is racism, bloodshed and war. You are a Jew; a proud Jew, a proud supporter of Israel. Now you are seen as nothing but a racist murderer on your own campus.
When I first walked onto campus and saw the Israeli flag blowing in the wind, ripped and blood-stained, I was filled with anger, sadness, and helplessness. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, “These are lies. This is disgusting!” I didn’t scream, but I trembled with rage at the Muslim Student Union (MSU), and even more, at the UCI administration for standing by as their students are humiliated, chewed up and spit out, and depicted almost as animals.
Anyone who knows Israel’s history knows of its challenges, triumphs and mistakes. I refuse to accept vicious propaganda that demonizes Israel. I refuse to accept desecration of cherished symbols of Jewish identity. I recognize that freedom of speech entails freedom to preach hate, lies and prejudice, but I am repulsed. The MSU depicts the suffering caused by Israel’s recent war with Hamas, but it never acknowledges the reasons for Israel’s actions, the suffering of Israelis, Hamas’ goal to destroy Israel, or the tactics Hamas used, such as human shields, that raised the civilian toll. I, along with Israelis and the Jewish world, grieve for the innocent civilians who died. Why doesn’t the MSU show equal concern for Jewish fears and suffering? Could they share Hamas’ view that whenever an Israeli man, woman, or child is killed, it should be cause for celebration and passing out candy?
I have been told to censor myself so that potential students are not afraid to come to UCI, but I have had enough censorship. With truth comes power, not fear. The MSU’s hate is dangerous. I have been in Jewish private schools since second grade and I have always been taught that hatred is wrong. I know that Israelis are taught not to hate Arabs, and that Jewish national identity demands equal protection for Muslim religious identity. I know that UCI’s Jewish students never even thought of retaliating with a weeklong campaign of “The World Without Mecca” or “Palestinian Nationalism=Islamic Terrorism and Racism.” Then I came to UCI, and found that my fear of hatred was more than justified. At UCI, hate is a yearly event that lasts for a week. It isn’t just any hatred. It is hatred directed at me, my friends, my community and my history.
After my three years at UCI, you would think I would be desensitized, and could just ignore the MSU’s “apartheid wall.” But I stand for more than that. I am standing up for all the Jews in past generations who did their best to uphold our religion and protect our people. I am standing up for all who understand and support the State of Israel as one of the most extraordinary achievements of the Jewish people.
I am not asking the UCI administration to censor the hate speech. I am asking them to denounce this style of rhetoric and displays just as they would denounce campaigns for white supremacy, sexism, or Islamophobia. I am asking them to be as fearful of countenancing hatred as I was taught to be, not just because of its present impact, but because of what it bodes for the future.
Neelie Genya Milstein is a student at UC Irvine.
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Fousesquawk comment: Thank you Neelie for speaking out from the perspective of a Jewish UCI student. And shame on those Jewish elements who discouraged her from speaking out. I have an idea who they are, but since she did not identify them by name, I will not comment further excpet to say they should be ashamed.
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6 comments:
Here's the problem with this argument:
you guys can't point to one example where the UCI admin. has condemned any other speakers, meaning there is no double standard or special treatment for MSU. The administration would NOT condemn campaigns for white supremacy, sexism, or Islamophobia even if they did occur, either. Their job is to stay neutral and objective, and that is how I like it.
Did UCI condemn people holding disgusting signs of aborted fetuses on ring road last year? Not that I know of. Good.
Does UCI condemn the crazies that show up every now and then, holding giant signs on poles that basically say we're all going to hell for being Jews, Muslims, Mormons, gay, "mouthy women" (that one's an exact quote) etc? Not that I know of. Good!
Stay neutral, I say.
Actually Bryan they do condone such attacks on Jewish students. One just has to look at where the hatred is pointed at and realize that the only difference between the MSU and the Nazis is the swastika. I happen to know personally a few dozen students who were considering UCI and other UC schools for their degree, who now have changed their minds. One big reason was and is the level of anti-Semitism perceived by the University with weeks like this last one.
It will only be a matter of years before the University can proudly erect their JUDENFREI sign.
Bryan,
I understand the point you are making, and I don't take issue with it for the most part. The position of the university is that it must remain content neutral. Of course that doesn't pertain to professors who cross that line even in the classroom. BTW, do you think professors should stay neutral in the classroom?
But the problem I have is what if somebody invited Hitler to speak. Should the administration then remain "content neutral"?
To Anonymous,
My apologies that I inadvertently erased your lengthy comment. It was thoughtful and deserves a thoughtful response, so I'll try to remember all your points.
First of all, I am not aware of the incident you describe unless you were referring to an incident that happened a couple of years back when an MSU student allegedly threw a cinder block at a car thought to have been driven by an FBI agent. Of course, I don't approve of any acts of vandalism or assault.
I have tried in this blog not to paint all Muslims with the radical brush. I assume there are Muslims in the MSU who are not anti-Jewish. (Yes, I know that Arabs are also Semites, but when we use the expression "anti-Semitic", we are talking about Jews. I don't believe that all Muslims hate Jews.
However, there is cause for concern when we read certain passages in the Qu'ran and hadiths, which refer to Jews in the worst terms. There are also many Muslim spokespeople even clerics who echo these sentiments. Thus, I think it is undeniable that among the militant Jihadist element of Islam, anti-Jewish feeling is prevalent.
The MSU at UCI denies these sentiments repeatedly because they know it would turn most Americans against them. Yet, there is the old saying, "you are known by the compnay you keep". MSU consistently brings in speakers who cross the line. The example I always use is Mohammed al-Asi, who said at UCI a few years back, "Jews are low-life ghetto dwellers. You can take the Jew out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the Jew." That is clearly anti-Jewish and when the MSU brings such speakers to UCI then they cannot complain about accusations of anti-Semitism. Cynthia McKinney is another who, if not anti-Semitic herself, surrounds herself with people who spout anti-semitic phrases. (Her father, Billy McKinney and Hashim Nzinga of the New Black Panther Party-her crew of bodyguards).
You also point out that the MSU brings in Jewish supporters like Anna Baltzer. There are a lot of Anna Baltzers out there. Norman Finklestein is much worse. The Jewish community is quite fragmented, as I have learned to my disappointment. I cannot psychoanalyze these people. I have heard many Jews refer to them as "self-hating" Jews. Since I am not Jewish myself, I try to stay away from those terms. Yet, I suspect there is an element of rebellion being played out here by these folks. At any rate, I feel they are allowing themselves to be used.
I hope that covers all your points and this gets back to your attention.
Gary,
I sent you an email with some information at UCI.edu but it was returned. I called your number at UCI and left a message. Please contact me via anyone at ACT! Thanks.
Bryan, the refutation of your argument is in your own words "The administration would NOT condemn campaigns for white supremacy, sexism, or Islamophobia even if they did occur."
The fact is that such campaigns did not occur. And I am sure the KKK would love to have a similar campaign on campus. It is some action by the UCI administration that prohibits it. Only Israel (read "only Jews") are subjected to the enormous hate campaign like this. This one week is just the tip of the iceberg, the campaign goes on through the whole year.
Either let the KKK and other organized nuts have their own hate weeks, or (far more preferable), get rid of this one. Anything else is pure hupocrisy and legalized Jew-hatred, once again singling out one and the same nation for eternal persecution.
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