Stella Paul, writing in American Thinker, and Jerry Gordon, writing in New English Review, have focused on problems of anti-Semitism on the University of California campuses and, in the latter, Rutgers University in New Jersey. Paul takes UC President Mark Yudof to task for allowing the situation to fester, while Gordon draws comparisons between Rutgers and UC-Irvine (where I teach part-time).
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/07/jewish_university_presidents_who_abandon_jews.html
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/36244#CurDomainURL#/blog.cfm
Last November, I attended a speaking appearance by Yudof at Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach. Let us say that I was underwhelmed.
While Yudof was trying to explain to the audience why he couldn't do much about anti-Semitic speech at UCI, the honchos of the local OC Jewish Federation were hauling a young female photographer out of the room and giving her the third degree over who she was working for. (No, there was no physical force used, just rude treatment.)
The fact is that several UC campuses, in allowing themselves to be used as stages for radical, pro-Palestinian activism, have also allowed their campuses to become places of tension during their annual anti-Israel hate weeks. And it's not just other students who are making our campuses tense. Throw in left-wing, pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel professors-especially those indoctrinators who staff the Middle East studies departments-courtesy of Saudi petro-dollars, and what yoiu have is soimething less than what a university is supposed to be.
Speaking of Middle East studies radicals, how about that lovely woman at Rutgers, Shehnaz Sheik Abdeljaber? And she is an outreach coordinator for Middle Eastern studies??
"Zionist pig!!!"
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2011/04/zoa-to-rutgers-stop-campus-anti-semitism-israel-bashing-and-violent-threats.html
What makes the package complete are cowardly administrators; presidents, chancellors, vice chancellors, deans, asst. deans and silent professors who allow this situation to exist. The only thing that can change it is an outraged public, especially the local community and parents. It is high time for universities to get the message that ALL groups on campus are entitled to be treated in a civil manner. The sad fact is that Israel-Middle Eastern forums and events require campus police presence to insure no violence breaks out. That is a sad state of affairs for any university. It shouldn't have to be that way.
What makes the package complete are cowardly administrators; presidents, chancellors, vice chancellors, deans, asst. deans and silent professors who allow this situation to exist. The only thing that can change it is an outraged public, especially the local community and parents. It is high time for universities to get the message that ALL groups on campus are entitled to be treated in a civil manner. The sad fact is that Israel-Middle Eastern forums and events require campus police presence to insure no violence breaks out. That is a sad state of affairs for any university. It shouldn't have to be that way.
5 comments:
And who is the top enabler of this Anti-Semism? It comes form a man who is friends with Khalidi, a pro-Palistinian; A man who says that he sides with the Muslims; The person who has Muslim Brotherhood operatives in the White House; He has a Secretary of State that has a "Senior Aide" that is connected to the Muslim Brotherhood; He sat in a BLT church with a Pastor that is anti-Semitic; A President who tells Israel to commit suicide by moving back to 1967 lines; A POTUS that officially recognizes a terrorist support group, the Muslim Brotherhood; A man who happily gets "bundler money from "Code Pink", a pro-Palistian NGO and flotilla cruiser; A man who enjoys geting money and support from an anti-Semitic George Soros. This who spirit of the times is "follow the leader".
Enough said.
Squid
Enter the voice of sweet reason (myself):
The obvious problem with all this is that there are two emotionally charged parties, those who love Israel "uber alles" and those who want to drive the Jews into the sea. Both want free play for their own viewpoint, and are highly offended (understandably so) by the expressions of the other side.
What a capable administrator would do is commission a thorough (and rapid) study of exactly what the boundaries are of free speech, libel and slander, criminal intimidation, and any other legal terms that reasonably apply.
Next, an announcement should be made as to what the university MUST tolerate, what the university may reasonably regulate, and what the university has a pro-active legal duty to prohibit.
Then, all of the above should be rigorously and dispassionately enforce on anyone and everyone, regardless of viewpoint.
I agree that we seem to have a lot of hand-wringing adminstrators who have a half-baked idea that they must respect free speech, but no clue as to when and how they should firmly intervene to prevent criminal violations. That is rife for anyone to claim bias, whether of the "Islamophobia" variety or the faux "anti-Semitism" whining.
Siarlys,
You may have hit upon something here. Yet, it is uniformly not the Jewish students or pro-Israel supporters who have crossed the line in campus after campus after campus.
The point I have hit on is precisely that campus administrators should be visibly seen NOT indulging in judgment about who is crossing the line how often compared to whom else, which simply becomes another issue for partisan sniping.
If it is true that it is always Muslim students, never Jewish students, who cross a generally applicable line, then it will always be Muslim students who get snagged for violation.
Of course some demagogue will cry that the statistical disparity proves there is bias against Muslims in the campus administration. But the answer to that is to invite credible evidence of violations by anyone, and in the meantime, to continue impartial enforcement. That too takes a little nerve of course. I grant you it is a capacity many administrators lack.
The MSU at USC, had, at one point, on their home page one of the verses from the holy hadeeths of islamonazism that calls for the extermination of Jews on a world-wide scale. They did take it down eventually.
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