Professor Omid Safi (UNC) Tells Obama to Tear Down Israeli Wall

Hat tip Campus Watch and Investigative Project on Terrorism

Howler of the Month (archive)

"President Obama visited the historic gate at Berlin Wall to make a series of comments on the 50 [sic] anniversary of JFK's famed 'Ich bin ein Berliner' speech. . . . As you stood on the Eastern side of the Berlin Wall, we too invite you to stand on the other side of another wall, the segregation wall in Palestine/Israel. Mr. President, tear down that wall." Omid Safi, professor of Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, mistaking the Brandenburg Gate, at which President Obama spoke on June 19, for the Berlin Wall; "Beyond the Berlin Wall: 'Mr. Obama: Tear Down All These Walls," at the web log, "What Would Muhammad Do?," June 20, 2013. (link to source)

-Campus Watch


Campus Watch is featuring this article by University of North Carolina professor Omid Safi in his blog, What would Mohammed do? in Religious News. It is appropriately under the title, "Howler of the Month" In this piece, Safi points out this past week's visit to Berlin by President Obama where he finally got his wish to speak in front of the Brandenburg Gate and make his grand pronouncements on this and that. Safi uses the analogy to urge Mr Obama to tear down the Israeli wall.

http://omidsafi.religionnews.com/2013/06/20/tear-down-these-walls/

Here is a little background on Dr Safi. On July 5, 2008,  he wrote a letter to the judge in the Sami al-Arian case urging Al-Arian's release (Hat tip Investigative Project on Terrorism. Scroll down to document # 51).

http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/case_docs/638.pdf


As for the matter of Safi's article, I have never visited Israel, but I did cross through Checkpoint Charlie a few times when Berlin was still divided. Thus, I will offer the learned professor a lesson on German history that he may not be aware of.

The Berlin Wall was constructed by the East Germans beginning in 1961 for one express purpose: They wanted to keep East Germans from crossing over to the West to freedom and escape communism, as they were doing in droves. In other words, they wanted to keep a captive people inside their wall. The Israelis, on the other hand, built their wall to keep out suicide bombers.

Like this.

I might add that the (latter) wall has been highly effective. In other words, it has saved lives.

But back to Germany. As most people know (except Dr Safi), in medieval times, walls around cities were quite common. Unlike the Berlin wall built by the East Germans, they had a similar purpose as the Israeli wall- to keep hostile armies OUT. Cities like Nuremberg still have their walls in place for the sake of historical and aesthetic reasons.



I do not claim to be an expert on the various details of the Israeli wall. There may or may not be valid arguments about the reach of certain parts of the wall, checkpoint procedures, etc.. I do know, however, why it was built- to keep out terrorists who blow themselves up on buses, in pizza parlors, or any other public place in order to kill dozens of Israelis in the process. For Safi to compare the Israeli wall to the Berlin Wall is ludicrous on its face and explains why Campus Watch selected his piece as the Howler of the Month.

Damn this job is easy.