Recognizing the importance of the group behind a leader
To the Daily:
While I am thoroughly honored to have been recognized by the Daily in its "Students of the year" (03/26/2008) for my participation in Students Allied for Freedom and Equality - a diverse group of student activists organized to promote justice, human rights, liberation and self-determination for the Palestinian people - I would like to note that our success as an organization cannot be attributed to just one person. Nothing could have been achieved this year had it not been for the hard work and dedication of all SAFE's members, especially my co-chair Hena Ashraf, Bre Arder, Faria Jabbar, Ryah Aqel and Kamal Abuarquob.
This year, SAFE was steadfast in its effort to provide the campus community with a holistic and analytical outlook at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It did this in spite of being harassed by Internet and campus watchdogs who attempted to intimidate SAFE into silence through libelous blog postings and offensive fliers, which sometimes compared the SAFE members to the Ku Klux Klan. By ignoring and properly reporting these cowardly acts of hate and discrimination, SAFE demonstrated that it is possible to engage in a civil and analytical debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
As members of an institution of higher learning, we have a fundamental obligation to uphold the principles of freedom and equality. SAFE calls on people from all backgrounds and political persuasions to support peace and justice in the Middle East.
Andrew Dalack
LSA sophomore
The letter writer is the co-chair of SAFE
Showing posts with label SAFE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SAFE. Show all posts
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Daily - Students of the Year
The civil debater
Andrew Dalack
When Fadi Kiblawi created Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, a pro-Palestinian student group, in 2001, the group's initial attempts to discuss the contentious Israeli-Palestinian conflict with other campus groups often ended in bickering.
"Back then, around the beginning of the Second Intifada, it was a very emotional issue that often became very personal and ugly - and that affected the discourse," Kiblawi said. "There wasn't that level of civility."
Seven years later, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains as contentious as ever. But campus discourse on the conflict, Kiblawi said, is far more constructive and civil than it was during his days as a leader of SAFE.
Kiblawi attributes much of that change in the dialogue on Middle East issues to LSA sophomore Andrew Dalack, one of SAFE's current co-chairs.
"Andrew has done a great job this year opening up the debate, creating civil discussion on campus," Kiblawi said.
Increased civility in Israeli-Palestinian discourse was unexpected this year, considering the controversy in September over the University Press's distribution of a book called "Overcoming Zionism" that advocates a single-state solution. But under Dalack's leadership, the group organized events that garnered greater attention than SAFE has typically received on campus, like speeches by Joel Kovel, the author of "Overcoming Zionism," and Profs. John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, whose lecture drew a capacity crowd at the Natural Science Building earlier this month.
SAFE also hosted Palestinian Awareness Week in February, featuring a week of events focusing on Middle Eastern issues that included a lecture by an Israeli professor who spoke on the occupation of Palestinian territories from Israel's perspective.
By bringing academics, journalists and scholars of varying viewpoints to campus, Dalack said he was trying to "raise the bar" of the debate surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to a more academic level.
"We wanted to make sure that anybody who wanted the tit-for-tat, back and forth arguing would be marginalized, and that people who really wanted to engage in a more intellectual discussion could do so," Dalack said.
-Andy Kroll
Friday, March 21, 2008
UM 'Israel Lobby' event draws hundreds
By Will Youmans - The Arab American News
Friday, 03.21.2008
ANN ARBOR — Two years ago, two prominent American scholars broke the silence on a taboo often referred to as the "third-rail of politics," the disproportionate power of the Israel lobby. A fairly obscure intellectual journal, "The London Review of Books," published their essay, "The Israel Lobby."
In it, John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago, and Stephen Walt of Harvard, claimed that American policy in the Middle East is not guided by national interests. Instead "U.S. policy in the region derives almost entirely from domestic politics, and especially the activities of the "Israel Lobby.'"
This article sparked a thunderous debate, bringing about backlash from pro-Israel scholars, activists and politicians. Organizations like the Anti-Defamation League criticized the essay and its authors, claiming it resembled the "Jewish conspiracy" tales peddled by anti-Jewish racists.
Despite the anger directed towards these leading scholars of politics, hundreds of thousands of people downloaded the article and a longer version from a Harvard website. The authors released a book in which they refined their arguments and bolstered them with research. It became a New York Times bestseller.
It is no surprise then that four hundred and fifty people crammed into an auditorium at the University of Michigan on Friday, March 14, 2008 to hear them present their case.
The event was arranged by the Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, a student group at the university founded in 2001.
Campus officials were concerned the event would invite hostility from Israel's supporters on campus. The student newspaper reported that Sue Eklund, the outgoing associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, wanted to create a "notion of campus climate" by welcoming controversial speakers.
The event went smoothly, however. Pro-Israeli activists passed out literature before the event and were not disruptive.
Professor Ron Stockton, who teaches political science at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, introduced the professors by explaining the impact of their writings and suggesting that communication technologies enhance the flow of such ideas. He said such advances can transform societies, citing the rise of Barack Obama as an example.
Professor Walt opened with a detailed and thorough argument proving the lobby, a "loose network" exists. He clarified that such a lobby is "as American as apple pie." However, he said he was concerned because of its disproportionate weight in foreign policymaking. Professor Meirsheimer centered on the more difficult part of their work, that the lobby's policy positions and influence are bad for the United States and Israel.
Not everyone was pleased with everything they said. Sairah Husain, a junior at the university, said "although I disagreed with their support for the existence of the state of Israel, to even say what they did was big." Many questioned them on this point during the question and answer session.
They cited centuries of Jewish suffering as one reason Israel has a right to exist.
However, Mearsheimer and Walt argued that Jimmy Carter was correct. In the absence of a viable two-state solution, the situation there will resemble apartheid.
After the event, I asked Professor Mearsheimer what is the difference between that point and now. He said when the demographic balance swings in the Palestinians' favor, their largely rightsless existence will mirror apartheid. This, he pointed out earlier, is an analysis shared by Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert.
The professors wrote about this topic in the hope of opening up the debate on America's relationship with Israel. They felt this discussion was muffled by those who are quick to silent critics and unwilling to engage in open debate. At the University of Michigan last Friday, they found a large group of people more than happy to listen and consider their views.
Friday, 03.21.2008
ANN ARBOR — Two years ago, two prominent American scholars broke the silence on a taboo often referred to as the "third-rail of politics," the disproportionate power of the Israel lobby. A fairly obscure intellectual journal, "The London Review of Books," published their essay, "The Israel Lobby."
In it, John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago, and Stephen Walt of Harvard, claimed that American policy in the Middle East is not guided by national interests. Instead "U.S. policy in the region derives almost entirely from domestic politics, and especially the activities of the "Israel Lobby.'"
This article sparked a thunderous debate, bringing about backlash from pro-Israel scholars, activists and politicians. Organizations like the Anti-Defamation League criticized the essay and its authors, claiming it resembled the "Jewish conspiracy" tales peddled by anti-Jewish racists.
Despite the anger directed towards these leading scholars of politics, hundreds of thousands of people downloaded the article and a longer version from a Harvard website. The authors released a book in which they refined their arguments and bolstered them with research. It became a New York Times bestseller.
It is no surprise then that four hundred and fifty people crammed into an auditorium at the University of Michigan on Friday, March 14, 2008 to hear them present their case.
The event was arranged by the Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, a student group at the university founded in 2001.
Campus officials were concerned the event would invite hostility from Israel's supporters on campus. The student newspaper reported that Sue Eklund, the outgoing associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, wanted to create a "notion of campus climate" by welcoming controversial speakers.
The event went smoothly, however. Pro-Israeli activists passed out literature before the event and were not disruptive.
Professor Ron Stockton, who teaches political science at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, introduced the professors by explaining the impact of their writings and suggesting that communication technologies enhance the flow of such ideas. He said such advances can transform societies, citing the rise of Barack Obama as an example.
Professor Walt opened with a detailed and thorough argument proving the lobby, a "loose network" exists. He clarified that such a lobby is "as American as apple pie." However, he said he was concerned because of its disproportionate weight in foreign policymaking. Professor Meirsheimer centered on the more difficult part of their work, that the lobby's policy positions and influence are bad for the United States and Israel.
Not everyone was pleased with everything they said. Sairah Husain, a junior at the university, said "although I disagreed with their support for the existence of the state of Israel, to even say what they did was big." Many questioned them on this point during the question and answer session.
They cited centuries of Jewish suffering as one reason Israel has a right to exist.
However, Mearsheimer and Walt argued that Jimmy Carter was correct. In the absence of a viable two-state solution, the situation there will resemble apartheid.
After the event, I asked Professor Mearsheimer what is the difference between that point and now. He said when the demographic balance swings in the Palestinians' favor, their largely rightsless existence will mirror apartheid. This, he pointed out earlier, is an analysis shared by Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert.
The professors wrote about this topic in the hope of opening up the debate on America's relationship with Israel. They felt this discussion was muffled by those who are quick to silent critics and unwilling to engage in open debate. At the University of Michigan last Friday, they found a large group of people more than happy to listen and consider their views.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Daily covers Israel Lobby event
Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, authors of the book Israel Lobby, talk before their lecture in the Natural Science Auditorium on Friday.
Controversial authors discuss book, U.S. relationship with Israel
Mearsheimer and Walt draw capacity crowd to Natural Science Building
By Andy Kroll, Daily News Editor on 3/17/08
Political scientists John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, co-authors of the hotly-contested book "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," described to a capacity crowd Friday at the Natural Science Building who comprised the Israel lobby in the United States and why the influence was so detrimental to foreign policy decisions made by the U.S. government.
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, a pro-Palestinian group, invited Mearsheimer and Walt, who said the U.S. shares a "special relationship" with Israel in which the American government provides Israel with "unconditional support" and an unending amount of aid - both of which result from influence of the immensely powerful Israel lobby interest group.
For the first half of the speech, Walt, a political science professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, described the Israel lobby as a "loose coalition" of individuals and organizations that "works openly to influence U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction and encourage that special relationship" between the U.S. and Israel.
This coalition, he said, includes pro-Israel organizations like The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, Christians United for Israel and Zionist Organization of America; think-tanks like the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; and publications like The Weekly Standard and The New Republic.
Walt emphasized early on in his speech that he and Mearsheimer didn't believe the Israel lobby to be a conspiracy group or cabal, but rather an interest group like those that lobby on behalf of pharmaceutical companies or the National Rifle Association.
The actions of the Israel lobby, Walt said, "are as American as apple pie."
In working to ensure that the U.S. continues its special relationship with Israel, the Israel lobby functions in two main ways, Walt said.
First, he said, the lobby operates inside the Washington, D.C., beltway and within American politics by getting Israel sympathizers elected to key positions in government. He said the lobby then gives politicians clear incentives to act in the interest of the lobby and, in effect, Israel.
Walt added that pro-Israel political action committees have given $55 million over the past 15 years to congressional candidates and presidential candidates, which he compared with the $800,000 Arab-American political action committees gave to the political figures sympathetic to Arab-American interests over the same period.
In citing these statistics, Walt stressed to members of the audience the Israel lobby's political clout.
"The lobby doesn't win every election, doesn't win every time, but every congressman and presidential candidate knows you're playing with fire if you question the special relationship," he said.
The Israel lobby also works to shape public perceptions and public discourse in the U.S. so Americans view Israel favorably, Walt said.
He argued that editorial commentary, op-ed columnists and political pundits in the U.S. tend to favor Israel, and that voices critical of Israel were entirely absent from mainstream media in the U.S.
Walt also said that the lobby, in its defense of Israel, seeks to suppress and discredit anyone who does criticize the country and its actions.
He cited the criticisms of his and Mearsheimer's book by publications such as The Washington Post, The New York Sun and The Wall Street Journal, which called the claims anti-Semitic, as an examples of the media's attacks on anyone who might appear to criticize the U.S.' unconditional support for Israel.
The reason they use charges of anti-Semitism, he said, is because the case for unconditional support of Israel is so weak.
"Because that case is so weak, they have to smear, silence and discredit anyone who casts doubt on it," he said.
In the final half of the speech, Mearsheimer, a political science professor at the University of Chicago, said the lobby's influence has been largely negative and has pushed U.S. Middle East policy in ways that are neither in the American national interest nor in the interest of Israel.
Mearsheimer said no president in the last 40 years has put meaningful pressure on Israel to stop colonizing the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which directly stems from the influence of the lobby.
More importantly, Mearsheimer said the U.S.'s unconditional support of Israel and its efforts to colonize the West Bank and Gaza Strip has angered large numbers of people in the Arab and Islamic world and helped fuel terrorism against the U.S.
"American support isn't the only cause, but it is a major cause," Mearsheimer said. "Specifically, it motivates some individuals to attack the and U.S., it serves as a powerful recruitment for terrorist organizations and it generates sympathy and support for terrorists among huge numbers of people in the Arab world."
In his concluding remarks, Mearsheimer said the U.S. should end its special relationship with Israel, and instead treat Israel as it treats other democracies such as Britain, Italy and India.
"This means when Israel is acting in ways that are consistent with American interests, Washington should back the Jewish state," he said. "But when Israel is acting in ways that harm U.S. interests, Washington should distance itself from Israel and use its considerable leverage to get Israel to change its behavior, just as it would do with any other country that was acting in ways that might hurt the U.S."
Although critics of Mearsheimer and Walt have called "The Israel Lobby" an anti-Semitic work and an attack on Israel, both peppered their speeches with disclaimers expressing their support of Israel's right to exist.
Ross School of Business sophomore Sasha Gribov, chair of the American Movement for Israel, said the presence of a lobby working on behalf of Israel wasn't surprising at all to him, considering the vast amount of lobbying groups in Washington, D.C.
However, Gribov felt Mearsheimer and Walt's comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were one-sided, in that the pair placed a majority of the blame on the Israel lobby, the American Jewish community and Israel for the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
"We definitely respect the right of them to express their opinion and to talk about this conflict, but they dismiss the U.S.-Israel relationship as something that is negative to American foreign policy," he said. "And we strongly believe that the U.S.-Israel relationship is of such great importance to both America and Israel."
Andrew Dalack, co-chair of SAFE, said the group hosted Walt and Mearsheimer on campus in an effort to debunk the idea that the arguments presented in their book were radical.
Prior to the talk, students distributed pamphlets outside of the Natural Science Building published by Stand With Us, a pro-Israel group, saying the claims made in "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" were based on "shoddy scholarship," amounted to a "conspiracy theory" and contained "anti-semitic undertones."
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Thank you for coming to "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy"
SAFE's event "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" was an amazing success, with an overcrowded auditorium of 480 people showing up to hear the professors talk. SAFE thanks Professors John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt for their enlightening talk and discussion, and thank you to all of those who attended, and for your support.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Attention - Vigil for Gaza, Thursday 1pm, Union
The destroyed Palestinian General Fedration of Trade Unions building in Gaza City, 29 February 2008
Please read and forward:
At least 66 Palestinian civilians have been killed in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, at the hands of the Israeli military. These are atrocious crimes, and we as UM students, urge other students to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and to mourn for the victims. We request students to join us in the following actions:
On Thursday we will have 200 tshirts for people to wear, on the steps of the Union, at 12pm, for up to an hour. The tshirts will say 'Free Palestine' and each tshirt will have a different name of a Palestinian that was killed in Gaza over the last few days. The point is to have a
visible vigil that will raise awareness about the crisis in Gaza. We are also aiming to have informational flyers available to hand out.
Please join us in these efforts. If you have any questions, please email either Hena Ashraf (hashraf@umich.edu), Andrew Dalack (ajdalack@umich.edu), Ryah Aqel (aqelryah@umich.edu), Nicola Kaba (nicolaka@umich.edu), or Kamelya Youssef(kyoussef@umich.edu).
http://umichigan.facebook.com/event.php?eid=9283379855
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Severe misrepresentation of Palestine Awareness Week
unpublished
On Tuesday night, visiting Professor Neve Gordon from Ben-Gurion University of the Political Science Department gave a lecture titled "From Colonization to Separation: Exploring the Structure of Israel's Occupation" on behalf of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality. This event was the second event of Palestine Awareness Week, an attempt by SAFE to educate and engage the campus body regarding issues surrounding Palestine and the Zionist-Palestinian conflict.
Gordon's lecture proposed several different arguments regarding the nature of Israel's current occupation of the sovereign Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip. During his presentation, Professor Gordon explained Israel's fundamental responsibility to the Palestinians under direct Israeli control. Professor Gordon explained that because the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are under total Israeli domination, deemed illegal under international law by UN Resolution 242, Israel has a fundamental and inescapable obligation to the wellbeing of the Palestinians. In addition, Professor Gordon noted the difference and increase in Israeli state violence toward the Palestinians as part of a vicious cycle of bloodshed initiated by Israel's maltreatment of the occupied Palestinians since 1967 and the subsequent Palestinian response in 1987. Specifically, Professor Gordon juxtaposed the amount of Palestinians and Israelis killed between 1987 and 2000 to the number of Palestinians and Israelis killed between 2000 and 2006. Professor Gordon's numbers demonstrated that there was a substantial increase in the loss of Palestinian life; twice as many Palestinians were killed during the second Intifada than in the prior 34 years of occupation. Professor Gordon's statistics also showed that the number Israelis killed increased between these two respective periods.
Daniel Strauss, who covered the event, grossly misrepresented the content and message of Professor Gordon's lecture. First, Strauss both misquoted and misreported Gordon's discussion of the increase in violence by only citing Gordon's presentation of the increase in Israeli deaths in the period between 1987 and 2000 and that of 2000 and 2006. Professor Gordon's purpose in presenting these statistics was to demonstrate the dramatic increase in violence on both sides and that far more Palestinians had died than Israelis. Strauss's reporting made it appear that Gordon was trying to paint the Israelis as the ultimate victims of the increase in violence.
Second, Strauss implied that Palestinian laborers have benefited from Israeli occupation because they are in a better financial position than under traditional landowning. This is out of context, as Gordon explained that the occupier always has a responsibility to the occupied. The occupation has forced Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to be fully dependent on a colonizing power. Because of the occupation, the Palestinians are forced to endure ever-increasing Israeli attacks on every aspect of their lives, locking them into a subhuman and subjugated existence.
On Tuesday night, visiting Professor Neve Gordon from Ben-Gurion University of the Political Science Department gave a lecture titled "From Colonization to Separation: Exploring the Structure of Israel's Occupation" on behalf of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality. This event was the second event of Palestine Awareness Week, an attempt by SAFE to educate and engage the campus body regarding issues surrounding Palestine and the Zionist-Palestinian conflict.
Gordon's lecture proposed several different arguments regarding the nature of Israel's current occupation of the sovereign Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip. During his presentation, Professor Gordon explained Israel's fundamental responsibility to the Palestinians under direct Israeli control. Professor Gordon explained that because the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are under total Israeli domination, deemed illegal under international law by UN Resolution 242, Israel has a fundamental and inescapable obligation to the wellbeing of the Palestinians. In addition, Professor Gordon noted the difference and increase in Israeli state violence toward the Palestinians as part of a vicious cycle of bloodshed initiated by Israel's maltreatment of the occupied Palestinians since 1967 and the subsequent Palestinian response in 1987. Specifically, Professor Gordon juxtaposed the amount of Palestinians and Israelis killed between 1987 and 2000 to the number of Palestinians and Israelis killed between 2000 and 2006. Professor Gordon's numbers demonstrated that there was a substantial increase in the loss of Palestinian life; twice as many Palestinians were killed during the second Intifada than in the prior 34 years of occupation. Professor Gordon's statistics also showed that the number Israelis killed increased between these two respective periods.
Daniel Strauss, who covered the event, grossly misrepresented the content and message of Professor Gordon's lecture. First, Strauss both misquoted and misreported Gordon's discussion of the increase in violence by only citing Gordon's presentation of the increase in Israeli deaths in the period between 1987 and 2000 and that of 2000 and 2006. Professor Gordon's purpose in presenting these statistics was to demonstrate the dramatic increase in violence on both sides and that far more Palestinians had died than Israelis. Strauss's reporting made it appear that Gordon was trying to paint the Israelis as the ultimate victims of the increase in violence.
Second, Strauss implied that Palestinian laborers have benefited from Israeli occupation because they are in a better financial position than under traditional landowning. This is out of context, as Gordon explained that the occupier always has a responsibility to the occupied. The occupation has forced Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to be fully dependent on a colonizing power. Because of the occupation, the Palestinians are forced to endure ever-increasing Israeli attacks on every aspect of their lives, locking them into a subhuman and subjugated existence.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
It's coming...
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) is sponsoring Palestine Awareness Week, a five-day presentation of different aspects of Palestinian issues, from February 11th through February 15th. Event topics include Introducing Palestine, Exploring the Structure of Israel's Occupation, The Cultural Resistance of Palestinian Film, Aspects of Apartheid: South Africa and Israel, and Visions of Peace. Speakers include Thomas Abowd (WSU professor), Neve Gordon (visiting associate professor), Rima Hassouneh (UM professor), Tirtza Even (UM School of Art), Hani Bawardi (UM-Dearborn professor), and Ali Abunimah (prominent Palestinian academic). The overall purpose of the events are to further educate the campus body about a variety of issues concerning Palestine and Palestinians.
Monday, Feb 11th, 7:30pm, 100 Hutchins Hall
Introducing Palestine
- Prof Thomas Abowd (Wayne State)
Tuesday, Feb 12th, 8pm, 100 Hutchins Hall
From Colonization to Separation, Exploring the Structure of Israel's Occupation
- Prof Neve Gordon (Ben-Gurion Univ)
Wednesday, Feb 13th, 7:30pm, 100 Hutchins Hall
The Cultural Resistance of Palestinian Film
- Rima Hassouneh and Tirtza Even (UM)
Thursday, Feb 14th, 7:30pm, 100 Hutchins Hall
Aspects of Apartheid: South Africa and Israel
- Prof Hani Bawardi (UM-Dearborn)
Friday, Feb 15th, 5pm, 100 Hutchins Hall
Visions of Peace
- Ali Abunimah (Univ. of Chicago)
Also on Friday, 8:30pm, Koessler Room, Michigan League -
Words of Struggle - a poetry slam promoting Palestine
awareness and civil rights, in honor of Black History Month.
Co-sponsored by:
Human Rights Through Education
Physicians for Human Rights
Anti-War Action
Amnesty International
Students for Multiculturalism
Student World Assembly
Migrant and Immigrant Rights Awareness
United Asian American Organizations
Black Student Union
Native American Students Association
Palestinian Students Association
Lebanese Students Association
Iraqi Students Association
Muslim Students Association
Arab Unity Movement
Program in American Culture
Arab-American Studies Program
Dept. of Screen Arts and Cultures
RSVP at:
http://umichigan.facebook.com/event.php?eid=7706808822
umich.edu/~umsafe
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
"Jenin, Jenin" today, Gaza Vigil tomorrow
The film, directed and co-produced by Palestinian actor and director
Mohammed Bakri, includes testimony from Jenin residents after the
Israeli army's Defensive Wall operation, during which the city and
camp were the scenes of fierce fighting. The operation ended with
Jenin flattened and scores of Palestinians killed. Palestinians as
well as numerous human rights groups accused Israel of committing war
crimes in the April 2002 attack on the refugee camp. "Jenin, Jenin"
shows the extent to which the prolonged oppression and terror has
affected the state of mind of the Palestinian inhabitants of Jenin.
For more information on the film, please visit:
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article927.shtml
RSVP at:
http://umichigan.facebook.com/event.php?eid=9427036948
Co-sponsored by the Arab American Studies Department
For more information on the Jenin massacre:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1937048.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1937387.stm
Tomorrow:
Candlelight Vigil for Gaza Humanitarian Crisis
U of M Diag Thursday 8:30 PM
http://umichigan.facebook.com/event.php?eid=9699416699
The entire Gaza Strip has been under a total blockade for more than a week and on Sunday at 8pm, the only power plant in Gaza ran out of fuel and shut down, furthering the humanitarian crisis. 40% of Gazans lack running water, and approximately 75 Palestinians have reportedly died from the closure. A number of patients in intensive care units have died as their emergency life support equipment cannot function from electricity. These patients include people on dialysis, oxygen tanks, and babies in incubators -- either premature babies, or babies whose parents took them to the hospital to escape from their houses because of the cold weather. These are human beings treated like sub-humans and there has been almost nonexistent mainstream media coverage of this terrible situation in the American press. Come out and help raise awareness.
This is collective punishment and it is a direct violation of the Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signing party.
For more on the siege in Gaza:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/947099.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01hqVzViFTw
Saturday, January 19, 2008
"Jenin, Jenin"
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality presents the acclaimed documentary:
"Jenin, Jenin" (2002)
Wednesday, January 23rd
7:30pm
4448 East Hall
The film, directed and co-produced by Palestinian actor and director
Mohammed Bakri, includes testimony from Jenin residents after the
Israeli army's Defensive Wall operation, during which the city and
camp were the scenes of fierce fighting. The operation ended with
Jenin flattened and scores of Palestinians killed. Palestinians as
well as numerous human rights groups accused Israel of committing war
crimes in the April 2002 attack on the refugee camp. "Jenin, Jenin"
shows the extent to which the prolonged oppression and terror has
affected the state of mind of the Palestinian inhabitants of Jenin.
For more information on the film, please visit:
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article927.shtml
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Daily covers Kovel event
His book under fire, author speaks at 'U'
Kovel's book started controversy at University Press
By Andy Kroll, Daily Staff Reporter on 11/27/07
Bard College Prof. Joel Kovel spoke at Rackham Amphitheatre last night. Kovel is the author of an anti-Zionist book distributed by the University of Michigan Press that sparked controversy earlier this semester.
Before a capacity crowd at Rackham Amphitheatre last night, Joel Kovel, author of the controversial book published by the University Press "Overcoming Zionism," emphasized the importance of protecting critical voices in discussion involving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"There is an absolute need for critical voices and not allowing us to succumb to pressures that are trying to stifle open discussion," said Kovel, whose lecture was sponsored by Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, a pro-Palestinian group.
Kovel discussed what he believes is the only solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is also the focus of "Overcoming Zionism", the creation of a single, secular, democratic state.
Although Kovel, who is a professor of social studies at Bard College, said he'd faced significant resistance and intimidation from pro-Israel organizations like Stand With Us regarding his book's message, he told those in attendance that he felt the momentum shifting away from the "oppressive" Zionist groups.
"I think that (Zionist groups) have overreached themselves and got caught up in promoting a hideous war in Iraq and they're paying for it," Kovel said. "The debacle of Iraq may yet prove to be the opening point for a profound reassessment of the Zionist lobby."
The University of Michigan Press currently distributes Kovel's book as part of its distribution contract with the London-based left-wing publisher Pluto Press.
Although the University halted distribution of the book in August, citing "serious questions" raised by "members of the University community," it resumed distribution of the book a month later.
The University Press is currently facing pressure from several pro-Israel groups - including Stand With Us and the Anti-Defamation League - and several members of the University Board of Regents to terminate its distribution contract with Pluto.
Andrew Dalack, co-chair of SAFE, said his organization brought Kovel to speak at the University in order to counter misinformation circulating on campus regarding Kovel's beliefs and the message in "Overcoming Zionism."
"As an organization dedicated to bringing intelligent information on all sides of this conflict to the campus community, we felt his voice was wanted and desired here on campus," Dalack said.
Jonathan Calt Harris, director of the Michigan chapter of Stand With Us, a pro-Israel organization, described Kovel's comments as typical of the anti-Zionist perspective.
Although Kovel received several standing ovations during his lecture, Harris attributed the author's support to an overly sympathetic and anti-Zionist audience.
"I think he got what we all expected, even though there was no real substance in his speech," Harris said. "It was pretty much a rambling narrative - like his book."
Nick Israel, the Midwest campus coordinator for the Zionist Organization of America, said in an e-mail interview that no matter how much support Kovel received at the lecture, the distribution of his book by the University Press directly contradicts the University's commitment to diversity.
"We cannot allow our campus to become a safe haven for what UM Press Director Phil Pachoda characterized as 'hate-speech' when describing Kovel's book," said Israel, who graduated from the University earlier this year.
Naomi Goldberg, a Public Policy School graduate student, said Kovel's lecture was "amazing" and "brave," but she said was disappointed by the actions of some student groups in the audience.
In particular, Goldberg said those University students in attendance wearing "Michigan Zionist" shirts in the University's colors blatantly misrepresents Jewish students at the University who might not be Zionist.
"By wearing these shirts, they're saying you're either on this side with us or you're not," Goldberg said. "They make it appear as if there's no room for discussion."
Monday, November 26, 2007
Daily Runs SAFE Statement on Pluto Press
The fight for academic freedom
By: Kamal Abuarquob and Ryah Aqel
Michigan Daily
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality applauds the University of Michigan Press for deciding to maintain its contractual arrangement with Pluto Press. Unfortunately, open academic debate is not valued by all.
The external push against the press by some pro-Israel organizations began with Pluto's publication and the University Press's distribution of Bard College Prof. Joel Kovel's book, "Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic State in Israel/Palestine." Though the book proposes a vision for peace, some have unfairly attacked it for the suggestion that Israelis and Palestinians should be treated as equal citizens in a state for both peoples. Kovel will be speaking about his experience in this struggle for open academic debate tonight at 8 p.m. in the 4th floor amphitheater of Rackham Auditorium.
Critical academic debate, which is needed now more than ever, is threatened because institutional supporters of Israel cannot tolerate views critical of Israel's policies and practices. This is antithetical to the mission of the University and its press, which seeks to offer "books that contribute to public understanding and dialogue about contemporary political, social, and cultural issues."
The principles of academic freedom have become increasingly difficult to uphold of late. Nobel Peace Prize-winning former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, leading political science scholars John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt as well as Desmond Tutu, the anti-Apartheid legend who also won the Nobel Peace Prize, among others, face baseless accusations of anti-Semitism and bitter criticism and censure for taking positions critical of Israel.
For too long, pro-Israel activists have accused those who recognize Palestinian suffering and question Israel's system of discrimination of "hate speech" or anti-Semitism. The goal is clear: to make criticism of Israel's policies taboo. Nothing could be worse in the academic arena than taboos, especially with regard to important political conflicts and issues central to American foreign policy.
In light of the controversy surrounding Kovel's book, three members of the University Board of Regents - Andrea Fischer Newman (R-Ann Arbor), Laurence Deitch (D-Bingham Farms) and Andrew Richner (R-Grosse Pointe Park) - wrote a letter to the University Press calling on it to drop all distribution deals with non-University affiliated publishers. Such an irresponsible action is appalling. The letter indicates that damage to the University's reputation should be the primary criterion for a decision. However, the regents must be careful not to ignore the true mission of the University in favor of business and public relations.
The decision by the University Press to maintain its contract with Pluto Press is an important one given all the pressure it has faced. It bolsters the principle of open debate against those who oppose it and seek to present Israel as a state beyond critique. The latest offensive by those unwilling to stand by the University Press's decision should be discarded as counterproductive to the University's mission and the responsibilities of the press.
Several pro-Israel organizations - The Anti-Defamation League, Zionist Organization of America and B'nai B'rith International - spoke at a recent regents meeting and urged the board to take action against the University's partnership with Pluto Press. They did not cite directly from Kovel's book, and there is no proof they had even read it.
Instead, the groups critical of the University Press focused on the specter of anti-Semitism. For example, the ADL's regional director cited her organization's study on anti-Semitic attitudes in America. Yet she did not even try to show how Kovel's book is anti-Semitic.
To be sure, anti-Semitism is a problem - as all prejudice is. However, it is being used to broadly attack a book and a publisher who clearly stand for equality. Kovel's book proposes a vision of peace in Israel/Palestine in which Jews and Palestinians are equal. Deeming those sentiments hateful is as disingenuous as calling Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King, Jr. anti-White bigots for daring to demand equality in oppressive societies.
Because the statements and letters in the pressure campaign do not substantiate the claim of anti-Semitism with actual analysis, it is safe to conclude that this is a politically motivated campaign aimed at shielding Israel from criticism. The Board of Regents should protect the academic organs of this institution from baseless, political attacks. Otherwise, academic freedom loses.
Kamal Abuarquob is an LSA senior. Ryah Aqel is an LSA sophomore. They are members of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality.
By: Kamal Abuarquob and Ryah Aqel
Michigan Daily
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality applauds the University of Michigan Press for deciding to maintain its contractual arrangement with Pluto Press. Unfortunately, open academic debate is not valued by all.
The external push against the press by some pro-Israel organizations began with Pluto's publication and the University Press's distribution of Bard College Prof. Joel Kovel's book, "Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic State in Israel/Palestine." Though the book proposes a vision for peace, some have unfairly attacked it for the suggestion that Israelis and Palestinians should be treated as equal citizens in a state for both peoples. Kovel will be speaking about his experience in this struggle for open academic debate tonight at 8 p.m. in the 4th floor amphitheater of Rackham Auditorium.
Critical academic debate, which is needed now more than ever, is threatened because institutional supporters of Israel cannot tolerate views critical of Israel's policies and practices. This is antithetical to the mission of the University and its press, which seeks to offer "books that contribute to public understanding and dialogue about contemporary political, social, and cultural issues."
The principles of academic freedom have become increasingly difficult to uphold of late. Nobel Peace Prize-winning former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, leading political science scholars John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt as well as Desmond Tutu, the anti-Apartheid legend who also won the Nobel Peace Prize, among others, face baseless accusations of anti-Semitism and bitter criticism and censure for taking positions critical of Israel.
For too long, pro-Israel activists have accused those who recognize Palestinian suffering and question Israel's system of discrimination of "hate speech" or anti-Semitism. The goal is clear: to make criticism of Israel's policies taboo. Nothing could be worse in the academic arena than taboos, especially with regard to important political conflicts and issues central to American foreign policy.
In light of the controversy surrounding Kovel's book, three members of the University Board of Regents - Andrea Fischer Newman (R-Ann Arbor), Laurence Deitch (D-Bingham Farms) and Andrew Richner (R-Grosse Pointe Park) - wrote a letter to the University Press calling on it to drop all distribution deals with non-University affiliated publishers. Such an irresponsible action is appalling. The letter indicates that damage to the University's reputation should be the primary criterion for a decision. However, the regents must be careful not to ignore the true mission of the University in favor of business and public relations.
The decision by the University Press to maintain its contract with Pluto Press is an important one given all the pressure it has faced. It bolsters the principle of open debate against those who oppose it and seek to present Israel as a state beyond critique. The latest offensive by those unwilling to stand by the University Press's decision should be discarded as counterproductive to the University's mission and the responsibilities of the press.
Several pro-Israel organizations - The Anti-Defamation League, Zionist Organization of America and B'nai B'rith International - spoke at a recent regents meeting and urged the board to take action against the University's partnership with Pluto Press. They did not cite directly from Kovel's book, and there is no proof they had even read it.
Instead, the groups critical of the University Press focused on the specter of anti-Semitism. For example, the ADL's regional director cited her organization's study on anti-Semitic attitudes in America. Yet she did not even try to show how Kovel's book is anti-Semitic.
To be sure, anti-Semitism is a problem - as all prejudice is. However, it is being used to broadly attack a book and a publisher who clearly stand for equality. Kovel's book proposes a vision of peace in Israel/Palestine in which Jews and Palestinians are equal. Deeming those sentiments hateful is as disingenuous as calling Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King, Jr. anti-White bigots for daring to demand equality in oppressive societies.
Because the statements and letters in the pressure campaign do not substantiate the claim of anti-Semitism with actual analysis, it is safe to conclude that this is a politically motivated campaign aimed at shielding Israel from criticism. The Board of Regents should protect the academic organs of this institution from baseless, political attacks. Otherwise, academic freedom loses.
Kamal Abuarquob is an LSA senior. Ryah Aqel is an LSA sophomore. They are members of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
ACADEMIC FREEDOM on CAMPUS: Joel Kovel to Speak at UM
ACADEMIC FREEDOM and ISRAEL-PALESTINE
An evening with the scholar supporters of Israel sought to silence.
Joel Kovel
Author of "Overcoming Zionism"
8 PM
Monday
November 26, 2007
4th floor Auditorium
Rackham Auditorium
University of Michigan
JOEL KOVEL's most recent book was at the center of a controversy involving the University of Michigan. Distribution of his book 'Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic Sate in Israel/Palestine' was temporarily halted after pro-Israel supporters pressured the University of Michigan Press. UM Press than considered ending its deal with the book's publisher, Pluto Press, because of pro-Israel pressure. The UM Press made the right decision in the end, but wavered in its defense of academic debate.
Professor Kovel will discuss the challenges he faced in writing his book and the
political pressure to silence a debate we need more than ever.
HIS BOOK WILL BE ON SALE AT THE EVENT; HE WILL SIGN BOOKS!
For More Information:
The Michigan Daily Editorial supporting Academic Debate
Joel Kovel's website
SPONSORED by Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE)
Thursday, November 8, 2007
PALESTINE through ART a success
The event last night with Invincible and Jackie Salloum was a resounding success. We filled the room with 110-120 attendees. The event featured live hip-hop music from Israel-American MC, Invincible and Big A, a Lebanese rapper from Dearborn. We witnessed the work of Jackie Salloum, including clips from her upcoming documentary on Palestinian hip-hop.
Here are some pictures from the event:
SAFE members pose with Jackie Salloum and Invincible.
Jackie Salloum and Invincible after the event.
Items for sale to benefit Palestinian women; and Free the P, a hip-hop CD supporting Jackie's documentary.
Here are some pictures from the event:
SAFE members pose with Jackie Salloum and Invincible.
Jackie Salloum and Invincible after the event.
Items for sale to benefit Palestinian women; and Free the P, a hip-hop CD supporting Jackie's documentary.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Event Preview in Michigan Daily - Palestine Through Art
Through hip hop, a different Palestine
Filmmaker Jackie Salloum goes outside of mainstream news to portray Palestine
By Michele Yankson, Daily Arts Writer on 11/7/07
No one, it seems, can really claim hip hop. There is the story of urban malaise: African-American rap artists using the realities of inner-city strife to create lyrics that resonate and inspire, provoke and challenge. But with these elements - that is, the translation of a bleak reality into powerful art - hip hop has the capacity to reach past the boundaries of a single race, culture or country.
In efforts to familiarize the student community with a different perspective of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Students Allies for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) will present "Palestine through Art" at the Michigan League Hussey Room tonight at 8 p.m. The event will showcase art, film and a little-know genre of music, Palestinian hip hop, as a way to enter and expand the minds of its audience.
"We want to show the facts about what's going on in Palestine from a Palestinian perspective, "said Hena Ashraf, a SAFE member and LSA senior. "It goes into essence of what hip hop is about, representing your life and struggles how they really are."
Detroit-based rapper Invincible will appear at the event. Her lyrics, delivered in a bold tenor, are influenced by her experience as a Palestinian living in America. Her music, over tracks that infuse steady hip-hop beats with Arabic vocals and instruments, is a testament to hip hop's increasing universality.
The event's centerpiece is a preview by the filmmaker and multimedia artist Jackie Salloum of excerpts from her upcoming documentary "SlingShot HipHop." The film focuses on the music, lives and sentiments of several Palestinian hip-hop artists living in Palestine.
Much of the West's relationship with Palestine ostensibly comes through dense news coverage and political debate. Salloum, a Farmington Hills native of Palestinian descent, seeks to challenge these purported truths with those untouched by the media's often-distorting lens.
"What triggered my work on Palestine was the killings in Jenin," Salloum said. "I heard a Palestinian rap song (about the killings) on a radio station in New York and realized the strength of hip hop as a way to cross boundaries and inform, as everyone can understand it."
Subjects like Jenin - a refugee camp which, in 2002, was the site of a disputed number of Palestinian deaths - are potentially dangerous territory to align one's art with. Salloum, however, isn't detracted by possible dissent.
"When I first showed my art in class, (my peers) said it was too politically charged and biased," said Salloum, who attended New York University for her graduate studies. "I would always say, 'It's art. It's supposed to be biased!' "
Salloum focuses much of her work on politicized topics with an unconventional approach. Her website (jsalloum.org) showcases many of her multimedia pieces, including her "toys," creations that juxtapose the kitschy with the intense. "Gumball Machine" holds tiny figurines of "Palestinian refugees" with the mantra "Collect All 5 million!" Her "Cateropillar" is a tiny bulldozer in a yellow plastic package that warns "Harmful to Palestinian life" in the lower left corner.
Whatever Salloum's bias, there is much to be said for the tenacity of the hip-hop artists she features in her film. Musicians who went from virtually having no production resources - for example, having to download tracks from the Internet to rap over - to performing to crowds of thousands in Jordan
"I see their music as a powerful form of resistance," Salloum said.
"Palestine through Art" was conceived with the hope to transform Palestinian hip hop from a little-known genre to a lasting art with an indelible message. At its core is the using of one's voice to alter an attitude, expand a mind. In that right, the only claim belongs to the one with the mic.
Palestine Through Art Today at 8 p.m. At the Hussey Room in the Michigan League Free
Filmmaker Jackie Salloum goes outside of mainstream news to portray Palestine
By Michele Yankson, Daily Arts Writer on 11/7/07
No one, it seems, can really claim hip hop. There is the story of urban malaise: African-American rap artists using the realities of inner-city strife to create lyrics that resonate and inspire, provoke and challenge. But with these elements - that is, the translation of a bleak reality into powerful art - hip hop has the capacity to reach past the boundaries of a single race, culture or country.
In efforts to familiarize the student community with a different perspective of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Students Allies for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) will present "Palestine through Art" at the Michigan League Hussey Room tonight at 8 p.m. The event will showcase art, film and a little-know genre of music, Palestinian hip hop, as a way to enter and expand the minds of its audience.
"We want to show the facts about what's going on in Palestine from a Palestinian perspective, "said Hena Ashraf, a SAFE member and LSA senior. "It goes into essence of what hip hop is about, representing your life and struggles how they really are."
Detroit-based rapper Invincible will appear at the event. Her lyrics, delivered in a bold tenor, are influenced by her experience as a Palestinian living in America. Her music, over tracks that infuse steady hip-hop beats with Arabic vocals and instruments, is a testament to hip hop's increasing universality.
The event's centerpiece is a preview by the filmmaker and multimedia artist Jackie Salloum of excerpts from her upcoming documentary "SlingShot HipHop." The film focuses on the music, lives and sentiments of several Palestinian hip-hop artists living in Palestine.
Much of the West's relationship with Palestine ostensibly comes through dense news coverage and political debate. Salloum, a Farmington Hills native of Palestinian descent, seeks to challenge these purported truths with those untouched by the media's often-distorting lens.
"What triggered my work on Palestine was the killings in Jenin," Salloum said. "I heard a Palestinian rap song (about the killings) on a radio station in New York and realized the strength of hip hop as a way to cross boundaries and inform, as everyone can understand it."
Subjects like Jenin - a refugee camp which, in 2002, was the site of a disputed number of Palestinian deaths - are potentially dangerous territory to align one's art with. Salloum, however, isn't detracted by possible dissent.
"When I first showed my art in class, (my peers) said it was too politically charged and biased," said Salloum, who attended New York University for her graduate studies. "I would always say, 'It's art. It's supposed to be biased!' "
Salloum focuses much of her work on politicized topics with an unconventional approach. Her website (jsalloum.org) showcases many of her multimedia pieces, including her "toys," creations that juxtapose the kitschy with the intense. "Gumball Machine" holds tiny figurines of "Palestinian refugees" with the mantra "Collect All 5 million!" Her "Cateropillar" is a tiny bulldozer in a yellow plastic package that warns "Harmful to Palestinian life" in the lower left corner.
Whatever Salloum's bias, there is much to be said for the tenacity of the hip-hop artists she features in her film. Musicians who went from virtually having no production resources - for example, having to download tracks from the Internet to rap over - to performing to crowds of thousands in Jordan
"I see their music as a powerful form of resistance," Salloum said.
"Palestine through Art" was conceived with the hope to transform Palestinian hip hop from a little-known genre to a lasting art with an indelible message. At its core is the using of one's voice to alter an attitude, expand a mind. In that right, the only claim belongs to the one with the mic.
Palestine Through Art Today at 8 p.m. At the Hussey Room in the Michigan League Free
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
SAFE Issues in Michigan Daily
Michigan Daily runs two good letters to the editor on SAFE issue.
White supremacist has no place at MSU
To the Daily:
Nick Griffin, head of the British National Party, will speak today at Michigan State University, upon invitation from the Young Americans for Freedom. The BNP is a white supremacist party known to be racist against all non-white communities in Britain and to have a homophobic and anti Semitic history. In line with its xenophobia, the BNP has become explicitly anti-Muslim in recent years.
The BNP plays into the fears of white British people, pushing for an end to immigration, incentives for immigrants "to return home," denial of housing to immigrant families and denial of refuge to asylum seekers, among other racist agendas. The BNP is a succession of the National Front, which was infamous for inciting riots and hatred in the 1970s and '80s in Great Britain.
As a Muslim woman from Britain who recently spent nine months living and studying in East London (an area that the BNP and National Front have explicitly targeted because of its large Bangladeshi population), I am astonished that the head of the BNP, a leading British hate figure, will be speaking at MSU.
Griffin has a deplorable history of inciting hatred against immigrants in Great Britain. He envisions the country as a racially pure, white country. As history has shown, this is a very dangerous belief.
The British government convicted him in 1998 of inciting racial hatred. He is a well-known Holocaust-denier and a homophobe. He claims to have cleaned up his act, but his words are now just more misleading. The underlying message is the same: Britain is for white Christians. What can he possibly teach MSU students?
Hena Ashraf
LSA senior
-----
Why such a focus on silencing certain speakers?
To the Daily:
Thank you for running an important viewpoint about the University Press's decision to temporarily halt distribution of Joel Kovel's book (Undermining the academic debate, 10/24/2007). People do not understand how far aggressive opponents of academic freedom go to silence any criticism of Israel. Any discussion of the most important foreign policy questions requires real debate.
In the past year alone, people who refuse to tolerate dissenting views have protested in order to silence reputable scholars and world figures, including Prof. John Mearsheimer of Harvard, Prof. Stephen Walt of the University of Chicago, New York University Prof. Tony Judt and even South African Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu.
They have also attacked Middle East experts and pressured universities to deny them tenure or even to fire them. Enemies of academic freedom successfully pressured DePaul University to deny Norman Finkelstein tenure. They are waging a similar war on Nadia Abu El Haj at Barnard College. Now they want the University of Michigan Press to stop carrying controversial books as well.
With all this pressure to silence critics, one must ask what exactly they are trying to hide.
Ryah Aqel
LSA sophomore
White supremacist has no place at MSU
To the Daily:
Nick Griffin, head of the British National Party, will speak today at Michigan State University, upon invitation from the Young Americans for Freedom. The BNP is a white supremacist party known to be racist against all non-white communities in Britain and to have a homophobic and anti Semitic history. In line with its xenophobia, the BNP has become explicitly anti-Muslim in recent years.
The BNP plays into the fears of white British people, pushing for an end to immigration, incentives for immigrants "to return home," denial of housing to immigrant families and denial of refuge to asylum seekers, among other racist agendas. The BNP is a succession of the National Front, which was infamous for inciting riots and hatred in the 1970s and '80s in Great Britain.
As a Muslim woman from Britain who recently spent nine months living and studying in East London (an area that the BNP and National Front have explicitly targeted because of its large Bangladeshi population), I am astonished that the head of the BNP, a leading British hate figure, will be speaking at MSU.
Griffin has a deplorable history of inciting hatred against immigrants in Great Britain. He envisions the country as a racially pure, white country. As history has shown, this is a very dangerous belief.
The British government convicted him in 1998 of inciting racial hatred. He is a well-known Holocaust-denier and a homophobe. He claims to have cleaned up his act, but his words are now just more misleading. The underlying message is the same: Britain is for white Christians. What can he possibly teach MSU students?
Hena Ashraf
LSA senior
-----
Why such a focus on silencing certain speakers?
To the Daily:
Thank you for running an important viewpoint about the University Press's decision to temporarily halt distribution of Joel Kovel's book (Undermining the academic debate, 10/24/2007). People do not understand how far aggressive opponents of academic freedom go to silence any criticism of Israel. Any discussion of the most important foreign policy questions requires real debate.
In the past year alone, people who refuse to tolerate dissenting views have protested in order to silence reputable scholars and world figures, including Prof. John Mearsheimer of Harvard, Prof. Stephen Walt of the University of Chicago, New York University Prof. Tony Judt and even South African Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu.
They have also attacked Middle East experts and pressured universities to deny them tenure or even to fire them. Enemies of academic freedom successfully pressured DePaul University to deny Norman Finkelstein tenure. They are waging a similar war on Nadia Abu El Haj at Barnard College. Now they want the University of Michigan Press to stop carrying controversial books as well.
With all this pressure to silence critics, one must ask what exactly they are trying to hide.
Ryah Aqel
LSA sophomore
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