Instead of boycotting Israeli academics for a completely fictitious “Apartheid”, like some of my colleagues keep suggesting, it would make a lot more sense to boycott Birzeit University that has allowed a group of unhinged religious fanatics to bully a professor for posting a bunch of cartoons on his office door. The administrators of the university actually participated in the bullying in their attemps to shut up the professor to appease the crazed fanatics:
According to Budeiri, the university then removed the cartoons from his door, and sent three vice presidents to ask him to issue an apology. He agreed to issue an explanation, but not to apologize. . . At that point, the university issued a statement that said Budeiri did not intend to offend Muslims. While the university criticized attacks on anyone for expressing their views, Budeiri said that no action was taken against the students who threatened him. Student protesters also reported having been told that Budeiri would not be returning to the university, he said, and so considered that a victory. He said that various university officials have continued to ask him to apologize and/or take a leave and go abroad for a semester.
If we allow such actions on the part of fanatics go unpunished and do not respond in any way to the universities that let such things happen, we should expect these quasi-religious freakazoids start persecuting us in the same way.
Something tells me, however, that I’m not likely to receive any passionate messages from my colleagues asking me to support a boycott against this sorry excuse for a university.
Clarissa's Blog 
“It is a shame that instead of pursuing this path, and advancing their ideas by argument and reasoning, and winning as many adherents to their point of view as are convinced… they chose to resort to abuse, and threats of physical violence, attempting to appropriate to themselves the sole authority of what Muslims can and can not think, can and can not do. There are and will remain as many different Muslims as there are unfettered minds.”
Fundamentalists really are the same everywhere, aren’t they?
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Clarissa’s point is well taken. Anti-Semitism runs rampant through most universities in North America and Europe. It is politically incorrect to challenge Muslim extremism within the academy, even by simply identifying and ridiculing odious fanatical behavior. In itself political correctness is an abomination in any university. Its presence is a clear signal that the organization is not a university at all and that those employed by it are not in reality members of a community of scholars, but rather are primitive perpetrators of prejudice and superstition.
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What a delightfully worded comment, Dr. Rowley. They certainly taught you to string words together.
But I’d love to know how, without the more sensible PC of days gone by, one could have compelled academia’s old guard — male, white, and largely upper class — to offer grudging space and respect to women, coloured folks, and the lower/working classes, who were legally of structurally prevented from entering academia not too long ago?
I quite despise the politically motivated monstrosity PC has become, especially in the US, but to dismiss it as ‘prejudice and superstition’ is laughable, since without it, I’d still probably be paying for the privilege of attendance sans degree at a local college.
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I repeat: Anti-Zionism is not anti-semitism.
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//I repeat: Anti-Zionism is not anti-semitism.
“I am not anti-Ukrainian people, but I am against their desire to continue to be independent from Russia and have their own country”
I hope at least Clarissa will get the idea & see why I view such a claim as problematic.
Btw, the law of Russian language passed in Ukraine.
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““I am not anti-Ukrainian people, but I am against their desire to continue to be independent from Russia and have their own country”
I hope at least Clarissa will get the idea & see why I view such a claim as problematic.”
– I heard that many times and you can imagine that it makes my blood boil.
“Btw, the law of Russian language passed in Ukraine.”
– Stupid fucking idiots. The Jews restored their language from the dead and these clowns can’t get over their need to be Russian wannabes.
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To make myself clear:
Criticizing certain Israeli policies =/= anti-semitism.
Saying “I am against Jews having their own country” = anti-semitism.
If you have difficulty with it, switch Israel to Ukraine / US AND Jews to Ukrainians / Americans. I understand that US isn’t a nation state, unlike most (all?) other states, but still.
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//- I heard that many times and you can imagine that it makes my blood boil.
About Ukranians? I thought nobody would seriously say it about them. Surprising.
I don’t feel anything about Ukranians, but feel boiling like you, when I hear Anti-Zionism (but not anti-semitism, mind you!) folks. Interesting how it’s OK to say about Jews in many Liberal Western circles, but not about any other people. Why could it be? /sarcastic/
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“About Ukranians? I thought nobody would seriously say it about them. Surprising.”
– Have you met any Russians lately? 🙂 It’s like a Russian can’t exist for 2 minutes without making this statement.
” Interesting how it’s OK to say about Jews in many Liberal Western circles, but not about any other people. Why could it be?”
– Yes, what a mystery. 🙂 I’m as baffled as you are. 🙂
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You know that Birzeit University is in the Palestinian territories, right? I didn’t.
After I discovered the latter, I was surprised to see this professor felt free to put the cartoons to begin with. From wiki they also have Democracy and Human Rights AND Gender, Law and Development fields of study (“The Graduate Studies programs offers post-graduate diplomas and masters degrees in the following fields”).
If you show it to them, the academics, boycotting Israel, will answer: “Palestinians are still fighting against Israeli occupation. Those aren’t fanatics, but young idealistic students, the future of their people, in the midst of the struggle for independence”. Unfortunately, “the future of their people” bit seems right to me.
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“You know that Birzeit University is in the Palestinian territories, right?”
– Yeah, it’s one of their most respected universities, it seems. I’m just bothered by the double standard here. I’m being constantly asked to boycott academics working in Israel (irrespective of their political views or the nature of their research) just because they happen to be in Israel. Yet I don’t see anybody falling all over themselves suggesting we do a much more reasonable thing and boycott a specific university where a professor is bullied by students and administrators.
“Unfortunately, “the future of their people” bit seems right to me.”
– This is what I fear, too.
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Just to be sure I understand your position, when you say Israel does not practice ‘apartheid’, are you including the occupied territories? If so, what word would better characterize Israel’s policies there?
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This has already been discussed here: https://clarissasblog.com/2012/06/25/alice-walker-refuses-to-publish-her-book-in-israel/
I refuse to see this linguistic, historic and political carelessness as anything other but a mechanism of dismissing a complex reality of both Israel and South Africa.
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Here: “These are two different countries with a different history, different geography, different cultural, linguistic and racial makeup. But yes, they do have some things in common. For instance, they are both inhabited by human beings.
I don’t like terminology confusion. Israel is Israel, Apartheid is Apartheid, Holocaust is Holocaust, and slavery is slavery. Just like “wage slavery” is an expression used by idiots, so are the useless simplifying comparisons between two complex realities.”
That’s my position.
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I saw that earlier post, which is why I asked whether you were distinguishing ‘Israel proper’ from the territories. Which I still don’t know.
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“I saw that earlier post, which is why I asked whether you were distinguishing ‘Israel proper’ from the territories. Which I still don’t know.”
– I don’t understand the question. There are occupied territories, that’s a fact of common knowledge.
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“I don’t understand the question.”
Whatever. I can infer enough from what you haven’t said.
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This weather is making everybody very loopy.
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Ficticious????
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Anti-sionism is not anti-semitism.
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zionism
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George, please define “Israeli proper”. This would be interesting…
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I’m seeing that yet again nobody cares that a professor is being bullied by students and administrators. Who cares where it happened and who did it? It’s still wrong!!
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That’s because you are afraid to (?) write about the important topic of Middle East, so people use what chance they’ve got. 🙂
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Anti-Zionism is just a fancy word for anti-semitism. There is no Apartheid in Israel, Gaza and the territories.
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