Middle East Studies Assn Challenges US Civil Rights Commission's Definition of "Campus Anti-Semitism"

A document of interest:
SPME

Dear Chairman Reynolds and Members of the Commission,

I write to you on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of
North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom (CAF) to
express our grave concern with aspects both of the briefing report
titled "Campus Anti-Semitism," released by the United States
Commission on Civil Rights earlier this year, and of the "Findings and
Recommendations of the United States Commission on Civil Rights
Regarding Campus Anti-Semitism," dated April 3, 2006.


MESA rejects all forms of hate speech and discrimination, including
anti-Semitism. It supports prompt and forceful action in response to
anti-Semitic incidents on university campuses. MESA also endorses the
Commission's efforts to increase awareness of anti-Semitism on
university campuses.

However, MESA is concerned that the briefing report and findings
issued by the Commission may actually weaken efforts to combat
anti-Semitism by expanding its definition to include an indefensibly
broad range of legitimate speech and conduct. We are also concerned
that false allegations associating Middle East studies programs and
faculty with anti-Semitism may contribute to an already troubling
environment of harassment, intimidation and censorship of faculty and
students on college and university campuses, thereby threatening
academic freedom. ...

Also see:

US Commission on Civil Rights, "Public Education Campaign to End
Campus Anti-Semitism":


"Ending Campus Anti-Semitism Public Education Web Site to be Launched
By U.S. Commission on Civil Rights," Media Advisory (10 April 2007):

"USCCR Report Examines Incidents of Campus Anti-Semitism," Media
Advisory (15 August 2006):

"USCCR to Call for End to Anti-Semitic Harassment," Media Advisory (27
March 2006):


"Findings and Recommendations of the United States Commission on Civil
Rights Regarding Campus Anti-Semitism" (3 April 2006):

"Campus Anti-Semitism" (18 November 2005):

Universities urged to combat campus anti-semitism

EducationGuardian.co.uk: By Donald MacLeod

Student unions must be brought within the Race Relations Amendment Act to protect Jewish students and university leaders must crack down on anti-semitism on campus, Lady Deech, the independent adjudicator for higher education, urged last night.

She told the House of Lords that increasing anti-semitism posed a threat in British universities and strongly condemned the proposed academic boycott of Israel by members of the University and College Union.

She was supported by Lord Moser, the former director of the Central Statistical Office and warden of Wadham College, Oxford, who said he had never been more concerned about the 'rising tide of anti-semitism throughout Europe, including this country' since he escaped from Berlin with his family in 1936."...

"'Zionist' has become a word of opprobrium - all Jews are so labelled - and attacks on Jews rose with the occurrence of the Lebanon war - attacks on Jews in this country and elsewhere, not attacks on Israeli buildings," Lady Deech told peers.

She added: "Once the equation is made between Zionism and Jews, anti-semites then feel free to attack all Jewish students without distinction. Protests start as attacks on Israel and conclude with threats to all Jews." ...

"But students cannot be expected to act in a spirit of dialogue and tolerance if their lecturers do not do so. There are ongoing attempts by the University and College Union to initiate a UK-wide boycott of Israeli academics. Such a biased and unhelpful response to events on the ground in the Middle East cannot be tolerated or supported. There is no justification for such action, which would seek to punish some of the world's finest intellectuals and academic institutions for no good reason," she said.

Lady Deech concluded: "Academic freedom is the first target of tyrannies, and those who ignore attacks on academic pursuits are cooperating with tyranny. They must ask themselves why Jewish students and Israeli academics, alone in the world, are chosen as the targets.

"As my father sadly bore witness, as early as 1923 Vienna University was the focus of assaults on Jewish students and curbs on Jewish professors and on the right to learn; followed by Warsaw University which imposed racial restrictions in the 1930s. British universities have to learn from the history of pusillanimity in the face of racism."

Genteel (as opposed to murderous) public anti-Semitism lost favor for a number of decades following the Holocaust. The taboo seems to be losing its force in much of western Europe, not least in University settings. The result goes far beyond opposition to particular Israeli policies, and is worrying.