Conference at Columbia:The Middle East & Academic Integrity on the American Campus

The Columbia University Chapter of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East ^ | February 20, 2005 | staff

[rmlew]

The Middle East & Academic Integrity on the American Campus
Sunday, March 6th, 2005 , 10 AM – 5 PM

301 Uris Hall, Columbia University , New York (Broadway at 117 th Street )

click here to register

Highlights:

• 11 am - Natan Sharansky, Human Rights Activist, Minister for Diaspora Affairs of the State of Israel (via interactive web cast)
• 12 pm - Martin Kramer, Wexler-Fromer Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Author: Ivory Towers on Sand: The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies in America, Columbia 's Crisis: A Turning Point for Middle Eastern Studies?
• 1 pm - Documentary film: Columbia Unbecoming, plus Q & A with the producers
• 2 pm - Alan Dershowitz, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Harvard University, Academic Freedom and the Controversy on the American Campus (via video)

  Confirmed Additional Speakers :
  Edward S. Beck , President, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, Reclaiming Academic Integrity

  Donna Divine , Professor, Smith College , The Arab Israeli Conflict: Teaching All Sides Without Taking Sides

  Rachel Ehrenfeld , American Center for Democracy, The Promotion of Jihad through the Subversion of Academic Institutions in the U.S.

  Rachel Fish , The David Project, Inappropriate Funding Sources for Academic Programs: the United Arab Emirates , Harvard and Columbia

  David French , President, FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education)

  Nat Hentoff , Columnist, Village Voice

  Charles Jacobs , Founder, American Anti-Slavery Group and The David Project, The David Project and Columbia Unbecoming

  Efraim Karsh , Harvard/King’s College, London , The Decline of Middle Eastern Studies: A Personal Odyssey

  Morton Klein , President, ZOA

  Jerry Nadler, Congressman (NY-D)

  Martin Peretz, Editor-in-Chief, The New Republic

  Deborah Schlussel, Syndicated columnist and attorney, Tax Funded Islamic Terror on Campus: A Case Study from Michigan

  Susan Tuchman , Director of the ZOA’s Center for Law and Justice

  Laurie Zoloth, Northwestern University, An Ethicist’s View of Campus Politics and the Middle East

  Admission:
  FREE by registration only
  Limited Capacity
  Questions: call 212-854-9680

  (Kosher and vegetarian lunches available for sale)

[rmlew]

Columbia Ping

[rmlew]

Ping

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[dennisw]

Great line up there. Shall embarrass those who run Columbia U and expose the sham of Mideast studies as it exists at Columbia and many other universities. That are no better and often worse.

[Piranha]

That's really, really excellent.

How many people can fit in 301 Uris? Who organized it? Are reporters from the NY Sun and/or other mainstream media invited? How about any East Coast bloggers (I think some of the Winds of Change bloggers are north of the City).

Great line-up. Whoever coordinated this should be congratulated.

[wildbill]

I agree that there are some great speakers, but I'm surprised that they all appear to be supporters of Israel and critics of the Columbia program. Not that the Near East studies program doesn't need a house-cleaning to make it a balanced academic department.

On the other hand, maybe this is the only way to get the opposing views into the mix at Columbia these days. I'm vry disappointed with what I've been reading.

[dervish]

Wow what a great lineup!

David French runs a great and much needed organization called FIRE (Foundation For Individual Rights in Education). They are involved in the Columbia mess.

http://www.thefire.org/

They work with David Horowitz's group Student's for Academic Freedom.

[rmlew]

How many people can fit in 301 Uris?
Per Columbia A/V:
The Business School's auditorium has 266 seats. Columbia AV could simulcast the event to room 142, which has seating for 106.

Who organized it?
Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, KOLEINU- Columbia Law Students For Israel, and Jewish Business Students Association

Are reporters from the NY Sun and/or other mainstream media invited?
I'm sure that a press release was sent out and that there will be a reporter from the NY Sun.

How about any East Coast bloggers (I think some of the Winds of Change bloggers are north of the City).
I expect that Karol will be there as she helped publicize the event.

[rmlew]

It is my understanding that members of MEALAC were invited and refused to speak.

[rmlew]

The Leftists will be protesting.
****distribute widely!!!!!****
Campus & Citywide Speakout:
AGAINST RACISM AND THE NEW McCARTHYISM AT COLUMBIA

Organised by: Stop McCarthyism at Columbia (SMAC)

When: Sunday, March 6th -1pm
Where: Columbia Univ., 116th & B'way, sundial located on college walk
For more info: contact_smac@yahoo.com



Join SMAC to defend free speech. Recently, professors at Columbia
University have been the target of a politically motivated
intimidation campaign by right-wing pro-Israel groups like Scholars
for Peace in the Middle East. Now these same groups are hosting a
day-long conference at Columbia with some of the most viciously
racist, anti-Arab propagandists as guest speakers.



These include the likes of Martin Kramer, co-founder of Campus Watch,
a website designed to blacklist academics critical of Israeli and
American policies. Also speaking is Harvard professor, Alan
Dershowitz, who is well-known for advocating torture. Charles Jacobs,
founder of the David Project, will also be there. The Project, which
targets professors sympathetic to Palestinian human rights, is
responsible for funding Columbia Unbecoming, a filmed collection of
unsubstantiated claims against Columbia professors. For full roster,
see http://www3.gsb.columbia.edu/divisions/dro/spme/




This is the new McCarthyism. Already, Professor Rashid Khalidi, has
been fired from his position at an NYC Teacher Training Program for
criticising Israel's occupation and racist stance towards
Palestinians. This is part of a larger national campaign to silence
critics of US and Israeli policies in the Middle East.



Free speech is not intimidation. Dissent is not intimidation.
Threatening professors for exercising their rights, is. It's wrong to
scapegoat Arabs, Muslims, and South Asians. Join us to defend our
professors and speak out against the racist message of this
conference.



Organised by Stop McCarthyism at Columbia (SMAC)

---

Stop McCarthyism at Columbia (SMAC) Statement


Recently, professors at Columbia University, in particular professors
at the Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures Department
(MEALAC), have been the target of a politically motivated intimidation
campaign. These attacks were sparked by the limited release of
Columbia Unbecoming, a filmed collection of unsubstantiated claims
against professors sympathetic to Palestinian human rights. The film
is funded by the David Project, an initiative founded in 2002 to
silence thoughtful criticism of Zionism and Israeli policy, and to
squelch dissent. The film systematically excludes a broad range of
views and the perspectives of many satisfied Columbia students
–Jewish
and non-Jewish alike.



Columbia University President Lee Bollinger has bowed to external
political pressure from media, outside pro-Israel lobby groups and
local elected officials. His office is now heading an investigation of
targeted professors. The New York City Council has warned that if the
University investigation "comes up dry", they will launch their own
investigation. As a result of the negative publicity, one of the most
targeted faculty, Professor Joseph Massad, will not be teaching his
signature course, Israeli and Palestinian Societies and Cultures, this
Spring. Other professors sympathetic to Palestinian human rights who
not were specifically targeted by Columbia Unbecoming are nonetheless
suffering from this vicious campaign. For instance, eminent historian
and Professor Rashid Khalidi, director of the Middle East Institute at
Columbia, was recently fired from the New York City Teacher Training
Program on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Development, a volunteer
position he has held for years.



Though the David Project claims political balance, Columbia Unbecoming
is a patchwork of incoherent, uncorroborated accusations. The Project
itself is part of a larger campaign against critics of the US and
Israel and their roles in the Middle East. This campaign includes
groups like Campus Watch and Scholars for Peace in the Middle East as
well as propagandists such as Martin Kramer and Daniel Pipes. A major
strategy of these groups and individuals is to equate criticism of
Israel with anti-Semitism, and to use this charge to silence critical
voices. Indeed, the US government is now considering legislation, HR
3077, that will increase monitoring of Middle East studies programs in
order to silence critique. These acts draw from the general rise in
discrimination against Arabs, Muslims, and South Asians within the
context of US militarism. This is the new McCarthyism. Columbia
University is not immune to this climate.



In this time of war and increased repression, we express our concern
for the broader implications and negative precedent that these
unwarranted investigations are likely to set. For instance, tenured
professor, Ward Churchill, was recently compelled to resign from the
chairmanship of his department at the University of Colorado for his
political views.



We affirm the right of all professors and students to voice their
opinions and dissent, and condemn all forms of discrimination
including anti-Semitism, anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.



Therefore, we demand that,
Columbia University defend its faculty and immediately drop its
baseless and unjust investigation of the professors under attack.
Criticism of Israel is not intimidation.
The University issue a public apology for failing to defend the right
of these professors to free and dissenting speech
The University, furthermore, issue an affirmative statement that such
attacks and dishonest tactics are simply unacceptable
The New York City Council immediately withdraw its proposed
investigation of the attacked professors.

[wildbill]

MELAC refused to participate? Probably didn't want to associate with infidel dogs and apes.

I really am embarassed about this department's behaviour and what the administration seems to be doing about it.

[Stultis]

NYC Event Ping...

[rmlew]

My summary of the event.