Posted on 08/12/2009 6:49:59 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Im tempted to call this unbelievable but that simply wouldnt be true. In fact, the very first words of the Timess piece are Its not all that surprising. Not only do research universities purportedly devoted to free inquiry now censor primary sources in the interest of safety, but Ive experienced it myself: Imagine, if you will, the absurdity of a panel discussion about images which the audience isnt allowed to view. Its come to that. This is the scholarship equivalent of Yale donning a burqa to suppress the temptations its immodesty might otherwise inspire in Muslim men. Good work, academia.
Yale University and Yale University Press consulted two dozen authorities, including diplomats and experts on Islam and counterterrorism, and the recommendation was unanimous: The book, The Cartoons That Shook the World, should not include the 12 Danish drawings that originally appeared in September 2005. Whats more, they suggested that the Yale press also refrain from publishing any other illustrations of the prophet that were to be included, specifically, a drawing for a childrens book; an Ottoman print; and a sketch by the 19th-century artist Gustave Doré of Muhammad being tormented in Hell, an episode from Dantes Inferno that has been depicted by Botticelli, Blake, Rodin and Dalí
John Donatich, the director of Yale University Press, said by telephone that the decision was difficult, but the recommendation to withdraw the images, including the historical ones of Muhammad, was overwhelming and unanimous. The cartoons are freely available on the Internet and can be accurately described in words, Mr. Donatich said, so reprinting them could be interpreted easily as gratuitous.
He noted that he had been involved in publishing other controversial books like The King Never Smiles by Paul M. Handley, a recent unauthorized biography of Thailands current monarch and Ive never blinked. But, he said, when it came between that and blood on my hands, there was no question.
And there you have it. Its a small mercy, at least, that theyre making no bones about whats driving this decision; occasionally, this sort of appeasement-by-self-censorship is dressed up as high-minded progressive cultural sensitivity. To see just how bad things have gotten, read the entire Times piece (which, thankfully, acknowledges that the paper itself cowered in the face of terrorism by refusing to publish the cartoons when the story broke). Not only were the expert recommendations that Yale should suppress the images unanimous, but not a single person quoted in the story offers a full-throated defense of a universitys obligation not to sacrifice knowledge on the altar of totalitarianism. The closest we get is Reza Aslan arguing that its idiotic to omit the cartoons now that the controversys died down and the risk of reprisal is low. If the risk was high, presumably hed think differently. In lieu of an exit question, let me make a recommendation: If you know a right-wing academic or public intellectual, make sure to bring this item to his or her attention. Hopefully itll make them think twice about doing business with Yale in the future.
Terror appeasers.
I believe.....FERVENTLY....in ‘mo ham’.
I have a penchant for bacon. Seriously.
As if a right winger would ever want to do business with Yale before this?
To be fair, Im sure they are busy purging all cartoon books relating to Christianity as well. /s
cowards, really.
What ever happened to free speech liberals?
OKay, I’m choking with laughter
free inquiry??
did they say it with a straight face?
Their mind was made up before hand and they sought out "experts" that they knew agreed.
1701: Ten Congregationalist ministers, out of “zeal for upholding and propagating of the Christian Protestant Religion,” found the college later named Yale.
but apparently noone disagrees. Nobody in the country apparently. They couldn’t find one anyway.
laugh riot
I will say one thing - Muslims understand liberal elites. They’re cowards - and the cave quickly.
I will say one thing - Muslims understand liberal elites. They’re cowards - and they cave quickly.
Yale...too anal for words.
Of course, NYT et.al, had no problem posting the inflamatory Abu Ghraib pictures, over and over and over and over...
Will they burn all of their ancient manuscripts next?
I would suspect they'll try burning the main library on Yale campus next.
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