Posted on 02/02/2017 5:00:55 AM PST by SJackson
Rashid Khalidi Worries that Jews Will Infest the Trump Administration
The famous Columbia professor repeatedly used a Nazi-era metaphor to depict Jews as vermin.
Rashid Khalidi is unapologetic. The longtime Columbia University professor last month said repeatedly that supporters of Israel would infest the Trump administration language that evokes the imagery and metaphors of the Nazis. But for all the on-campus sensitivity seminars and trigger warnings that dominate our age, dont expect an apology in this case. Apparently, no language, even if it is dehumanizing and deeply rooted in historic anti-Semitism, is out of line in condemning Israel.
Professor Khalidi is well known as Columbia Universitys professor of modern Arab studies. January 17, in a lengthy radio interview on WBEZ Chicagos Worldview, Khalidi warned that this infestation would begin under the new president. Describing Israel supporters in terms that evoke vermin was not a momentary lapse or slip of the tongue. He used infest three times, saying these people infest the Trump transition team and will soon infest the government.
Who are these people? In his view, theyre a bit crazy but also scheming. Khalidi explains:
There are a group of people, a lot of them in Israel and some of them in the United States, who live in a world of their own. That is to say, they think that whatever they want, and whatever cockamamie schemes they can cook up, can be substituted for reality.
Free speech is a blessed thing, and hypersensitivity to offensive language is a curse on college campuses. I have no desire to stifle discussion, but its fair to ask: Whats become of reasonable people can differ? Whats become of civil discourse? Whats become of the golden rule? One has to suppose that Khalidi would take offense if someone analogized Palestinians, rather than Jews, to rats or cockroaches.
His remarks may not be the ugliest comment along these lines that ever emerged from the Middle Eaststudies faculty at Columbia. Professor Hamid Dabashi once described the soul of an Israeli Jew as containing a vulgarity of character that is bone-deep and structural to the skeletal vertebrae of its culture. But the infestation theme is nasty enough to warrant special notice.
What makes it especially nasty is its historical resonance. To be sure, not all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism and not all anti-Semitism is Nazism. But theres no getting around the fact that in his memoir, Mein Kampf, Hitler over and over again described the Jews as an infestation of vermin. That was one of the books main metaphors. And thats why Nazi officials made a point of saying their Jewish policy aimed not to kill but to exterminate (vernichten), a word more appropriate for bugs or lice than human beings.
While characterizing his opponents as nonhuman, Khalidi complains that these people . . . have a vision whereby theres no such thing as the Palestinians. But thats not an essential trait of Israels supporters, many of whom not only recognize the existence of the Palestinians but also sympathize with their suffering. Many believe, contrary to Professor Khalidis views, that its corrupt and undemocratic Palestinian officials who are mainly responsible for Palestinians suffering. But its flatly wrong to say that Khalidis opponents think theres no such thing as the Palestinians.
Further describing Israel supporters, Khalidi says, They have a vision whereby international law doesnt exist. Thats not true, either. Over many decades, Zionists have published voluminous works on international law, explaining how it supports Israels existence and policies. Khalidi can challenge their views, but he shouldnt grossly mischaracterize them.
I know Rashid Khalidi personally. I was a student in his Modern Middle East course last semester and had several private discussions with him. So after his radio interview, I wrote to him and suggested he publicly clarify that he didnt mean to characterize his political opponents so harshly. He replied by pointing me to the statement he gave to the Forward.
In that statement, he acknowledged infelicitous phrasing, but thats even less of an apology than the classic non-apology Im sorry if anyone took offense. In an e-mail to me, he then renewed his attack on these people as having a racialist disregard for Palestinians and using anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian and antiinternational law rhetoric. In other words, Khalidi doubled down on his insult when he should have simply said Sorry. Rather than grant that both sides of the PalestinianIsraeli conflict have points worth hearing, Khalidi painted Israels supporters as crazy extremists who lack rational arguments and who dont deserve serious consideration.
Many good people are puzzled about how the Arab-Israeli conflict can fester and rage for more than a hundred years. A key reason is that Israels enemies are so passionate in their hatred that they pass it down through the generations.
Rashid Khalidis uncivil words demonstrate the problem. They damage the very people he favors. After all, the Palestinian people would benefit from mutual accommodation and peace with Israel. And his words also harm the interests of Columbia students who hope to have mutually respectful exchanges of ideas about controversial subjects.
Dore Feith is a junior at Columbia and the president of Aryeh: Columbia Students Association for Israel.-rats-infestation
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Rashid and Barry boring Michelle
....as if having the brotherhood as advisors was normal....FU!
Once again, a Sand Savage demonstrates the genetic consequences of 1,400 years of first cousin incest by insulting the President’s son in law and his daughter’s choice of religion.
Perhaps there should be another nickname for Muslims - may I suggest “SandTard”?
Exactly, that Sunni Muslim Marxist reprobate Obama creature infiltrated the Muslim Brotherhood into as many governmental positions as he could in his evil eight years,
This person had no problem with that demonic infestation,
Huma was to be the MB handler for Hillary, to continue the invasion,
A key reason is that Israels enemies are so passionate in their hatred that they pass it down through the generations.
It is just a manefestation of the commands given in the Koran.
Well, we had 8 years of muslim infestation. Let’s see if the Jews can do better. :-)
There sure were a lot of Jewish Never Trumpers.
OMG she is smirking!! Looks angry.....
Mein Kampf in Arabic remains a bestseller in the ME to this day. It was translated & published even before the Nazis took power.
“You can take the savage out of the desert, but.....”
Re your pic of the Obamas and Khalidi:
That was from the early days, before Michelle was recognized as being a world-class fashion icon. (cough, cough).
yesterday Trump was anti-Semitic. I’m so confused.
Barry looks like he just spotted a young feller to hook up with later
First, Pres. Trump will have to de-louse the intel and defense departments to get rid of the Muslims that have infested government during the Hussein Obama years. That’s what Americans are worried about.
I can’t wait until Trump places Obama’s Muslim Brotherhood, which infested the Obama administration, on the terrorist list.
Just what America DIDN’T need. An influx of racist, Muzzie bigots. Sorry America if I refuse to kiss the Muslims’ asses.
Right, Rashid? /sarc
One of the LA Times’ favorite butt boy.
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