[facedown]

bump

[Shermy]

How many professors in the exact field has one seen on TV discussing what Osama says, jihad, Islamism, Saudi Arabia? About zero. 'nuff said.

[gaspar]

Perhaps the most fatuous clique of Middle
East studies "experts" can be found at Georgetown University where Islamist apologist John Esposito holds sway.

[WOSG]

My time as a scholar of South Asia not only gave me an indication of Said's influence across the disciplines, it also gave me a sense of what a field that does not shy away from the subject of terrorism and religious fundamentalism can look like. Many scholars of South Asia are preoccupied with religious fundamentalism and inter-religious violence. I may often disagree with what these scholars have to say, but the interesting thing is that many liberal and post-colonial scholars in South Asian Studies are almost obsessed with religious fundamentalism and violence, whereas scholars in Middle East Studies often avoid these topics. The difference can be explained by American foreign policy. Since America sees little threat from South Asian fundamentalism, scholars freely focus on the topic. But because Middle Eastern fundamentalism does threaten the United States, scholars of the Middle East have avoided saying anything about Islam or terrorism that might seem to give support to American foreign policy. We have all paid the price for that tendentious political decision.

Here is an irony: If USA decided to politically line up WITH these Muslim fundamentalist dictatorships as allies, the leftists would be out in force dragging ... their pole star is opposition to United States, freedom, capitalism, and our traditional values. Everything else is relative. More proof: these folks are 100x more exercised by palestinian crisis than by chechnya.