Furor erupts over Web site monitoring of Middle Eastern scholars (America haters whine)

AP ^ | 9-27- | Ron Todt

[Dan from Michigan]

Furor erupts over Web site monitoring of Middle Eastern scholars

By RON TODT
The Associated Press
9/27/02 10:22 PM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A pro-Israel organization has set up a Web site to monitor professors and universities for pro-Arab, anti-Israel bias -- a move some academics are decrying as campus McCarthyism and attempted intimidation.

The Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum said it organized the Campus Watch site to counter pervasive bias in universities' Middle Eastern studies.

The site names schools and specific professors. Forum director Daniel Pipes said the think tank hopes eventually to monitor 250 North American academic institutions.

"Our goal is to monitor, critique and improve Middle East studies," Pipes said. "We're not at universities because our views are not welcome. We're trying to create an alternative voice within the field."

Scholars whose articles are compiled into dossiers on the Web site include Hamid Dabashi and Joseph Massad of Columbia, John Esposito of Georgetown, Juan Cole of the University of Michigan and Snehal Shingavi of University of California at Berkeley. Dossiers are also listed on those institutions as well as a dozen others, including Stanford, Northeastern, the University of Chicago and the University of North Carolina.

Opponents immediately called the effort "McCarthy-like" and an attempt to stifle opposition to U.S. policy in the Middle East. Professors listed on the site said they were bombarded with e-mail over the weekend.

In a show of support for those named on the site, about 100 other academics have asked to be added to the list.

Judith Butler, a gender theorist at Berkeley, wrote that she would like to be included in the list of U.S. academics "who oppose the Israeli occupation and its brutality, actively support Palestinian rights of self-determination" and support an informed view of Islam.

The Campus Watch site accuses American Middle Eastern scholars of generally being biased against the United States and being apologists for unfriendly regimes.

University of Chicago historian Rashid Khalidi, who is quoted on the Web site as sympathizing with the Palestinian cause, called the site "slimy" and intended to chill opposition.

"What they're trying to do is exclude from public debate opinions that go against the neo-conservative consensus that dominates discussion of policy on Iraq or policy on the Israeli conflict by smearing us and calling us aliens," he said.

Pipes said he will not remove a "Keep Us Informed" page on the site that opponents say is an attempt to get students to turn in their professors. He said it gives students a place to complain about mistreatment.

"What you have in university is exclusion of alternate points of view," Pipes said. "You've got to subscribe to the party line and then you can make your career; if you don't, you're out."

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On the Net:

http://www.campus-watch.org

[Robert_Paulson2]

"I should have been more specific. Condoleeza Rice, George Bush, Colin Powell" (are communists according to your accusation)

NOW... prove they are communists...as in:
Condoleeza Rice is one because she
a:
b:
c: (add as many as you need to PROVE your accusations)

George Bush is one because he
a:
b:
c: (add as many as you need to PROVE your accusations)

Colin Powell is one because he
a:
b:
c: (add as many as you need to PROVE your accusations)

We are making progress here in your "full of commies" argument... once I know what the arguements are, I can determine whether or not you know something the rest of us don't...

Please give me at least two or three pieces of HARD evidence for each person you accused... like a membership date for when they joined said communist party. How much they contributed to the communist party... and the like

Please tell me we have something other than your own opinion to go on... I think we need something other than subjectives on an accusation this serious.

[Robert_Paulson2]

he claims he knows that bush rice and powell are communists... back a while ago...

somebody get the nets.

[Texasforever]

You are wasting your breath. The dog only piddles on the floor he does not clean it up.

[Robert_Paulson2]

NO... you moron.. bush is a commie because Demi said so...

[Robert_Paulson2]

Where the hell did he go?

I guess I gotta go get the mop...

[Southack]

"How DARE you throw the cold water of FACTS on the robust fire of righteous indignation that fuels demidog!"

Libertarians tend to shoot down their own credibility without anyone else doing anything to them.

For instance, instead of sticking to clear facts such as "government has gotten bigger", on which open-minded people would at least hear them out, Libertarians tend to rapidly dive into the tin-foil land of lies such as "everything that government does is unConstitutional", or "everything that Republicans do is socialist", and other such nonsense.

But in the big picture, such wild-eyed, grossly misguided myths are just small potatoes compared to the really damaging flaws seen in 90+% of all known Libertarians (e.g. their poor people skills and tendancy to be overly argumentative, as well as their literal disdain for taking "baby steps" to solve any current problem - they want their Revolution and they want it all now).

[Texasforever]

Where the hell did he go?

Out in the street licking himself.

[Robert_Paulson2]

Hey... cut it out... I am one republican who leans libertarian a lot... but I never thought Bush and Company were commies!

Bush didn't want our guns, our children or try to take more of our money.
After clintong and company... and their plans for our gulags... Bush looked like a libertarian to me... I know he's not, but in comparison to mr and mrs "it takes a village"!

[Robert_Paulson2]

not a pretty picture....

[texasbluebell]

Which isn't just to correct the blatant anti-American and anti-Israel slant in the nation's Middle Eastern Studies programs; its true importance is taking back our nation's educational establishment from the anti-America crowd that has subjugated it to its totalitarian hegemony and with the understanding that the ivory towers of academe are too important to be left to the scholars - their halls belong to all of us.

Sadly just a little too late for my child, I'm afraid, who came onto this scene a couple of years ago, and I'm really upset about it. I don't know what to do. I guess only time can cure the problem now. At least I hope so. But it's a shame--however it just never occurred to me that this was going on at such a supposedly good university.

Needless to say, that particular school won't be getting any extra $$$ from me. It angers me greatly that such a one-sided case was showcased re: the middle east.

Thank heavens Daniel Pipes might alert some other parents to the situation in time.

[fella]

And we pay good money to have our children programed by these hate-filled people? I'm so glad that my girls choose to not attend college, considering what colleges have become.

[Robert_Paulson2]

"fascist student trogdolytes"

her name was bertha... bertha butt, wunada butt sistas....

(a song by trogladite in the early seventies)

[nopardons]

My kiddo went to a " Little Ivy " and escaped still firmly C-O-N-S-E-R-V-A-T-I-V-E . It can be done, :-)

We just don't send them any money ... NOT EVER ... and tell them bold facedly WHY , whenever they ask for some. It does rattle their cage.

Daniel Pipes is fantastic !

[Tom_Busch]

I wonder did anyone else see Pipes on Phil Donahue. Mind you I don't watch that show normally, but was flipping through channels and the subject matter caught my attention.

It was Pipes and some Arab professor from Columbia U. The professor was compaining about recieving death threats and spam since being named on that site. He also called Pipes an academic fraud.

Anyway, Donahue made no attempt to hide his bias and was acting as if Pipes was some kind of mass murderer.

[RWG]

an informed view of Islam...monsters

[tomkat]

hey guy/gal, next time, how 'bout a link instead of sixty friggin pages to scroll through, huh ??

[tomkat]

dude, you really oughta turn off your webcam when ya feel that buzz comin' on ...

[Cachelot]

[ChadGore]

Here we have a politically active organization ( http://www.campus-watch.org/) that sends faxes, sends emails, and writes letters to the editors of local papers in order to disseminate information about their cause. I would deem these to be an effective, acceptable form of communication within a reasoned and informed society.

Let's contrast and compare this with Islam’s politically active organization that sprays people with exploding jet fuel, incinerating them where they stand, forcing their co-workers to fly out of 90 story windows, sending their bodies to a splattering death on NYC pavement, only to have pieces of fingernail and shards of bones picked out of the twisted steel months and months later, then send Osama-loving sycophants, Arafat apologists, and Abdul Nasserets to tell us they are on our side.

I would deem THIS to be an ineffective and unacceptable form of communication, built on the assumption that this is not an informed society.

I welcome the assertion that these spokesman want to distance themselves from their terrorist brothers (and I use the term brother out of a deep respect for their faith) and sisters who’s actions speak louder than any of their words ever could.

Their causes are damned in this country and the world for rest of this generation.

[ChadGore]

http://www.graflex.org/scanning/five-cent-cigar-icon.jpg