Campus Watch Weekly Update

Campus Watch reports the following from May 17-23, 2019:

We Couldn’t Have Said it Better

“There has been an exponential growth of tenured positions and well-funded Middle East Studies departments. But this trend has fostered a new orthodoxy of opinion about the subject. Far from a bastion of impartial study, these departments became a preserve of those devoted to whitewashing radical Islam, bashing Israeli policies, critiquing and undermining support for Zionism, and supporting the Palestinian Arab war to destroy the Jewish state. In Mideast studies, only one point of view about Israel is welcome.”

Jonathan Tobin, Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) editor-in-chief, in “Is There Room in the Academy for Honest Scholarship on Israel?"; JNS, May 23, 2019.

Link: https://www.jns.org/opinion/is-there-room-in-the-academy-for-honest-scholarship-on-israel/?fbclid=IwAR1-jxlv7Z0f72eqsN2WkN_hEtzioij7-DzEFzVQo-3VhCpP_5smkU4zJYc

Campus Watch Research

CW contributor Karys Rhea on Columbia University’s Center for Palestine Studies—and its co-director Rashid Khalidi—hosting anti-Israel journalist Ben White: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58547/columbia-university-hosts-journalist-who-can

Campus Watch Blog

Omar Suleiman’s History of Anti-Semitic Statements Speaks for Itself: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58563/omar-suleiman-history-of-anti-semitic-statements

FCDF Legal Warning Leads Washington School District to Abandon Unconstitutional Ramadan Policy: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58552/fcdf-legal-warning-leads-washington-school

Columbia University Hosts Journalist Who Can ‘Understand’ Anti-Semitism: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58549/columbia-university-hosts-journalist-who-can

Middle East Studies in the News

Cary Nelson reviews “Word Crimes,” the issue of “Israel Studies” on academic anti-Zionist rhetoric (incl. Donna Robinson Divine, Miriam Elman, Asaf Romirowsky): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58550/word-crime-recidivism-incl-donna-robinson-divine

Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund’s legal warning prompts Washington’s Northshore School District to withdraw its Ramadan policy: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58551/wash-school-district-quashes-ramadan-policy-after

Thomas More Law Center asks Supreme Court to decide on case involving the promotion of Islam in public schools and the disparagement of Christianity (5/15): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58595/thomas-more-law-center-asks-supreme-court-to

World Net Daily on the same: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58593/us-school-fails-christian-student-for-refusing

DC Public Charter School Board turns down Arabic Language Public Charter School, but encourages founders to reapply next year: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58555/charter-board-turns-down-arabic-immersion-school

On the success of U. of Mississippi’s Arabic Language Flagship Program: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58589/flagship-status-pays-off-for-um-arabic-program

Former Dartmouth College prof Diana Abouali takes over as director of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, MI: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58564/new-director-takes-over-arab-american-national

Yale Daily News on a community vigil for Diyanet Mosque of New Haven, which suffered a fire due to arson (incl. Yale’s Zareena Grewal, Fairfield U’s Martin Nguyen): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58541/community-members-hold-vigil-after-arson-at-new

On the thirteenth annual Memphis Interfaith Ramadan dinner (incl. Rhodes College’s Yasir Qadhi): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58599/sharing-ramadan-how-a-memphis-muslim-tradition

PRI on how different religions view the beginning of life and abortion (incl. Tufts U. chaplain Celene Ibrahim): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58543/when-does-life-begin-it-might-depend-on-your

Indian Express blurb on American U. prof Akbar Ahmed’s essay, “What Modi Can Learn from Akbar": https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58539/view-from-the-neighbourhood-history-lessons-incl

Clarion Project (Ryan Mauro and Justen Charters) claims Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies prof Narges Bajoghli spouts Iranian regime propaganda: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58591/johns-hopkins-professor-mouthpiece-for-iranian

Michael Ledeen notes Columbia’s Rashid Khalidi endorsement of Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s erroneous “safe haven” claim: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58568/the-power-of-ignorance-incl-rashid-khalidi

On member of the Virginia legislature Ibraheem Samirah’s connections to SJP and AMP (incl. UC Berkeley’s Hatem Bazian): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58565/virginia-lawmaker-connected-to-anti-semitic

UCLA student council condemns David Horowitz Freedom Center’s report on campus Jew-hatred (incl. Hatem Bazian): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58601/ucla-student-council-condemns-freedom-center

Swastika/"Free Palestine” graffiti shows up in SFSU bathroom (incl. Rabab Abdulhadi): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58575/swastika-found-in-sf-state-bathroom-incl-rabab

On the fallout from SFSU prof Rabab Abdulhadi’s guest lecture at UCLA, in which she likened Zionists to white supremacists:

Jewish Journal: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58556/ucla-guest-lecturer-calls-zionists-white

The Forward: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58598/ucla-guest-speaker-called-zionists-white

CBN News: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58597/she-shouldnt-be-in-the-classroom-ucla-lecturer

JNS: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58566/ucla-guest-lecturer-compares-zionists-to-white

Jerusalem Post: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58562/zionists-are-white-supremacists-says-guest

On Highland Park Library (NJ) postponing a JVP-organized event featuring Golbarg Bashi, Rutgers U. prof and author of the controversial children’s book “P is for Palestine":

Jewish Link of New Jersey (JVP outed as organizer): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58590/central-nj-chapter-of-jewish-voice-for-peace

The Times of Israel (JVP member defends the event): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58582/c-is-for-censorship-s-is-for-slander-on-golbarg

World Israel News: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58584/p-is-for-palestine-children-book-has-new-jersey

Bridgewater Courier News (New Jersey): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58569/p-is-for-palestine-event-in-highland-park-shelved

Sputnik International: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58538/p-for-palestine-children-book-evokes-claims

Fox News: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58542/critics-blast-p-is-for-palestine-children-book-as

abc7NY (New York): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58585/children-book-p-is-for-palestine-stirs

On Islamist imam and Southern Methodist U. adjunct prof Omar Suleiman giving the invocation to the U.S. House of Representatives at the invitation of Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas):

JTA (Petra Marquardt-Bigman): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58554/rising-star-imam-omar-suleiman-has-an-anti

Warped Mirror (blog of Petra Marquardt-Bigman): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58573/omar-suleiman-and-the-vile-propaganda

Jihad Watch: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58558/anti-zionist-imam-strikes-back-at-critics-who

Moonlighters

Andrew Harrod on Georgetown U. associate Nathan Lean’s “Islamophobia” tweets (incl. UC Riverside’s Reza Aslan and the late Bernard Lewis): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58559/tweets-expose-nathan-lean-islamophobia-hoax-incl

Canadian Jewish News op-ed calls it hypocritical for the Jewish community to try and prevent appearances by anti-Israel speakers, while complaining when others do the same to pro-Israel speakers (incl. Norman Finkelstein): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58534/bellan-having-your-censorship-and-eating-it-too

On the debate between Mizrahi Jewish journalist Hen Mazzig and Temple U. prof Marc Lamont Hill over the nature of Mizrahi Jews and viewing Israel through a racialized lens:

Los Angeles Times (Mazzig’s initial column): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58537/no-israel-isnt-a-country-of-privileged

The Tablet (Mazzig revisits the topic after Hill’s bizarre response): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58600/who-gets-to-speak-for-mizrahi-jews-on-marc-lamont

JNS (Lyn Julius): https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58588/challenging-the-myth-of-white-colonial-israel

Jerusalem Post: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58560/marc-lamont-hill-slams-mizrahi-jews-as-identity

Arutz Sheva: https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58581/marc-lamont-hill-mizrachi-jews-were-palestinians

Other articles that include Marc Lamont Hill:

Charged Affairs (a publication of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy) piece critiques Hill’s advocacy of the “one-state solution": https://www.meforum.org/campus-watch/58567/do-states-have-a-right-to-exist-incl-marc-lamont

Cinnamon Stillwell analyzes Middle East studies academia in West Coast colleges and universities for Campus Watch. A San Francisco Bay Area native and graduate of San Francisco State University, she is a columnist, blogger, and social media analyst. Ms. Stillwell, a former contributing political columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, has written on a wide variety of topics, including the political atmosphere in American higher education, and has appeared as a guest on television and talk radio.
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