Visit by Pro-Israel Prof Causes Uproar at U of Toronto

U.S. Scholar Condemned in an Open Letter for ‘Racist’ Speeches

[Ed.: original link, now nonworking: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050329/PIPE, Tuesday, March 29, 2005 Page A18; S29/TPNational/Toronto]

A visit today to the University of Toronto by a controversial U.S. scholar
of the Middle East is causing an uproar among academics and students, who
say that “hate, prejudice and fear-mongering” do not have a place on campus.

A university spokeswoman said that arrangements are in place for a “safe
event” this evening, when the school plays host to Daniel Pipes, director of
the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum and a pro-Israeli academic. The
Middle East Forum at U of T, a new student group, invited Mr. Pipes.

In an unusual move, more than 80 professors and graduate students wrote an
open letter pointing out that Mr. Pipes has a “long record of xenophobic,
racist and sexist [speeches] that goes back to 1990.”

“Genuine academic debate requires an open and free exchange of ideas in an
atmosphere of mutual respect and tolerance. We . . . are committed to
academic freedom and we affirm Pipes’ right to speak at our university,” the
letter states. “However, we strongly believe that hate, prejudice, and
fear-mongering have no place on this campus.”

Mr. Pipes, who has written 12 books, is described in his biography as “one
of the few analysts who understood the threat of militant Islam.” He is the
creator of Campus Watch, a controversial website that reviews and critiques
Middle East studies in North America.

In 2003, under heavy police protection, he told an audience of 180 students
at York University that Arab rejection of Israel’s right to exist is the
root cause of violence in the Middle East, and that Western university
campuses are becoming increasingly intolerant of pro-Israeli views.

Mr. Pipes also drew criticism when he suggested, following the report into
the 2001 attacks on the United States, that Islam is the enemy in the war on
terrorism.

Jens Hanssen, an assistant professor in history who spearheaded the letter,
said the general public needed to be made aware of Mr. Pipes’s visit to
Canada’s largest university.

U of T administration has not interfered with Mr. Pipes’s speaking
engagement, despite the faculty and students’ concerns. Student groups are
expected to hold a protest and hand out pamphlets outside St. Michael’s
College today.

Ahmad Shokr, organizer of the Arab Students’ Collective and a third-year
history student at U of T, said he expects other student groups to join him
today to hand out leaflets.

“Although he has the right to speak, we don’t think he should actually have
a place to speak on campus,” the 22-year-old said. “There should be a
general awareness amongst the campus community of who this person is and
hopefully with that awareness . . . groups wouldn’t invite a speaker like
this.”

Mr. Pipes’s speech is titled Radical Islam and the War on Terror. Organizers
expect at least 400 people to attend the speech, which will be followed by a
question and answer session.

In an interview yesterday, Mr. Pipes shrugged off protesters, saying he has
a right to appear on campuses.

“I’ve been criticized plenty, as this suggests. I’m being criticized today,”
he said, referring to the open letter. “I grant my critics the right to
criticize me. And I retain the right to criticize them. None of us have
police powers.”

He added: “Freedom of speech is freedom of speech for those one disagrees
with, as well as those one does agree with.”

Rebecca Waserman, a second-year student who is president of the Middle East
Forum at U of T, said the talk is open to the public. She dismissed the
protests by faculty and students. “Anyone who wants to come deliver a talk
can come deliver a talk,” the 18-year-old said.

Mr. Pipes’s reception on Canadian campuses has been chilly. Two years ago,
the student-run centre at York University blocked him from speaking at its
facility. The university administration decided to accommodate him after
Jewish community leaders intervened. Protesters demonstrated outside, while
police, metal detectors and photo-identification checks welcomed those
attending his speech at York University, a campus where relationships have
been strained between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian groups.

Ed Morgan, president of the Canadian Jewish Congress and a law professor at
U of T, said yesterday that faculty members have the right to express their
views in an open letter, just as Mr. Pipes is free to make his speech on
campus.

“I believe that freedom of speech stops on campus if it comes to harassing
students,” Prof. Morgan said. “But when it comes to expressing political
views, I think that we should be free to express views.”

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