It's that time of the year again...
Posted by: Kevin Schmelzlen | 05/07/2008 12:02 AM
Every May, the Muslim Student Union (MSU) at UC Irvine brings many speakers to campus to speak about "how evil Israel and the United States are". Although many of the speakers change every year and come from diverse backgrounds, they all have one thing in common....they hate the Jewish State of Israel. Among the speakers coming this year are Norman Finkelstein, a former DePaul University professor (he was denied tenure), who claims that the Jews are exploiting and exaggerating the Holocaust for their own benefit, and Ilan Pappe, a "New Historian" and former University of Haifa professor (he left when the university's president called for his resignation), who has expressed support for Hamas, a terrorist group which is being closely watched by the European Union and the United States, along with many other nations. However, Pappe's support for Hamas is in no way unique amongst the speakers that the Muslim Student Union is bringing to UC Irvine next week. Other speakers, such as Amir Abdel Malik Ali and Mohammad al-Asi, also support terrorist actions against the Jewish State and the Jews that live within its borders. This should not be surprising to anyone since the group that is bringing these despicable human beings refers to suicide bombers as "martyrs", a term which inherently brings a positive connotation.
In response to these speakers, and MSU's hate week in general, the Zionist Organization of America at UC Irvine (ZOA-UCI) is, and has been, hosting events to show the campus and the community not just why Israel has the right to exist but also to make it clear that the Muslim Student Union's anti-Zionist message is indeed anti-Semitic. Last week, ZOA-UCI brought Noam Bedein, photojournalist and director of the Sderot Media Center, to campus to speak about the situation in Sderot, a city in southern Israel which is under constant attack of missiles coming from the Gaza Strip. It was a very powerful message, especially when he revealed that 97% of missiles coming from the Gaza Strip are launched from residential neighborhoods. This Thursday, ZOA-UCI will be showing a film called "The Suicide Killers", a documentary which reveals the personal lives of suicide bombers and the mentality that causes people to be willing to blow themselves (and, of course, innocent civilians) up. After the film, Nonie Darwish, founder of Arabs For Israel, will be speaking about Israel, radical Islam, and much more. Also, next Tuesday, ZOA-UCI will be bringing scholar, author, and activist David Horowitz to speak about the Muslim Student Union and their support of another genocide against the Jews.
Yes, unfortunately it is once again time for the Muslim Student Union's "hate week", but this time around the rational, peace-loving, pro-America, pro-Israel students on campus will have an opportunity to hear a counter-argument to the MSU's lies. This is the beginning of the end of the Muslim Student Union's reign of terror on campus.
In response to these speakers, and MSU's hate week in general, the Zionist Organization of America at UC Irvine (ZOA-UCI) is, and has been, hosting events to show the campus and the community not just why Israel has the right to exist but also to make it clear that the Muslim Student Union's anti-Zionist message is indeed anti-Semitic. Last week, ZOA-UCI brought Noam Bedein, photojournalist and director of the Sderot Media Center, to campus to speak about the situation in Sderot, a city in southern Israel which is under constant attack of missiles coming from the Gaza Strip. It was a very powerful message, especially when he revealed that 97% of missiles coming from the Gaza Strip are launched from residential neighborhoods. This Thursday, ZOA-UCI will be showing a film called "The Suicide Killers", a documentary which reveals the personal lives of suicide bombers and the mentality that causes people to be willing to blow themselves (and, of course, innocent civilians) up. After the film, Nonie Darwish, founder of Arabs For Israel, will be speaking about Israel, radical Islam, and much more. Also, next Tuesday, ZOA-UCI will be bringing scholar, author, and activist David Horowitz to speak about the Muslim Student Union and their support of another genocide against the Jews.
Yes, unfortunately it is once again time for the Muslim Student Union's "hate week", but this time around the rational, peace-loving, pro-America, pro-Israel students on campus will have an opportunity to hear a counter-argument to the MSU's lies. This is the beginning of the end of the Muslim Student Union's reign of terror on campus.
UCI's students, 99% of whom are not involved in the ugliness, have a chance to compare this week's positive, up-beat Israeli fest with the losers and knuckleheads (like Amir Abdel Malik Ali, Norman Finklestein and Mohammed al Asi) that MSU will bring in to spew their hate next week.
The students hopefully will take note of who also trashes America in their appearances. I find it interesting that the MSU continues to bring in speakers who are not only anti-Israel, but anti-America as well. And they wonder why we view them with suspicion.
Gary Fouse
adjunct teacher
UCI-Ext
They are hardly knuckleheads.
At any rate, Kevin, I was hoping you could clarify who you were quoting in your first paragraph. Thanks!
No, they're not knuckleheads; they're bigots.
The "how evil Israel and the United States are" sentence was not a quote so much as a paraphrase of the overall message of the MSU's speakers every May. I used quotes to show that Israel and the United States are not evil, the MSU just thinks they are. I would have mentioned the exact source if it was a direct quote. Sorry for any confusion.
Well, in all fairness, you do not paraphrase something in quotes; in fact, that's journalism 101. With respect, I think your use of them is highly misleading, and that you ought to change it.
Also, I notice there is a lot of commentary on the website dabbling in defamation of character and ad hominem attacks against these speakers (you included), but not much consideration of their ideas. Are you familiar, for example, with Norman Finkelstein's work? What his major points and theses are? They are not as anti-Semitic or radical or hate-filled as many on the blog would have you believe.
If you are familiar with his work, I'd like you to explain what about them is so hate-filled. I haven't been able to find it.
haha... "mr. filth" Constantine got owned last night. Don't bring backwards half brain pawns to do your dirty work.
i dont even know why im on this blog, or who the blogger guy is...but apparently its the guy from last night who got wrecked infront of all of his peers? My condolences to becoming a victim of rape. Keep your propagandous nonsense to yourself and do as Chris Caesar said.
Jonathan C. is one of my heroes. He speaks up for what he believes in, even in the face of terrorist supporters and cowardly liberals. I'm definately not alone in admiring and praising all the excellent work he does. Without people like him the world would be a bad place to live.
Well, I have never taken a journalism class nor am I journalist; I am just a normal guy trying to promote tolerance in this world. I clarified my comment and that is as far as I will go. I do not see how it is misleading; the MSU and the speakers it brings do believe and speak about how evil Israel and the United States are.
Since I am the one who used the term knuckleheads, I should comment. I stand by that description. They are also bigots.
You don't see how it's misleading to charge that the MSU explicitly said that they are bringing in speakers to discuss how "evil" America is?
It's misleading because -- not to put too fine a point on it -- it's not real, made up, a fabrication. Those are your words, not theirs.
I don't have formal training in journalism either, but I think my point is pretty clear, man. I defy you to find a single quote from Finkelstein, et al. alleging the US or Israel are "evil." If you can't, you are willingly misrepresenting them, and that tarnishes your credibility.
Look, you seem like a nice guy, and I understand what you mean. But the way the post stands now, you are quoting the MSU as saying they simply want to bring people on campus who claim the US and Israel are "evil." They are bringing people on campus to (rightly) criticize Israeli and American foreign policy.
Neither you or Gary responded to my question as to whether or not you are actually familiar with the speakers' work. I think that also throws your collective credibility into question, especially when you are so quick to critically generalize and invent their positions.
Chris,
Finkelstein was thrown out of De Paul by his own administration....and like MSU, He blames others for his own shortcomings. End of story.
If that does not help:
I heard what finkelstein had to say last night. Every point he made was without historical context. He treated "Palestine" as if it was a sovereign nation and the parts of "palestine" that was captured by Israel were Palistinean controlled and not Jordanian controlled, such as the West Bank and East Jerusalem. All of his arguments are credible only to those who want to believe. If the MSU were interested in real debate, there are plenty of "credible" individuals who can discuss this, not some self loathing has been.
"End of story"? Really.
There have been a lot of feeble attempts to generalize Finkelstein's work here, but I haven't heard any specific examples of factual misrepresentation. In fact, I'd be sincerely interested in hearing some, but the fact that no one seems willing to cough up an example is kind of revealing.
So far, all we have are some (admittedly) invented quotes and name-calling. Is this serious? Talk about arguments only being credible to those who want to believe.
http://djkonservo.wordpress.com/2008/02/21/norman-finkelstein-one-creepy-evil-motherfcker/
To elaborate:
"...[Finkelstein says] Jews are exploiting and exaggerating the Holocaust for their own benefit..."
Finkelstein does not say "Jews" are "exaggerating the Holocaust for their own benefit." If you'd take a cursory look at the people you publicly defame, you'd read this:
“…The Holocaust has proven to be an indispensable ideological weapon. Through its deployment, one of the world’s most formidable military powers, with a horrendous human rights record, has cast itself as a “victim” state, and the most successful ethnic group in the United States has likewise acquired victim status….”
That is the thesis of "The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering." It's on the first page.
The book is about 200 pages and consists of Finkelstein's examination of the idea. He concludes The Holocaust is exploited by some groups to some ends -- a barely controversial thesis, really.
In fact, among his conclusions is that this exploitation is often committed at great cost to those actually brutalized by the Holocaust, including his own parents and extended family.
I think that's a bit more nuanced, and frankly honest, assessment of what Finkelstein's thesis then "Jews are exploiting and exaggerating the Holocaust for their own benefit." Come on, man. That's a wild misrepresentation.
If you support Finkelstein we know you are an anti-semite. Don't try to act like you make sense.
Finkelstein the sexual harasser and terrorist sympathizer can listen to "I will survive" and cry in his NY apartment...and rot for all I care. He is a POS. http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/41838/
Long live America and Israel!
For myself, I have personally heard Malik Ali and A Musa condemn America and Israel in those terms, glorify suicide bombers and all that.
I did not attend Finklestein's speech. Whether he calls Israel and /or America evil, I don't know. But in coming to UCI to speak for the MSU, and associatingf himself with those other speaker does not speak well of him, in my view.
lmao, thanks Lobo. Trenchant stuff there.
Typical Jewish whine.
Calling someone an "anti-semite" at the first instance of offense.
Judaism is like a mental prison.