April 01, 2005

Madrassa on Morningside Heights (cont.)

Columbia's report on the teaching methods of its Israel and America hating Dept. of Middle Eastern Languages and Culture is an appalling whitewash. The authors of this self flattering account whereby the perpetrators of lies and hatred are turned into victims whose academic freedom needs defending, should replace Winston Smith at the Ministry of Truth. They're especially adept at utilizing the Memory Hole to make unwanted facts disappear. Fortunately the blogosphere has not signed on with the NYTimes's agreement to a media cover up.

Charles Johnson has the full text of the David Project's response to Columbia's self-exculpating whitewash. Here is the crucial point.:

“...Most importantly, the Dirks Committee obfuscates the main issue: the teaching of lies and propaganda by Arabist professors who so demonize Israel that defenders of the Jewish state find themselves in a hostile environment in their classes.

“The report obfuscates by referring to incidents of biased, dishonest teaching in pedagogical and psychological terms. It classes them as ‘rhetorically combative’ methods or as expressions of ‘uncongenial views’ that — and the issue is reduced to this — make some students ‘uncomfortable.’ But the committee never considers the possibility that these ‘teachings’ are lies and propaganda. When Professor Massad teaches that the word ‘Zion’ means ‘penis’ and therefore Zionism is a macho movement, this is not an uncongenial view, but a lie. When at Columbia it is taught that the Jews are Nazis and the Palestinians are the new Jews, and that the Jews slaughtered Arabs in Jenin, these are not ‘rhetorically combative’ modes of teaching; they are blood libels, anti-Semitic provocations, deceptions, and Arabist propaganda..."