Thursday, April 07, 2005
Write to NYT
Write to the NY Times (letters@nyt.com) expressing support for Joseph Massad and academic freedom, and protesting their participation in the on-going witch-hunt for Palestinian and Palestinian-American academics.
My letter:
Dear Editor,
Short of teaching that there is "no such thing as a Palestinian," or that "Israel was a land without a people for a people without a land," there is nothing that Professors Joseph Massad and George Saliba could do to appease pro-Israel students. Indeed, "Israel never has truly recognized their equal right to exist, neither inside Israel's borders nor outside them," according to Israeli author Yitzhak Laor in "Racism By Any Other Name." [April 7,Ha'aretz] And how does one provide balance when one is discussing a country that does not provide equality for all of its inhabitants? Isn't this opposed to "liberty and justice for all"? The editorial in today's Times[April 7] is part of an historical and ongoing effort to silence voices advocating for equality and justice for Palestinians. Former Congressman Paul Findley has documented these systematic efforts by supporters of Israel to stifle journalists, politicians, and academics in They Dare to Speak Out.
My letter:
Dear Editor,
Short of teaching that there is "no such thing as a Palestinian," or that "Israel was a land without a people for a people without a land," there is nothing that Professors Joseph Massad and George Saliba could do to appease pro-Israel students. Indeed, "Israel never has truly recognized their equal right to exist, neither inside Israel's borders nor outside them," according to Israeli author Yitzhak Laor in "Racism By Any Other Name." [April 7,Ha'aretz] And how does one provide balance when one is discussing a country that does not provide equality for all of its inhabitants? Isn't this opposed to "liberty and justice for all"? The editorial in today's Times[April 7] is part of an historical and ongoing effort to silence voices advocating for equality and justice for Palestinians. Former Congressman Paul Findley has documented these systematic efforts by supporters of Israel to stifle journalists, politicians, and academics in They Dare to Speak Out.
