( I am reposting this letter from Ms. Taylor which she submitted as a comment)

May 23, 2006
A Report on “Holocaust in the Holyland” at UC Irvine
Filed under: Front Page, Opinion, USA, Hamas, Islam, Palestinians
by Allyson Rowen Taylor

I am the Associate Director of the American Jewish Congress in Los Angeles. I spent three days at UC Irvine to witness the hate speech and gross misrepresentations of Jews, Israeli’s Americans and Zionists at the “Holocaust in the Holyland week. I listened to the horrific lies of Norman Finkelstein under the guise of him being historian. I heard Malik Ali talk about extermination of Jews in Israel, short of saying kill, he used terms like “eliminate” when discussing Israel. I was followed by the campus police, and watched by the administration, so that I could not openly talk out, or disagee with a blatant lies made about history, or Jews. At the end of Malik Ali’s hate speech, I finally had enough, and trying to get him to publically say it was about “the Jews” and not “those people” I was shouted down by repeated “Allah Akbars” and laughter.

I understood that day,standing alone what it felt like to be a Jew in pre-war Germany. I understood how fearful the hostages in Iran must have felt when the US Embassy was taken over. I felt the pain of the Jews, who were expelled from their homes in the Middle East, and the suffering they must have felt under Sharia laws which eventually drove them from their lives and their history. And I understand the double standards that occur when it comes to the UCI administration in taking a postion to facilitate peaceful diaglogue. I witnessed the supression of my freedom of speech for three days, until the very end when I could no longer stay silent. I listened to three long tedious hours of Norman Finkelstein, who mocks the Holocaust Business, however has made a living on …guess what, The Holocaust business! His denial of the true implications of mass murder committed by the Nazi’s is overshadowed by his hatred of being a Jew himself.

I heard about “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” however, no one could answer why the Palestinian population has quadrupled since 1948. I heard statements like “Zionism is not Judaism” by “Rabbi’s” from Nutrei Karta who get paid to say what they do by the Saudi government after the death of their buddy Yassar Arafat. They recently met with Iran’s leader (go to memri.org/ to see the clip) and called for the end to the Jewish State and Zionism. Just think, the MSU found a “sect” of Jews who number about 2000 more or less, to speak the “truth” for over 15,000,000 people. There will always be useful idiots to speak for the enemy, and the MSU has found a coterie that they parade around from campus to campus, with the same tired speechs from last year. In fact, I can even quote Finkelstein’s speech verbatum. You would think that for the $5,000.00 fee , hotel, food and airfare, that Norman could at least come up with another speeech, leaving out the “Ma, I found it I found it” lines in reference to his finding flaws with Joan Peters book “In Time Immorial”. This speech is neither cute or funny. It is just feeding fuel to a crowd thirsty to hear a Jew talking about Jews in ways which they cannot.

As for Malik Ali, I just wonder what the University would do, if I substituted the words “Jew” and “Zionist” for “black” and “colored”. I would be attacked, called a racist, and the NAACP and ACLU would be all over me. However, it is “de riguer” to say outwardly things about Jews that were once said in private. I find the use of the freedoms of a democracy based on Judeo Christian values to perpetrate hatred under the guise of freedom… absurd.

I was with an associate and after I was escorted from the area behind the “apartheid wall” to sing with the supporters of Israel, we chatted with one of the campus police. My friend asked if this was a rough event to cover, as it was contentious and very hostile. The campus officer said, “Protecting the MSU is easier than than the Campus Republicans”. How very sad. Conservatives on this campus are treated with more hatred than students who wear Kyffia’s and support Iran and it’s daily calls to eliminate not only Israel, but the United States of America. I wonder who these student’s loyalty belongs to. Iran? Syria? North Korea? Is this the new radical chic?

I am saddened not only by the lack of historical context, education and truth that these students have especially in light of their being students at a very prestigious university. I am saddened by the loss of innocence, the lack of respect, and the fall, as they say, of western civilization.

I hold the administration of this University responsible, especially Manuel Gomez, Sally Peterson and the new Chancellor. After repeated attempts to make our position heard, clearly it was just a token to listen to us, appeasement, and a lack of respect for Jews and Israeli’s worldwide. Their lack of actions spoke louder than the amplified “Allah Akbars” and their support of hate is something I never learned in History 101. Shame on the University, and shame on the parents and religious centers that preach hate and death. And to top this off, we get to see the Green HAMAS shehada scarfs all over again at graduation. I guess after all these years, we have truly neither made any movement towards peace, reconcillation, and respect for others who may not share the same values. This is truly very very sad.

Allyson Rowen Taylor
Associate Director
American Jewish Congress, Western Region

About the author

themiddle

9 Comments

  • “And to top this off, we get to see the Green HAMAS shehada scarfs all over again at graduation.”
    This is unbelievable…

  • Wow. I can’t believe that it is that out of control only 250 miles from where I live. The MSU also had a “Palestine week,” here at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. My campus is generally more on the conservative end, and surprisingly I think that it leads to more peaceful dialogue. Our two communities (Jewish and Muslim) had many good connections until their “Pakestine week” They decided to really step it up this year, publicizing “Free Palestine” T-shirts and even having their prized speaker, Malik Ali, speak one night. After the week, our two communities has become more hostile toward one another as we no longer trust the other side.

    Sad to see that the Muslim and “enlighted” liberals community over here has looked up to UC Irvine as their role model.

    Oh, and keep up on speaking the truth. I’ve learned that many don’t have the time to spend learning the facts of the situation, but only to be baby-fed the “facts.” But they learn that that there’s another side when they see us speak out. So keep it up and thank you for your bravery. All of you who stood firm at UC Irvine, thank you.

  • Why doesn’t anyone sue the University for something? Encouraging hate crimes? Something? There’s nothing legal that can be done?

  • Well, Rupert Murdoch can sue one of the speakers for calling him a Jew. Over and over. 😆

    Murdoch isn’t Jewish.

    No, there is nothing legal that can be done about these talks and demonstrations because free speech is protected. It’s shameful that a university is allowing lies and hate to be promulgated on its campus, but it does not seem to be illegal. This, unfortunately, is where those who would like to see democracy destroyed can be very effective in manipulating it to their ends. As Allyson Taylor points out, this must have been what it felt like in Germany before the war – you had to listen to all the hate speech and there was nothing you could do about it even as it could potentially lead to serious harm.

    It’s not just UC Irvine. There are more subtle players at play here including divestment movements, boycott movements and of course, academic movements like MESA or people like Mearsheimer and Walt. The voices are becoming louder and louder. It would make some sense if they were being more honest, but even people like Mearsheimer and Walt, supposedly top notch scholars, manipulate facts or make egregious errors or omissions in order to make their points. As the voices become louder, it becomes more challenging to continuously challenge the misinformation, especially because it is accompanied by emotional and hysterical accusations (apartheid, racism, genocide, etc.).

  • Here’s the “official” UC Irvine weasel e-mail from the Chancellor sent out to all UCI students. In an amazing feat of posture, he manages to avoid any mention of the SOURCE of the hate speech:
    ************************************
    —————————-
    Subject: Hate Speech
    From: “Michael V. Drake, Chancellor”
    Date: Tue, May 30, 2006 7:16 pm
    To: All Students:;
    @es.nacs.uci.edu
    ————————————————————————–

    Dear Students:

    This is the third in a trilogy of messages sent to the campus
    community this month reiterating our core values of respect,
    appreciation and empathy, our refusal to tolerate illegal behavior,
    and our Constitutional obligation to respect and uphold First
    Amendment rights.

    Today, I would like to address behavior that adheres to the strict
    definition of the law, but falls distinctly outside the bounds of
    civility. In a society of laws, we all must abide by a written code
    that draws the line between legal and illegal activities. The law
    sets a minimum standard of behavior. But there is a zone between
    illegal behavior and desirable behavior. In this zone we find
    disrespectful, deliberately offensive, but not specifically illegal
    acts. In the case of hate speech this behavior is protected by the
    Constitution.

    Hate speech is difficult to define precisely. It is largely defined
    by the individual hearing it: what some or many may find hateful or
    offensive, others may not. Hate speech tends to be directed at
    individuals or groups. The provocateur chooses words specifically to
    offend and inflame. We can all think of examples of this behavior:
    words that are used to provoke outrage.

    This winter and spring there have been incidents testing the bounds
    of the First Amendment at many campuses across the country, including
    ours. The controversies have revolved around a variety of issues,
    often not related to campus life per se, but rather reflecting larger
    international frictions.

    Make no mistake: I find hate speech abhorrent, illogical and
    ultimately pitiful. Hate speech is inconsistent with advancing
    understanding or dialogue. It is also inconsistent with the great
    tradition of free speech at the University of California. I ask you
    to join me in renouncing hate speech as a form of expression, and to
    join with our larger university community in fostering open and
    candid dialogue.

    I invite you to visit the web page of Student Affairs Vice Chancellor
    Manuel Gomez (http://www.vcsa.uci.edu), which includes important
    information related to the practice of free speech and events that
    UCI is sponsoring to encourage constructive dialogue on difficult
    issues currently being addressed on campuses across the country.

    And, as always, I invite you to review our values, which can be found
    at http://www.chancellor.uci.edu/values.shtml. By upholding these
    values, we can ensure a healthy exchange of ideas in a civil,
    non-threatening environment.

    Fiat Lux
    Michael V. Drake, M.D.
    Chancellor

    http://www.chancellor.uci.edu

  • Why don’t you stop whining about the situation at UCI and do something about it? Instead of coming with your weak signs and your profanity laced tirades, maybe you should use that brain of yours and think of something that might work

  • This is total bullshit.
    I actually agree with whoever posted the previous comment. You guys need to do something about this, because if you don’t, it will just escalate.

  • The whole notion of the self-hating Jew is overdone, but is obviously appropriate with a shit like Finkelstein.

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