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rug

(82,333 posts)
Sun Apr 13, 2014, 10:49 AM Apr 2014

Here's What I Would Have Said at Brandeis

We need to make our universities temples not of dogmatic orthodoxy, but of truly critical thinking.



On Tuesday, after protests by students, faculty and outside groups, Brandeis University revoked its invitation to Ayaan Hirsi Ali to receive an honorary degree at its commencement ceremonies in May. The protesters accused Ms. Hirsi Ali, an advocate for the rights of women and girls, of being "Islamophobic." Here is an abridged version of the remarks she planned to deliver.

By Ayaan Hirsi Ali
April 10, 2014 6:38 p.m. ET

One year ago, the city and suburbs of Boston were still in mourning. Families who only weeks earlier had children and siblings to hug were left with only photographs and memories. Still others were hovering over bedsides, watching as young men, women, and children endured painful surgeries and permanent disfiguration. All because two brothers, radicalized by jihadist websites, decided to place homemade bombs in backpacks near the finish line of one of the most prominent events in American sports, the Boston Marathon.

All of you in the Class of 2014 will never forget that day and the days that followed. You will never forget when you heard the news, where you were, or what you were doing. And when you return here, 10, 15 or 25 years from now, you will be reminded of it. The bombs exploded just 10 miles from this campus.

I read an article recently that said many adults don't remember much from before the age of 8. That means some of your earliest childhood memories may well be of that September morning simply known as "9/11."

You deserve better memories than 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing. And you are not the only ones. In Syria, at least 120,000 people have been killed, not simply in battle, but in wholesale massacres, in a civil war that is increasingly waged across a sectarian divide. Violence is escalating in Iraq, in Lebanon, in Libya, in Egypt. And far more than was the case when you were born, organized violence in the world today is disproportionately concentrated in the Muslim world.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304512504579493410287663906

http://theahafoundation.org/

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Here's What I Would Have Said at Brandeis (Original Post) rug Apr 2014 OP
From Brandeis' independent student newspaper. Jim__ Apr 2014 #1
Thanks for that link. I see this student newspaper had an editorial against the invitation. rug Apr 2014 #2

Jim__

(14,045 posts)
1. From Brandeis' independent student newspaper.
Sun Apr 13, 2014, 03:00 PM
Apr 2014

From the Justice:

...

A press release from the administration, published by BrandeisNOW on the evening of Tuesday, April 8, said that while Hirsi Ali “is a compelling public figure and advocate for women’s rights … we cannot overlook certain of her past statements that are inconsistent with Brandeis University’s core values.” The press release added that the University “regret[s]” that it was “not aware of these statements earlier.”

The press release stated in conclusion that Hirsi Ali is “welcome to join us on campus in the future to engage in a dialogue about these important issues,“ but that the commencement ceremony was not the appropriate forum for said discussion.

The announcement of the rescindment came after both faculty and student community members voiced outrage over Hirsi Ali receiving an honorary degree. Some community members were uncomfortable with her anti-Islamic views. Prof. Jytte Klausen (POL) wrote in an email to the Justice that she believed giving Hirsi Ali a degree would “(undermine) years of careful work to show that Brandeis University promotes the ideals of shared learning, religious toleration, and coexistence, irrespective of religion.”

A petition on Change.org, started by Sarah Fahmy ’14, was one of the main forums used by students to voice their concerns. As of this press release, the petition had garnered over 6,800 signatures calling for the rescinding of the offer. Faculty members also signed and sent a letter to University President Frederick Lawrence protesting the offer to Hirsi Ali and calling for an immediate rescinding of it, which garnered over 75 signatures as of Monday evening.


Some of what Hirsi Ali has said is definitely over the line.
 

rug

(82,333 posts)
2. Thanks for that link. I see this student newspaper had an editorial against the invitation.
Sun Apr 13, 2014, 03:27 PM
Apr 2014
Hirsi Ali, however, has been outspoken about her Islamophobic beliefs. We urge University President Frederick Lawrence to rescind Hirsi Ali’s invitation to receive an honorary degree at this year’s commencement.

We understand that the Board of Trustees as well as Lawrence would initially find Hirsi Ali a compelling candidate to receive an honorary degree. One aspect of her story, in which she escaped an arranged marriage in Somalia and later worked to protect women’s rights, corresponds with the social justice mission of our University. Yet, her derogatory comments toward Islam warrant a closer look at the administration’s choice to award her a degree. In her 2010 memoir Nomad: From Islam to America, Hirsi Ali states that Islam is “not compatible with the modern Westernised way of living,” that “violence is an integral part [of Islam],” and that “Muhammad’s example is terrible, don’t follow it.” These comments ignore the fact that there are multiple views of Islam, insist that violence is inherent in Islam and that one culture is fundamentally better than another.

Her remarks alienate not only our University’s Muslim community, but also run counter to the beliefs of our entire campus. Her phobia does not fit Brandeis’ ideals or values of our inclusive community and the goal of reflecting “the heterogeneity of the United States and of the world community whose ideas and concerns it shares,” according to Brandeis’ mission statement.

The selection of Hirsi Ali threatens to taint what should be a celebration for seniors and their friends and families. Graduating seniors should not have to sit in the presence of their University’s support for a message that devalues an entire religion.

http://www.thejustice.org/forum/editorial-disinvite-hirsi-ali-from-commencement-1.3158461#.U0rkPv1OWtU

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