In 2010, at UC Berkeley, our student senate considered a bill calling on the UC to remove its investments in companies aiding Israel’s human rights abuses. It passed 16 to four. The president vetoed the bill, and the veto was never overturned.
This last Saturday, the UC Student Association, a pan-UC student government with representatives from all the UC campuses, passed another bill. This one condemns recent state legislation that attempts to falsely equate divestment efforts like the one at Berkeley in 2010 with anti-Semitism. The bill expresses the UCSA’s opposition to all forms of racism. The bill also urges the UC to stop profiting from Israel’s human rights violations. This bill was carefully considered and then passed with no opposing votes. The UCSA president, who voted for the bill, is not expected to veto. What was different about Saturday versus 2010, when the bill didn’t stick? This time, the democratic UCSA process was not distorted by intimidation, distractions and improper outside influence.
In 2010, Berkeley senators considered comments from public debates, their own research and the sources on human rights, citing Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and United Nations reports. Just like the UCSA representatives did on Saturday, in 2010 senators discussed, slightly amended and then passed the bill based on the substance of the issues. But in 2010, something happened between the time the bill was passed and the last senate meeting when, ultimately, three senators who had voted for the bill chose not to overturn the veto. In the months following these events, I began to understand what that was.
First, it leaked that many or all of the senators who had voted for the 2010 bill were flooded with emails threatening: “Wait till you see your names and pictures in Google … and your voting record too. Let’s see how your vote will help you find jobs or get admitted to U.S. medical schools, law schools, etc. You are all adults now. You sleep in the bed you make.”
Second, we learned that AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, applied heavy pressure. AIPAC is the second-most powerful lobbyist group in Washington based on a poll of members of Congress done by Fortune Magazine. At the 2010 AIPAC policy conference, which took place days after the initial Berkeley divestment vote, but before the veto, AIPAC Leadership Development Director Jonathan Kessler said, “How are we going to beat back the anti-Israel divestment resolution at Berkeley? We’re going to make sure that pro-Israel students take over the student government and reverse the vote. This is how AIPAC operates in our nation’s capital. This is how AIPAC must operate on our nation’s campuses.” This is how a powerful lobbying organization would try to insert itself into the democratic decision-making of a student body.
Third, the “public debate” was distorted by organizations who desired to silence discussion of human rights. An anti-divestment group told students to change the conversation to avoid discussion of Israeli human rights violations and instead to focus on individual feelings. Talking points sheets found laying on chairs after the meeting directed public commentators to focus on the personal emotions the bill was causing, and instructed them to say the bill made them feel “unsafe” and ”discounted” on campus. The talking points specifically directed students not to speak of the substance of the issue at hand.
With all of this, it’s not surprising that in 2010, three senators backed down. Last Saturday, the UCSA bill was publicized on the UCSA agenda, viewable to dozens of elected student leaders for a week before the actual vote. But national lobbying forces were not made aware of the bill in time too, as they would put it, “take over the student governments.” It was then up to the 14 present UCSA representatives, elected to speak on behalf of their student bodies, to use their own knowledge and judgment when reaching a conclusion on this free speech and human rights issue. After careful consideration, there were amendments made in order to keep the bill as reflective of the student opinions at all campuses as possible, but no senator spoke in favor of HR 35 attempts to chill free speech. The UCSA made its decisions according to their own judgment, reflecting the opinions of their constituents, just as their members’ job descriptions entail.
Without threats, intimidation and emotional diversions, UCSA representatives chose to take a stand for free speech and the right to criticize any state political actor with no special exceptions. They strongly supported the bill because its merits are, simply put, very difficult not to embrace. The UCSA understands that speech critical of Israel is legitimate and valid. If you understand that speaking out against Iran’s treatment of its people is not Islamophobic, or that voicing disagreement with China over Tibet is not anti-Chinese racism, then you know HR 35 is absurd, exceptionalist and actually quite dangerous.
If you believe in universal human rights, then you believe that such a commitment requires that any state violations of human rights be condemned, Israel included. The UCSA should be applauded for expressing opposition to all racism, whether it be the racism of anti-Semitism or the racism of Israel’s human rights violations, neither of which our campuses should tolerate, support or profit from.
Luma Haddad is a UC Berkeley senior.
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So I’m assuming you’re going to push for divestment from companies that do any business in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Turkey, Russia, Venezuela, most of Africa, and pretty much the entire Arab world? No? Why not? Oh, because none of those places are Jewish countries. I get it now.
So much blatant racism in these comments. Islam may not be perfect, but Israel has just as poor of a track record with murders and human rights violations — as the worst primarily Islamic countries. 750,000 dead in 1948, with several hundred thousand more dead since (Sabra & Shatila, etc.). An entire ethnicity forced into internment camps and kept in inhumane conditions without adequate aid.
Yes, some crap is going on in other countries. What’s your point? Israel has the capability to successfully keep millions of people in camps, periodically shelling them with advanced weaponry when they get uppity.
That’s sort of oppression isn’t happening anywhere else.
750,000 dead in 1948? I challenge you to prove your assertion. You are lying. As for the camps, many were situated in Arab countries so blame the Arabs for the deplorable condition of their Palestinian refugee camps. And Israel has every right to fire missiles into those camps if terrorists fire thousands of rockets from those camps into Israeli towns.
calipenguin, AnOski is so ignorant that it is apparent that he/she must be majoring in either Ethnic Studies or Peace and Conflict Studies. Those departments are the repository of the ignoramuses who spew such nonsense…
PACS would certainly explain the screwed-up thinking.
Thank you so much for writing this. It is so important that we know the truth about this issue.
A cabinet level minister from Pakistan has offered a bounty on the life of an California film maker. Will the UCSA denounce this obvious attempt at intimidating an American?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/world/asia/pakistani-minister-offers-bounty-over-anti-islam-video.html
This is literally the definition of the worst piece of journalism in the history of the printing press.
exaggerate much? accuracy as a function of hyperbole is strongly decreasing.
YOU. ARE. BULLSHIT.
YOU, ARE, ASS-MINE.
This article is full of lies and mistruths. I am appalled that a University newspaper would even consider printing an article of this caliber of shit.
which lies? most of the above can be verified with a casual google search.
Verified only by lies on the sites of Stupids for Just Us In Foul-Asstine, JVP (Jewish Voices for Palestine), Kesher Enoshi and the pro-genocidal political leaders of the Palestinians? That’s the only “verification” you will find for Luma’s ludicrous allegations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/world/middleeast/egyptian-leader-mohamed-morsi-spells-out-terms-for-us-arab-ties.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120923&moc.semityn.wwwComes now the former leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, founding organization of terror group Hamas, and despite the imbecilic Islamic assaults on free speech worldwide makes the following opening salvo in preparation for his first diplomatic trip to the US: “CAIRO — On the eve of his first trip to the United States as Egypt’s new Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi said the United States needed to fundamentally change its approach to the Arab world, showing greater respect for its values and helping build a Palestinian state, if it hoped to overcome decades of pent-up anger.’…. He repeatedly vowed to uphold equal citizenship rights of all Egyptians, regardless of religion, or sex class. But he stood by the religious arguments he once made as a Brotherhood leader that neither a woman nor a Christian would be a suitable president (my emphasis)….He said the Islamic position on presidential eligibility was a matter for Muslim scholars to decide, not him. “…………………………….. Morsi wants the US people to showw greater respect for Egypt and Muslim Brotherhood values! Greater respect for no freedom of speech or religion? Greater respect for imprisonment and even death for apostasy and blasphemy?Greater respect for misogyny, abuse of children, child brides, female genital mutilation, and honor killing? Greater respect for unequal protection of law for all women and non-Muslims? Greater respect for imprisonment and death for homosexual, premarital or extramarital sex?Greater respect for a theocracy in which unelected religious leaders trump the decision of elected representatives including, in his own words, Morsi himself. This is one sick fuck, one who’s neanderthal value system has been bred into him by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is a breeding of which he proudly boasts with all the assurance that only comes from a deeply held religious conviction in his version of god. Here is what Kemal Mustafa Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, said about governance and Islam: “Islam, this absurd theology of an immoral Bedouin, is a rotting corpse which poisons our lives.”
” I have no religion, and at times I wish all religions at the bottom of the sea. He is a weak ruler who needs religion to uphold his government; it is as if he would catch his people in a trap. My people are going to learn the principles of democracy, the dictates of truth and the teachings of science. Superstition must go. Let them worship as they will; every man can follow his own conscience, provided it does not interfere with sane reason or bid him against the liberty of his fellow-men.” Give a listen to what Pat Condell says of the religion that doesn’t know the meaning of the words respect and tolerance and the barbaric rioters driving home that point.. It’s funny.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCXHPKhRCVg
The next time there is an instance of Islamaphobia or anti-Muslim hate crime I will condemn it as much as Luma Haddad condemns the anti-semitism and anti-Christian hate crimes her people committ in Egypt. I’m sure when her “logic” is applied to her people there will be no outrage or cries of “islamaphobia”
Luma, you are right that we should not tolerate human rights violations. So I expect you and your friends will protest the government in Palestine and every Arab nation for their human rights violations. The lack of religious and women’s rights is appalling in every single one of those nations, and you should be busy for the rest of the year protesting them all. I also expect your to call for divestment from each of those countries too.
Why do the student councils keep getting their panties in a bunch over Israel? Don’t they have better things to spend their time on? Or, if they think that a student council’s job is to condemn human rights violations, why don’t they focus their attention on the nearly two dozen Arab League states or fifty-something OIC states?
The sad thing about their divestment obsession is that UC divestment is simply NOT going to happen, no matter what some self-important student government types claim through their grandstanding. The grown-ups in the UC administration have repeatedly said divestment will NOT happen. These divestment resolutions are simply non-binding requests to the administration to divest, and the administration will undoubtedly respond by patting these kids on the head and telling them to get back to their studies, because they have a lot to learn.
Good points that need to be considered regardless of where one stands on the Israel-Palestine issue.
We have another elected student body that is ignoring the students. They are not even publicizing upcoming events that every student should be aware. This isn’t democracy/representative government. This is just back room deals among the privileged. Everything that Cal students should protest against.
The Middle East is full of countries that openly and unapalogetically practice actual apartheid. Israel, on the other hand, gives all of its citizens equal rights.
Why do Luma Haddad and her colleagues condemn Israel but not any of the actual apartheid-practicing countries in the Middle East?
Their willingness to hold Israel to a double standard, and demand things of Israel that they would demand form none of her neighbors, speaks volumes about their attitude.
Because as a female she suffers from the Stockholm syndrome as do many apologists for the Islamic belief system and Islamic republics.
http://www.youtube.com/user/patcondell?feature=results_main
Human rights? Hamas and Hezbollah, representative of most Palestinians, are self-proclaimed Islamic organizations seeking to establish Islamic governance.
We are supposed to show respect and tolerance for Islam when Muslims and Islamic governments don’t know the meaning of those words. Islam is a repressive and supremacist belief system. It is misogynistic and homophobic. There is not only no freedom of speech or religion/conscience, but blasphemy and apostasy are serious criminal, even capital, offenses. Premarital, homosexual, and extramarital sex are serious ,even capital, offenses. There is no equality under the sharia law for women and all non-Muslims (check out Koran 9:29 – the dhimmi verse). There is no separation of church and state inasmuch as unelected imams trump decisons of the people’s elected representatives (when elections are permitted at all).
This is not to say Israel’s domestic and foreign policies are free of injustice. But there is a war going on and in war abuses must be examined in perespective. The human rights violations of Israel towards their racial cousins, the arabs/Palestinians pale in comparison with the inherent human rights deprivations of their sworn enemy, sworn to drive them into the sea.
“Hamas and Hezbollah, representative of most Palestinians”
Hezbollah isn’t even a Palestinian organization and has no presence in Palestine. Even as hasbara (propaganda), this is embarrassingly bad.
“This is not to say Israel’s domestic and foreign policies are free of injustice. But there is a war going on”
That does tend to be the immediate result when you show up in someone else’s country and ethnically cleanse them (http://www.scribd.com/doc/87471685/The-Ethnic-Cleansing-of-Palestine), doesn’t it?
True. I misspoke. Hezbollah is not a Palestinian org per se, however, it is a pan Arab/Muslim org based upon the same Islamic belief system and, like Hamas/Palestinians, it seeks to establish a social order consistent with sharia law with gross civil and human rights deprivations when measured against western values. Of course, you are entitled to measure your values as you wish… 7 th century or whatever.
I have not read Pappe’s work. I have read history from various perspectives. Exactly what country was it that the Jooz showed up in? The irony of the Palestinian quest for statehood is that if the arab armies of Jordan, Egypt ,Syria, etc had prevailed back in 1948, there would be no Palestinian state and no Palestinians today or ever since all 3 of those governments were on record that the land would be divided up among the existing arab states.
I don’t dispute there was displacement of many indigenous arabs from areas in which they and their ancestors had lived for many generations. To describe the early displacement and subsequent migration as ethnic cleansing is an exaggeration. Nevertheless, I believe reparations should be made to those who abandoned property and the west bank settlment dwellings are a good start towards that end. As there are 22 Arab, officially Muslim or strict Islamic states occupying 99.5 % of the land mass in the mideast, I think room should be made for 1 uniquely Jewish homeland. Accordingly, I oppose the right of return which appears to be one of the sticking points with the believers in that neck of the woods.
For a blunt take on Islam –
http://www.youtube.com/user/pa
+DeleteFlag as inappropriate
“Hezbollah is not a Palestinian org per se, however, it is a pan Arab/Muslim org”
Don’t look now, but you misspoke again. It’s a Lebanese Shiite movement – no more, no less.
“Of course, you are entitled to measure your values as you wish… 7 th century or whatever.”
I’ll take this century, thanks. As for your values – colonialism, ethnic nationalism, population transfers, racially-exclusive states – what century are those from, again?
“As there are 22 Arab, officially Muslim or strict Islamic states occupying 99.5 % of the land mass in the mideast, I think room should be made for 1 uniquely Jewish homeland.”
You are welcome to establish a Druid or Jedi homeland, as long as you don’t ethnically cleanse somebody else’s to clear room for it.
” It’s a Lebanese Shiite movement – no more, no less.”
The majority of members may be Lebanese, and or Shiite ,but the movement/party is not so limited. In any case, it’s a distinction without a relevant difference. The fact remains Hezbollah and any government it seeks to estblish is based upon a set of values which can fairly be described as homophobic, misogynistic and repressive for all the reasons I enumerated above. Do you dispute that?
If you prefer your values to reflect those of 21st century western democracies, then you really can’t be in favor of Islamic sharia governance. Specitically with respect to Isamist supremacy and misogyny and theocracy ( failure to separate church and state), Egyptian Pres Morsi recently provided us with a wonderful example. Morsi was recently quoted as saying neither a Christian or a women was suitable to be president of Egypt. Moreover, he also said that such a decision was not up to him or elected representatives, but rather was a decision for the religious authorities to make.
“As for your values – colonialism, ethnic nationalism, population transfers, racially-exclusive states – what century are those from, again?”
Islam and Arab apologists sling these words around much like monkeys in a zoo sling their feces. “Ethnic nationalism” Come on.The Muslim nations are ludicrously supremacist. Palestinians have more rights and prosperity in Israel than they do in all other Arab countries.
Moreover, the issue of race is a red herring. Jews and Arabs have more common genetic makeup in common than Arabs and their co- religionists from around the world including their biggest benefactors, the blue-eyed, Aryan Iranians.
I have acknowledged that there was population migration. To call it ethnic cleansing is absurd exaggeration. You and other arab proponents lose credibilty when making such accusations. I believe the Arabs that vacated land which is now indisputably Israel are entitled in many cases to reparations and that the west bank settlements should constitute same. If you concur that Jews are welcome to establish a homeland, please tell that to Hamas and Lebanese Shiites because they apparently do not agree.
King Hussein of Trans-Jordan ethnically cleansed Jews out of the West Bank in 1948 so it’s only fair for Jews to get that land back.
What the heck is this sh*t? Seriously! I hate it when the UCSA makes decisions on policies this way. It’s very much against a democratic process. It makes more sense for the UCSA to propose a decision and then the student body to legitimately vote on those decisions; that way us normal students who are busy trying to get A’s in our classes can have some say.
But this whole showdown between the Palestinian and Jewish student clubs is just STUPID. For crying out loud, how about you two shut up and realize that Palestine and Israel have done a lot of stupid, cringe-worthy, and even criminal things? Neither side is blameless. If you’re trying to seek peace, how ’bout you sit down and start talking instead of publishing STUPID op-eds in a college paper just to whine about being picked on? You are all BERKELEY STUDENTS who have managed to get into Berkeley in one of the most competitive times in history! I expect better!
So stop with the sleazy tactics. No more deliberate passing of resolutions when a portion of the council is on religious holiday (take a break, go do your homework). No more over-the-top “protests” to demonize the other side. You make yourselves look like immature brats. If ya wanna do that, then get out of Cal. You don’t deserve it.
Sincerely,
A Very Pissed Ordinary Cal Junior
What? Activists from around the world were urged to spam ASUC Senators with anti-Israel messages, and you say “AIPAC applied pressure” ? I remember how divisive a period this was at Cal- how swastikas were carved in dorms and how Jewish students were threatened and attacked. I also remember thousands of student dollars spent on a recall election based on lies and fraud. I think you are all crazy- divestment is crazy, SJP and Calserve are crazy and you should all get a life and keep this crap off my campus.
While the world (Mali, Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria, Egypt, Pakistan…) and 30,000 people are killed by Muslims these people are whinning about the only free couyntry in the Middle East.
Since they cannot beat the Israelis in the field of battle they’ve chosen propaganda instead. Imagine, if you will, what would happen if they had the power to win the battle on the field. It would make Syria look like a picnic given their “tolerance, compassion and affinity for peace.”
Islam means peace? What a joke.
Yes, Luma. The all-powerful Jews used their mind tricks to force the senators and president to change their minds during divestment! In the Jew-free environment of the UCSA meeting, the voters’ judgment couldn’t be clouded by an alternative point of view to the ones proposed to them. True democracy at work!
dude your framing itself is the only thing that brings anti-Semitism into this debate. don’t conflate AIPAC with Jews. She’s not. You are. Hundreds of thousands if not millions of American Jews do not feel represented by AIPAC. Congress people routinely affirm that it is one of the most powerful lobbying group in the country, so being concerned about the power of that lobby on a college campus is totally legitimate, in the same way it would be fucking weird if the NRA came down and tried to mess with a bill supoprting gun control. Also, the UCSA meeting was not a Jew free environment. In fact, one of the people speaking in favor of the bill was a Jewish student researcher at Cal whose research is about Israel’s ethnic cleansing and HR35 condemns his work simply for investigating the accounts of Israelis who fought in 1948. The fact that you deny his Jewishness because he doesn’t go rah rah israel, yay aipac is disgusting.
Crying wolf,
Are you for real or are those corocdile tears falling for the Palestinians and their incessant BS.
Yes, there were Africans who captured and sold slaves and Jewish kapos in the concentration camps. Now we have kapos in JVP and Kesher Enoshi. They are truly sick motherfuckers and no one should take them seriously. Ditto Barbara Lubin, Dennis Bernstein (KPFA) and Michael Lerner-these anal passages are true kapos. But like the Jew who is studying alleged Israeli ethnic cleansing–what decent professor would find any merit in such nonsense-this gutterscum has no respect from the Jewish community at large and to say this rectal licker is representative is the height of idiocy. Guess that goes to show that crying wolf is an Islamofascist in sheep’s clothing.
However you want to frame this, the UCSA did not act like an organization of the students should. They have no excuse for keeping students out of the discussion. Outside lobby fears do not give the student government the reason to keep us locked out of the discussion. The lobbies have no money effect on the student government. They are not a factor. They are just a ruse to allow the privileged access while denying students access. The UCSA just showed they are more tyrants than supporters of democratic ideals.
Here’s a small masterpiece of irony: the UCSA under the thumb of Stupids for Just Us in Palestine and the moronic Muslim Student Union say that by their resolution, they are supporting freedom of expression. Meanwhile throughout the world, including the Palestinian territories, their Islamofascist co-religionists are murdering people and attacking embassies to demonstrate the Muslim intolerance of freedom of expression, be it film or even cartoons.
Wonder why Mr. Haddad nor any other fine Muslim has not mentioned their fellow Islamists’ attempt to terrorize those who differ from them? We all know it’s from the fascist religious idiot-ology which extols the virtues of a Prophet who sanctified both pedophilia and the clit cutting of female circumcision. Talk about a barbarian whose edicts his contemporaries continue to slavishly follow!
Good point, but most of these pro-Pallie sympathizers lack either the native intelligence or intellectual curiosity to contemplate such inconsistencies. Talk to these people for any length of time and you realize that you are not dealing with thinking human beings, but programmed drones spewing nonsensical talking points.
“I seem to recall it was the BDSers who called in the troops to surround the student union with black-shirted supporters, and BDS Central that was beaming messages around the world to bombard student council members with demands they vote to support divestment.”
http://www.divestthis.com/2012/09/ucsa-bds-oyvay.html
Luma admits that lobbying groups were not informed of the pending vote in order to decrease threats and intimidation. Oh, OK, then that ought to apply to all groups and all future UCSA votes. No Muslim student group may be informed of anything since Muslims have threatened and intimidated people around the world. No unions, Occupy Cal, Latinos, whites, Asians, Africans, Democrats, or Republicans are allowed input. In fact, UCSA should become a reclusive little group of insignificant students who don’t listen to anyone and represent no one but themselves.
well yeah it should apply to any national lobbying org with millions at its disposal to bully student governments. if you read the article above thats clearly who she’s talking about, not student groups. all the student reps on ucsa and their staff knew about the bill a week in advance so its not like it was a secret. i wouldn’t want another powerful american lobby, including a large muslim lobby if there was one (ha), interfering in our campus vote. when it comes to debates by student orgs, its clear from her article that when this has happened on our campus, like in 2010, the elected reps still overwhelmingly voted for divestment (16-4) even after hearing the sorry arguments of Zionists. we already have a good barometer of where the majority of our campus stands (for free speech and universal human rights) with just a small vocal minority opposed.
Are you aware that Luma is a member of the student group SJP? How is it that her group knew about the upcoming UCSA vote but none of the Jewish student groups were informed? It’s this kind of double standard that makes people realize the so-called Palestinian “victims” are merely opportunists whose main goal is to remove Jewish rule from Israel.
well perhaps they knew because they were the ones being silenced by HR35 and they approached their representatives asking for them to do something. not that conspiratorial. Also, considering that SJP does and has included many Jews, including Israeli Jews, it would be strange for their goal to be to eliminate Jewish rule – unless by Jewish rule you mean an ethnic apartheid that privileges Jews above Palestinians. I suppose they are opposed to that.
If you are right then that proves the UCSA is trying to represent just one side of the debate and not all students. If the UCSA listens to just one side, makes a decision, and intentionally shuts out the other side until after the vote, then the UCSA is clearly biased. And yes I do mean SJP, including the Jewish members, wants to remove Jewish privileges in Israel because they hope a unilateral surrender would entice Palestinian terrorists to surrender too.
“Apartheid” suggests involuntary separation. Given that it’s the self-identified “Palestinians” who are demanding such separation, the use of this term merely suggests willful ignorance on the part of those who choose to use it in the context of the Palestinian conflict.
Hey polarbear, apparently your brain is frozen. You talk about free speech while Palestinian Islamofascists are calling for the head of the anti-Muslim film maker. You won’t see that in Israel, no matter how much Arabs denigrate the Jewish religion (and they do it everyday on the front pages of their major dailies).
Polarbear, you are a hypocritical fool and you don’t know freedom of expression if some Arab vomited it in your face.
> i wouldn’t want another powerful american
> lobby, including a large muslim lobby if there
> was one (ha), interfering in our campus vote.
You apparently have never heard of CAIR, or what type of pressure they are exerting on behalf of a bunch of Islamic “student” thugs @ UC Irvine. You seem to suggest that no such groups exist. That would indicate that either you are a liar, or way too ignorant to have anything to contribute on this substance to an online forum geared to students and/pr alumni.
> In fact, UCSA should become a reclusive little
> group of insignificant
students who don’t listen
> to anyone and represent no one but themselves.
But isn’t that what they already are?
Luma when will you discuss the egregious human rights violations in the countries that comprise the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation, which you conspicuously, but unsurprisingly failed to mention?
there are no thought police trying to prevent us from talking about muslim country’s human rights abuses. does anyone not agree that we should stop supporting saudi arabia? does anyone suggest that this opposition is anti-Muslim? Nope. Its only when it comes to holding Israel accountable that people object and use false smears about human rights motivations really being about bigoted thinking. i guarantee you the tools who wrote pieces critical of the ucsa decision in today’s paper would not support a universal socially responsible investment policy that excluded support for israel and saudi arabia or other muslim majority nations engaged in human right abuses. in fact, they explicitly refused to in 2010 when the original divestment bill was suggested to be modified to include Morocco’s occupation as well.
why would she mention it here? is pointing out one thing denying an unrelated other? this method of avoiding the substance by crying “what about everyone else?!” is old and weak. do you know luma? do you know if she doesn’t spend time working on human rights violations all over the world. my understanding is that she does as much as she can with many issues but there’s nothing wrong with focusing on one thing at a time, that’s sort of how every movement has worked (damn those civil rights campaigners for not also focusing on native american rights – how unfair!!!). and why do you bring up muslims out of nowhere? do you assume luma’s muslim? do you assume anyone who criticizes israel is muslim? are you trying to make this a jewish vs. muslim issue? have you read a book?
also, what’s with all these racist islamaphobes on here. have i traveled to alabama 1955?
What race is Islam again??
“also, what’s with all these racist islamaphobes on here”
What’s with all the anti-Semites?
That reminds me of an anecdote that Alan Dershowitz is fond of telling:
Several decades ago, the president of Harvard wanted to limit the number of Jews who could be admitted to the university. When asked why, he said, “Because Jewish students cheat.” A famous jurist who was a Harvard graduate wrote to the university president and told him that non-Jewish students cheat just as much. The Harvard president responded, “Quit changing the subject. We’re talking about Jews.”
Double standards and selective outrage are very troubling, and it’s perfectly valid to question people’s motives in that context.
It would be nice if she spent time focusing on the largest human rights violators first. Get the low hanging fruit. Intelligent Cal students should recognize that there are countries we should focus on before we get to Israel, if we want to do the most to help those being hurt.
[It would be nice if she spent time focusing on the largest human rights violators first.]
But that wouldn’t do much for forward the agenda of the so-called “progressives”, would it?
·
Here are a few things Luma “forgot” to
tell Berkeley about Palestinians.
(1) Google on “gays” and “Palestinians”
to see how gay people are treated by the people who are calling for boycotts,
divestment, and sanctions against Israel. The first search result is titled, “Palestinian
gays flee to Israel”
(2) Google on “Palestinian” and “honor
killings” to see how women are treated by the people who are calling for
boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel.
If you are a female Berkeley student student (or
alumna) who is thinking about going to “Palestine” to help protest
against the Evil Zionists, I suggest that you first read “Female
Palestinian Peace Activists Suffer Sexual Harassment, Rape From
Palestinians” (just Google on the title). You might want to reconsider.
As a final note, look up Israel’s and the
Palestinians’ relative political and civil rights ratings at Freedomhouse.org. Israel’s are close to the
best possible while those under both Hamas and Fatah are almost the worst
possible.
Now, please explain to me again who is
guilty of crimes, apartheid policies (e.g. dhimmis or second-class citizens in
countries under militant Islamic rule), and so on. I have not even touched on
the Palestinians’ long litany of mindless terroristic violence including the
Munich Massacre, the massacre of the Fogel family including young children in
their beds, and so on.
Thanks, Luna, for such a fine analysis of ASUC’s divestment history.
It’s not a small matter for such big majorities to support divestment resolutions against Apartheid Israel. That fact cannot be erased, veto or no veto.
Israeli human rights abuses have grown larger since then, not smaller. They are even planning to bomb Iran, a nation of 80 million people.
So let divestment against Israel be debated again in ASUC. Unless martial law is declared at Cal, let divestment resolutions be openly debated in ASUC.
AIPAC does not have the power to silence you.
> “Israeli human rights abuses have grown larger
> since then, not smaller. They are even planning
> to bomb Iran, a nation of 80 million people.”
Thanks for the distorted and out-of-context comments. You of course fail to mention that they aren’t interested in attacking the Iranian people, but the nuclear facility of a country that is led my a megalomaniac dictator who is threatening them with destruction. Cowards like you are never interested in confronting real human rights violators such as Islamofascist fundamentalists, tinpot African dictators engaged in tribal genocide, Mexican drug dealers slaughtering innocents and throwing them in mass grave, or anything going on in China. Instead, you show how (allegedly) brave and committed you are to “human rights” by droning on and on about one of the only 2 democracies in the Middle East (guess what the other one was, and how it got that way). Really, you’re a pathetic little groveler, more interested in pushing your anti-Semitic agenda than anything connected with human rights.
Shame on the Daily Cal for printing this piece of excreted propaganda.
The resolution of the UCSA advocating BDS from Israel flies in direct opposition to the student bodies of UC schools whose students have rejected BDS. Who is the UCSA representing, the majority of UC students or Students for Just Us in Palestine and the We Love Islamofascist Muslim Student Association?
The UCAS is supposed to be representative of all student constituencies on UC campuses yet organized support for this vote clandestinely w/o any real interaction with Jewish UC organizations. They are as underhanded as the Muslims who they truly represent.
How do you think students feel about the scores of Palestinians demanding the murder of the maker of the anti-Muslim film and screaming for “Death to America” because of it?
And may I remind you that we shortly observed the anniversary of 9/11 and that the Palestinians were dancing in the streets as the Twin Towers came down. The UCSA was thus weighing in on behalf of genuine enemies of both America and the civilized world.
dude our campus voted for bds 3 separate times by 2 to 1 margins or more. what are you talking about.
Cal, you ignorant fuck, the student government rejected BDS. Indeed, not a single UC student government has ever garnered a vote to pass BDS.
The berkeley votes were first 16-4, then 13-5-1, majority for divestment. Yes, the last vote needed 14 to be sutained but the majority did vote for divestment. and then again, at the UCSA. Cal is perfectly accurate in his/her statement. But you can call people “ignorant fucks” to feel powerful all you want
Yes, Ariel, you do are a dumb fuck. The president did wisely veto the bill and then the pro-Palestinian partisans couldn’t muster sufficient votes to override the veto.
‘Course, like the Palestinian leadership of the pro-genocidal Hamas and PLA, you ignore the rules when they conveniently don’t fit your agenda.
You talk about denial of “human rights” while the Islamofascists of Palestine make women second class citizens, practice honor murder of daughters who “transgress” the will of their fathers, brutalize homosexuals and suppress dissidents. Israel does none of that, whereas the Palestinians are now jumping up and down like tantrum throwing children screaming, “Death to America” because of a film that insulted their lunatic Prophet.
uh, have you read this article or any other one published by the daily cal about what happened in 2010. first vote 80% supporting bds; second and third votes 2/3 supporting bds. the president vetoed it but it was a pyrrhic victory since three times in a row the clear majority of student leaders in the asuc stood by their support of bds. get back to reality
Here we go again.
While Muslims murder thousands, gang rape, and kidnap in Mali…
While Muslims murder, gang rpae and kidnap in Sudan…
While Muslims murder, gang rape, kidnap Coptics in Egypt and do the same to the Chaldeans in Mosul…
While Muslims murder, gang rape and kidnap Christians in Nigeria…
While Muslims murder, gang rape and kidnap Hindus in Pakistan…
While Muslims murder, gang rape and kidnap Buddhists in southern Thailand….
Let’s ignore all this, and more, and lie some more about Israel. Isn’t that the game plan?
While Palestinians vote, build businesses and enjoy freedoms in Israel…
While Palestinians are refused citizenship and live in camps in Lebanon…
While Palestinians are refused citizenship and live in camps in Syria…
While Palestinians are refused citizenship in EVERY Muslim country in the world and are treated as aliens in all these Muslim countries….
Let’s focus our attention on the only country in the Muslim world where Palestinians vote, are elected officials, can speak freely, can go to a decent college, can choose to protest the government without fear of being jailed and/or beaten, can write articles in protest to various newspapers without fear of being beaten or jailed…
I have an idea. Let’s divest from all Muslim countries instead.
If you want to divest from all Muslim countries, you’ve got to start looking at those electric vehicles…haha
Good point, Alf. If you want to divest from Israel you might as well throw awy your phone, computer and most medicnes, but since those Muslim countries make next to nothing (their oil is discovered and harvested with western technology) then all you need to give up is your car.
Thanks for making my point for me. Hahaha…
Actually, what the Palestinians have and continue to do is irresponsibly eschew birth control and their population has expanded exponentially since 1948. That’s about all they have given the world, except for terrorism and religious lunacy.
As the comedian Dennis Miller said about the outrageously large Palestinian population growth: “Don’t those dumb fucks know–that’s a vagina, not a clown car.”
I wish there was a way for us to connect without giving up our anonymity.
Arafat, communicating by e-mail it would be a problem, as we would be deluged by ignorant pro-Palestian Islamofascist excreta. However, perhaps we might meet someday on campus.
Yeah, I get it, the followers of the religion of tolerance would help us understand the true meaning of intolerance.
Not likely, as “Arafat,” or Bill Levinson, is not in the area.
You aren’t anonymous.
We have plenty of coal and oil in our own country that we could put a serious dent in oil imports from the middle east if we had the political will.
A win win situation!
Wow, this explains a lot about 2010. As often is the case, those fighting for the oppressed are up against a huge machine. What’s
ironic is that some others are saying the passage of the UCSA resolution was a behind-the-scenes-deceptive orchestration (doing so to deflect from the issue yet again) while it looks like that description is more fitting of the campaign to get the veto in 2010.
Please. You think there is some lobby that can affect the Cal student government? Our campaigns are not influenced by their money, and only a fool thinks they can affect a students future career goals. This is just more propaganda to try to hide the fact that the UCSA doesn’t believe in an open government with student involvement.