Comments on: Joseph Massad Can Relax

By: oh, and by the way

oh, and by the way — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:07:53 +0000

For those not following along close enough, considering the spin and distortion of Massadâ€™s statement from types such as David Horowitz and other propaganda (neoconservative, Zionist, or otherwise), it is now safe to say that â€œmassad studentâ€ is neither a current or former student of Massadâ€™s nor a person to really take seriously.

By: er....

er.... — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:50:36 +0000

“While holocaust denial in the West is indeed one of the strongest manifestations of anti-Semitism, most Arabs who deny the holocaust deny it for political not racist reasons. This point is even conceded by the anti-Arab and anti-Muslim Orientalist Bernard Lewis. Their denial is based on the false Zionist claim that the holocaust justifies Zionist colonialism. The Zionist claim is as follows: Since Jews were the victims of the holocaust, then they have the right to colonise Palestine and establish a Jewish colonial-settler state there. Those Arabs who deny the holocaust accept the Zionist logic as correct. Since these deniers reject the right of Zionists to colonise Palestine, the only argument left to them is to deny that the holocaust ever took place, which, to their thinking, robs Zionism of its allegedly “moral” argument. But the fact that Jews were massacred does not give Zionists the right to steal someone else’s homeland and to massacre the Palestinian people. The oppression of a people does not endow it with rights to oppress others. If those Arab deniers refuse to accept the criminal Zionist logic that justifies the murder and oppression of the Palestinians by appealing to the holocaust, then these deniers would no longer need to make such spurious arguments. All those in the Arab world who deny the Jewish holocaust are in my opinion Zionists.”

Make sense now?

By: massad student

massad student — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:26:07 +0000

of course i don’t agree with him, but your ad hominem argument aside, the positions that he takes are really absurd and illogical.

the statement that i quoted, an example, may not be true of all zionists and american jews, but for massad to dwell on this for the point of drawing jeers and laughs from the crowd is a bit ridiculous.

the man settled a libel suit last year. he claims that “All those in the Arab world who deny the Jewish holocaust are in my opinion Zionists” (Al Ahram Weekly). if thats not crazy, its strange.

By: obama columbia?

obama columbia? — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:59:52 +0000

http://documents.nytimes.com/obama-s-1983-college-magazine-article#p=1

By: unless

unless — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:29:13 +0000

it clearly demonstrates the faculty memberâ€™s unfitness for his or her position. That’s obviously a highly subjective standard–but it shows that extra-scholarly or non-scholarly work isn’t irrelevant to the tenure process.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:11:50 +0000

I think its time for some grammar Nazi to come and diffuse the situation.

By: Alum

Alum — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:43:36 +0000

That’s a fair point. But note also the AAUP’s own interpretation of that very clause:

â€œThe controlling principle is that a faculty memberâ€™s expression of opinion as a citizen cannot constitute grounds for dismissal unless it clearly demonstrates the faculty memberâ€™s unfitness for his or her position. Extramural utterances rarely bear upon the faculty memberâ€™s fitness for the position. Moreover, a final decision should take into account the faculty memberâ€™s entire record as a teacher and scholar.â€

That’s essentially what I was saying in comment 17, and it undermines your claim that the AAUP disagrees with me.

By: yeah,

yeah, — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:55:33 +0000

I caught your flagrant slur on what you assume to be my ethnicity. Classy.

By: whoops

whoops — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:27:28 +0000

clearly the BBC isn’t a publication, but you get what I mean

By: well

well — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:26:49 +0000

if you think Columbia’s intellectual climate is in a sorry state, why come here?

Fortunately, most scholars whose brains aren’t up their yarmulkes disagree with you. And…whisper it… but most people who haven’t been subject to the tarnished US media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian issue are probably closer to his view than yours. This includes publications ranging from the BBC to moderate and left leaning sources in Israel itself.

By: actually:

actually: — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:40:32 +0000

the above was in reply to #17 btw

By: actually:

actually: — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:39:42 +0000

itt’s not “besides the point.” At least not according to the American Association of University Professors Statement on Principles of Academic Freedom and Tenure, which holds that professors Ã¢ï¿½ï¿½should at all times be accurate,Ã¢ï¿½ï¿½ Ã¢ï¿½ï¿½should exercise appropriate restraint,Ã¢ï¿½ï¿½ Ã¢ï¿½ï¿½ show respect for the opinions of others,Ã¢ï¿½ï¿½ and Ã¢ï¿½ï¿½remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances.Ã¢ï¿½ï¿½ http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/policydocs/contents/1940statement.htm

It’s dismissals like this one–and the sorry state of Columbia’s intellectual climate that carelessness like this inevitably reflects–that helps explain why Columbia’s forever stuck with this jackass.

By: well

well — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:51:27 +0000

you’re right. Zionists and American Jews are one and the same.

By: Alum

Alum — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:21:07 +0000

Afaik, Columbia doesn’t produce such a list. That’s why the reports that say Massad’s tenure was kept hush-hush are so silly. CU never announces tenure decisions. In this respect, at least, Massad’s case was handled like all others.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:44:48 +0000

Does the university publish a list of recently tenured professors? Where do we find the list?