|
Comment on this article |
Email this Article
|
|
David Green responds to Elie Dvorin in DI |
Current rating: 0 |
by David Green
Email: davegreen84 (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified!)
Phone: 217-840-3979 |
29 Aug 2005
|
|
Elie Dvorin has continued his attacks on Muslims from last year in the Daily Illini. These attacks are partly a consequence of a climate of racism promoted by Jewish institutions on our campus and in our community. "Respected" Jewish officials support the depredations of Israel's occupation of Palestine, both actively and through their silence. They have not been held accountable for egregious violations of tolerance, civility, and professional ethics at a local level. |
The Daily Illini - Opinions
Issue: 8/29/05
Letters: Peaceful relations
By Daily Illini
Elie Dvorin (8/22) thinks it difficult to refute the following statement: "Because of the mix of Islamic theology that - rightly or wrongly --is interpreted to promote violence, added to an organizational structure that allows violent radicals to operate openly in Islam's name with impunity, Islam has, sadly, become a terrorist organization."
Given the diversity of a billion Muslims, this statement is easy to refute - especially regarding the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a mainstream organization with a record of promoting peaceful relations between Muslim-Americans and other Americans.
But let's replace the word Islam with "Judaism," resulting in an arguable statement that describes an organizational structure (including on this campus and in this community) that promotes "violent radicals" in Israel and Palestine: Jewish settlers and their state and military sponsors. What would be the reaction of the local Jewish establishment if such a statement were published in the DI?
The President of Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation, Michael Shapiro, chose to break bread with the racist settler-supporter Daniel Pipes in 2003. He retains his leadership of the "Program for Jewish Culture and Society." Peter Siegel, a well-paid U of I administrator and high-ranking CUJF officer, supported a hateful personal attack on a Muslim student by CUJF in 2004, with no repercussions regarding professional ethics forthcoming. Campus Hillel sponsors the student group Illinipac (which sponsored Pipes), supported by AIPAC (the Israel lobby), with two former employees indicted for espionage. The purpose of this espionage was likely to support a strike against Iran, either by the U.S or Israel. Local rabbi Norman Klein, speaking to an interfaith audience before the war, cited Jewish texts to advocate the criminal invasion of Iraq.
Last academic year, Dvorin and former Illinpac head David Johnson used the DI to foment a climate of anti-Islamic racism on this campus. But Richard Herman publicly criticized only what he deemed as "anti-Semitism." I hope this year Herman, as Chancellor and as a Jew, will take an honest look at both of his houses.
David Green
Champaign resident
The Daily Illini - Opinions
Issue: 8/22/05
Column: The sacrificial Graham
By Elie Dvorin
If nothing else, the war in Iraq and the overall war on terrorism should bring about serious discourse concerning fundamental issues surrounding terrorism. Unfortunately, both the First Amendment and common sense are under attack from radicals under the guise of political correctness. Although there are several instances of conservatives being vocally handcuffed by those sympathetic to terrorist causes, the problem was recently epitomized by conservative talk radio host Michael Graham.
In a morning broadcast, Graham committed career suicide by stepping on the toes of the political correctness police when he said, "Islam has, sadly, become a terrorist organization." In the world of soundbites that we live in, he made the mistake of making a concise, blunt statement that could easily be held against him by those hostile to his political ideology. When taken out of context, this statement is at worst, racist, and at best indefensible. When taken in context, Graham's analysis is dead on. This is what he really said:
"Because of the mix of Islamic theology that - rightly or wrongly - is interpreted to promote violence, added to an organizational structure that allows violent radicals to operate openly in Islam's name with impunity, Islam has, sadly, become a terrorist organization. It pains me to say it. But the good news is it doesn't have to stay this way, if the vast majority of Muslims who don't support terror will step forward and reclaim their religion."
Once the context of the statement is framed, it's extremely difficult to refute anything Graham said, and he should be commended for taking a controversial yet bold and painfully truthful position. But that didn't keep him from being suspended by Disney, the parent company of his station, WMAL, after intense political pressure from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
By any account, CAIR is involved in terrorist activities - both directly and indirectly. It was founded in 1994 by higher-ups in the Islamic Association for Palestine, a virulently anti-Semitic, anti-American and anti-Western group that acted as a fund-raiser and recruiter for Hamas, another terrorist group on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations. In addition to refusing to condemn horrific terrorist attacks, CAIR has been no stranger to legal problems stemming from terrorism charges.
Randall Todd "Ismail" Royer, a CAIR staff member, was indicted for conspiring to train on American soil for a "violent jihad." Ghassan Elashi, the founder of the Texas branch of CAIR, was indicted for funneling money into the Holy Land Foundation, a Texas "charity" that was found to be raising money for Hamas - more than 12 million dollars since 1995. In 2001, the U.S. Government froze the assets of the Holy Land Foundation and shut it down. Bassem K. Khafagi was the Community Affairs Director with CAIR when he pleaded guilty to visa and bank fraud in Federal Court, charges brought to him due to his connection with terrorist-supporting groups. And the list goes on.
Clearly, Graham's comments about terrorism hit a bit too close to home for CAIR, and they pulled out all their big guns to get him off the air. If we let terrorist groups control the political discourse surrounding terrorism, then we've already lost the major battle. CAIR has every right to criticize Michael Graham under the First Amendment, but we, as citizens concerned with the global problem of terrorism, have every right to tell them to go pound sand. We cannot let the fear and threat of political correctness hang over our heads like the sword of Damocles.
Whether or not Michael Graham is reinstated is not the issue (although I hope he is.) The issue at hand is whether or not we are willing to stand up for our convictions in the face of idiocy. Victory in the global war on terror depends on it.
Elie Dvorin is a senior in LAS. His column appears every Monday. He can be reached at opinions (at) dailyillini.com. |
This work is in the public domain |
