Following on the heels of Newsweek’s outrageous smear piece on Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the New York Times takes out a hit on the film “Obsession:” Film’s View of Islam Stirs Anger on Campuses. (Hat tip: davesax.)

And they dig up a rabbi to do it:

But others see it as biased. Arnold Leder, a political scientist at Texas State University, San Marcos, decided not to use it for his course “The Politics of Extremism” because of what he called “serious flaws,” including that it did not address Islam in general, the history of Islam and the schisms within the faith.

“If it were used in a class,” he said, “it would have to be treated as a polemic and placed in that context.”

Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, director of U.C.L.A. Hillel, called the documentary propaganda and said it was “a way to transfer the Middle East conflict to the campus, to promote hostility.”

While the film carries cautions at the beginning and end that it is only about Islamist extremists — and that most Muslims are peaceful and do not support terror — Muslim students who have protested say they believe the documentary will still fuel prejudice.

“The movie was so well crafted and emotion manipulating that I felt myself thinking poorly of some aspects of Islam,” said Adam Osman, president of Stony Brook’s Muslim Students’ Association, who asked that it not be shown.

UPDATE at 2/27/07 7:53:45 pm:

The rabbi that the New York Times dug up to co-sign their smear job is a far-left anti-Zionist Peace Now creep who recently settled a court case for a physical attack on pro-Israel writer Rachel Neuwirth in 2003: UCLA Hillel rabbi apologizes, settles 2003 case with woman journalist. (Hat tip: EE.)

A UCLA Hillel rabbi accused of accosting a freelance journalist in October 2003 has sent the writer a letter of apology as part of a court settlement.

Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, UCLA Hillel director, was accused by Rachel Neuwirth of verbally and physically assaulting her outside Royce Hall, on the UCLA campus, during a speech by Alan Dershowitz more than four years ago.

The letter was part of a settlement reached by Seidler-Feller and Neuwirth on Jan. 19, 2007.

In the letter, Seidler-Feller wrote “I am deeply sorry that I hit, kicked, and scratched you and called you a liar. By taking these unprovoked actions, I have contradicted the pluralism, peace and tolerance about which I so often preach.”