I deplore the Israeli state

Interesting word choice. No one calls it "the Israeli state". She meant "the Jewish state", didn't she, but caught herself.

She also says

"There is a large intimidation machine out there which is waiting to intimidate anyone that it doesn't approve of."

Hello pot? This is kettle. You still black? Yeah, me too.

"Professors" like this woman are the reason that British univerisities lag behind the rest of the world in true scholarship. No original thought must be allowed to infiltrate the brains of their students.

Can you imagine the outrage if she would have fired a black or a Muslim?

The British are in a race to the bottom with the rest of Europe, or I should say a race to 1939.

What's next a boycott of Jewish shops in London?

This is sickening.

You missed a line:

"She conceded, however, that the pair would not have been sacked had they lived in Britain and severed their ties with Israeli institutions."

The Times rendered that "probably would not have been sacked had they moved to Britain etc"*. How nice. You won't be sacked, provided you exile yourself from hearth and home. What a sweetheart.

*not a direct quote, but the emphasis is about right

It warms my heart that, someday, the academics will get their way and render all of Western Democracy/Capitalism a Socialist state, just that much closer to Utopia......

Nazi tactics of pre-holocaust anti semitism instiutted in germany and Europe is now fully embraced within all European countries without any Hitler demagogue needed.

Many European countries label jewish/Israeli products with a yellow star. Most countries including france, german, and England do not sell military parts to Israel yet supply unlimited weapons to all arab countries many for free.

This is known as legitimate anti semitism perpetuated by the common citizenry and some governmental support or aquiesance with no checks or balances.

Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism - MLK Jr.
[Link: coding.4arrow.com...]

It is horrific what is going on there. Many of us would like to talk about it as some kind of Holocaust which the world will eventually wake up to, much too late, of course, as they did with the last one."

In a way I almost feel let down, because the only thing her hollow and idiotic spew is lacking is a denial of the Holocaust.

There's actually a webpage called boycottisrael.co.uk?!

The British are in a race to the bottom with the rest of Europe, or I should say a race to 1939

I think in this woman's case she's hit bottom...and started digging. Definite proof that somewhere, a village is being deprived the services of its idiot. (Both cheaply stolen quips of British origin...think it fits)

Maybe she should wander over to the history department of her University, and have someone remind her that the babbling academia are often the first ones to be drug out and shot following a revolution espousing all their feel good ideas.

It is horrific what is going on there. Many of us would like to talk about it as some kind of Holocaust which the world will eventually wake up to, much too late, of course, as they did with the last one."

Somehow I seriously doubt that her part in the discussion will include the slaughter of innocents on buses, in markets, and their own beds by murderous religious fanatics.

She said that her actions were "my interpretation of what a boycott of Israel means".

With interpretations like that, its a wonder she makes it out of the shower in the morning - rinse, lather, repeat

I don't know if this actually works or not. Given the furor, I suspect it doesn't. But if anyone's interested in commenting to Ms. Baker directly, this, according to the school, should be one of her professional e-mail address:

mona.baker@umist.ac.uk

For those of you that are interested, Mona Baker's homepage can be found at:

[Link: www.umist.ac.uk...]

Does anyone else find it interesting that she is associated with the linguistics department of her university?

"Dr Shlesinger, a respected American-born academic at the Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv, is also a former chairman of Amnesty International in Israel " is desrved her fate.

Her's anti Israeli pro terrorists activity didn't make her a "honorable human being". In the eyes of Jew haters she is and always be a greedy bloodthirsty jew-girl

Mona Baker sez:

"There is a large intimidation machine out there which is waiting to intimidate anyone that it doesn't approve of."

Har-har. Now THAT is a juicy little nugget I missed before. Is she on drugs? Has she recently fallen down a flight of stairs and cracked her head? She's daffy.

"My husband and I receive hate mail every day, up to 50 [letters] a day, some of it extremely obscene," she said. "I can't read it out it is so obscene and very threatening. It is also sent to my university, to my vice-chancellor and to some of my colleagues, and they threaten people who want to stay on the board. The Americans are the worst offenders..."

Normally, I'd deplore such tactics, but in the case of Professor Baker -- if she can dish it out, she ought to be able to take it as well. Not so fun when the hate campaign is directed against you, eh, you shitty little ivory-tower hypocrite?

But Charles is right: the disturbing thing here is not he actions of one worthless twit in a position of power, but the deafening silence from the supposed bastions of tolerance in the British academe. This goes way beyond simply taking the anti-Israel position in the Middle East conflict, and my respect for British academics of all stripes has just plummeted to nil.

Something this egregious would never have been accepted in American academe (as rife with idiotarianism as it is), which continues to lead me to the painful conclusion that European societies are now in a degenerative downward spiral, towards a poisonous mix of arrogance, intolerance, statism, and a dash of infantilism. Absent radical changes, in a couple of decades western Europe will be nothing more than old palaces and pretty churches.

It's interesting that this is only starting to come out now. I read about this in the UK Jewish telegraph (The story's not there any more - [Link: www.jewishtelegraph.com...] on the Manchester news page weeks ago. Unfortunately I didn't have my blog yet then. Obviously no one thought there was anything amiss with this aside a few provincial Jews.

Something this egregious would never have been accepted in American academe (as rife with idiotarianism as it is),

Unless of, of course, it was a school in California....

Agree completely that the saddest part isn't the squeakings of this little twit, but the deafening silence of her peers. Disgraceful.

The Americans are the worst offenders..."

We rube colonials do have that nasty habit of pointing out and ridiculing buffoonery and hypocrisy with revel and abandon, even amongst ourselves. Insufferable Hedonists!

Which school in California has sacked a professor for his nationality?

This is what I was getting at: even if this happened, there'd be outrage all over the country. When a Florida professor was fired for his apparent connections to Arab terrorists, Salon did a five-page story on the injustice of it all. (Actually, from what I remeber, the evidence that Salon works so hard to minimize was pretty good.) You can just imagine the outcry if an American university faculty member was so much as censured for being, say, Sudanese, because someone up high wanted to make a protest about the Sudan slave trade.

Yet here we have two academics fired from their positions for precisely this reason -- and apparently this is acceptable.

We rube colonials do have that nasty habit of pointing out and ridiculing buffoonery and hypocrisy with revel and abandon, even amongst ourselves. Insufferable Hedonists!

Amen to that. We bloody cheeks never know our place!

My thanks to Christopher Johnson and Scott Burke for providing Baker's e-mail address and web site. I have, of course, sent in my protest e-mail and I assume that others have done the same.

And thanks again to Charles Johnson for providing the LGF forum.

U of Manchester is a hotbed of Islamism. The student gov tried to have the local Jewish student org outlawed as a racist organization, but were narrowly voted down. (I got this from some Jewish source a few months ago - I don't have a URl but try Googling it.)

Normally, I'd deplore such tactics, but in the case of Professor Baker -- if she can dish it out, she ought to be able to take it as well. Not so fun when the hate campaign is directed against you, eh, you shitty little ivory-tower hypocrite?

Wouldn't it be great if the Mossad kidnapped this wretched subhuman right out of her office and then dumped her on the streets of Riyadh not only without a burqa, but completely naked? After a few hours of Arab reality, Saudi-style, courtesy of their Koran-abiding young men and the Religion Cops, I wonder if her views might change just a wee little bit.

Or after a few years of subjugation and repression, if that's what it took.

By the way, what is the reputation of UMIST in the UK? Is it actually a respected institution, or is it some third-rate podunk school?

Hey, come on. What d’ya expect?? She’s leftist. She’s an academic. She lives in Europe. Talk about your trifectas…

Thanks ald - the image of this twit being chased naked around the streets of Riyadh by the Mutawa and their wooden clubs while she tries to convince them in arabic of her solidarity with the muslim cause is a riot....

E nough - reference was to the deafening silence of response, vs sacking teachers. As evidence, the event at SFSU a few weeks back....

> Prof Baker, who refused to disclose where she was born

She was born in Egypt, but has lived in England for 20 years.

I can't decide what appalls me the most - that this is apparently legal in the UK, or that this credentialed moron is defiantly open about her bigotry.

Had this happened in the US, the most racist mouthbreathing clod would have scrambled to find a plausible cover for the action. In Britain, the racist bigots proudly wear their stupidity as a badge.

And I can't help thinking the Brits deserve to be tarred with the same brush, if they permit this crap. Who do they think they are, French?

I'm beginning to think that Britain was hit not with "Mad Cow" but "Mad Human."

If you had told me that the news *and* the op eds that we see coming out of Britain (and the rest of Europe) on a daily basis were datelined Berlin, 1938, I wouldn't have doubted it for a moment!

Didn't they learn a thing from WWII????

Here is Mona's email address:

mona.baker@umist.ac.uk

She will go to hell for what she did.

I expect to read next where Prof. Baker goes out breaking the windows of all Jewish businesses.... vis a vis krystallnacht.

She will go to hell for what she did.

Given that she lives in Manchester, one could make the argument she already is in hell.

Actually, I think that would be Liverpool!

The word "hypocricy" last lost all meaning when it comes to academia. A bastion that claims open mindness harbors some of the most closed minded and hatefull people on earth.

Add this to my list of why we are repeating the 1930s.

Two more things:

A Danish friend of mine assured me that this could not happen again Europe and that the legal system could take care of it if it ever did. So, we shall see how those "tolerant" and "multiculturalist" EUros react.

Also, she is a linguist. So is Noam Chomsky. Is there soemthing about the study of languages that makes people stupid and intolerant?

Eric, do you mean the way the French coped with things like say, the complete burning (arson?) of the Israeli Embassy in Paris? or the synagogue in Marseille?
How about the British with the vandalization of that synagogue in Finsbury Park, London?

Or even the criminal punishment of Pym Fortyn's killer?

I haven't read of anyone getting in trouble for any of these attacks against Jews and their supporters.

KC,

Thanks for the link to the picture of Mona Baker. It all became crystal clear as to why she hates Israel so much. She's an Arab.

"Also, she is a linguist. So is Noam Chomsky. Is there soemthing about the study of languages that makes people stupid and intolerant?"

No, that's not it. She is an arab academic. She is a living, breathing oxymoron, emphasis on the moron.

Jennie,

Yep, pretty much. But this time its simpler. They have the culprit, who has admitted her crime. There is no mystery to blame for the lack of progress -- its all in black and white.

So we shall see how their vaunted respect for the law and multi-culturalism stands up to this blatant prejudice.

If I'm correct, nothing will occur, because the Euros hate Jews and hate America and like to hide their hate in a pleasant form. But when push comes to shove -- the Jews get fired (at least) and nobody has a problem with it.

Just to think these are the same people who want us to sign up for the International Criminal Court!

Major kudos to KC for digging up Prof. Baker's origins. That anglo-saxon surname is great cover, but is it any surprise that she's an Arab?

The real question is, why couldn't the reporter at the Daily Telegraph pick up the same information. From the picture that KC links to, it looks like anyone who saw Baker in person (and the reporter may well not have) would have an inkling that she's not a born Westerner.

It may be worth pointing her origins out to the Daily Telegraph to see if they do any follow up. (OK, it's Europe, they won't, but a man's allowed to dream, isn't he?)

Looks like the information is also now available at [Link: www.freerepublic.com...]

Oh, yeah, she's an Arab alright and all is explained.
Thanks, KC!

Eric et al, I'd like to believe you're right!
It's good to see that this story is making some noise: I saw it on the ticker at FoxNews!

Oh, yeah, she's an Arab alright and all is explained.

What is all : the silence of academicians ?

Don't see connection

M's M,

I'm not so sure that hate is oxymoronic with academia. This is a sad realization for me, but I hink, true.

Yes, Mona Baker appears to be a hate-filled idiot concerned more about her intellectual chastity than anything else, but I think the severity of her action is a bit overblown here. The removal of names from an academic journal's editorial board is not quite the same as firing people from their academic jobs. It's more like one blogger removing a link to someone else's blog from their blogroll.

Editorial board members (at least on humanities journals) typically serve without pay, and their duties range from a whole lot of refereeing and advising to, well, *absolutely nothing* beyond lending the prestige of their academic reputation to the journal.

What Rygor said: her Arab origins may explain her hatred of Israel and hence her actions, or at least partly explain them.

But what's the explanation for the lack of protest? By now there should be a fullfledged shitstorm in progress, open letters to her institution, newspaper articles, threats to boycott the University of Manchester, interviews with her saddened and disappointed students, protests during her classes, plummeting subscription figures for the two journals followed by plans to start a replacement journal not run by a lunatic... the whole ball of wax that comes into play when an academic commits an unacceptably bigoted act such as this.

And while there's apparently been some public comment, the tone of the comments is revealing in its mealy-mouthedness. Consider the quote from the head of the MLA: "This does not mean that serious scholars must be indifferent to the world's murderous struggles, but it does mean that they are committed to an ongoing, frank conversation . . . [that] often includes passionate disagreement.". Can you imagine such a conciliatory statement if she'd fired two people for being Palestinian, say, or French, or even American? I can't. He'd be calling for her removal from the profession at the least.

Joel -- I think you have it backwards. Serving on the editorial board of a journal often has the effect of lending the journal's prestige to one's personal reputation. These individuals were stripped of their duties and the concomitant prestige.

Before you all go off pop about how other British academics aren't denouncing this action, go check out Academics against Boycott. Maybe they could use a hand?

Note also that this action was reported in the UK press some weeks ago in the The Guardian, and more recently at The Times (sorry, can't make the link work, their search is messed up).

"Also, she is a linguist. So is Noam Chomsky. Is there soemthing about the study of languages that makes people stupid and intolerant?"

No, but a few linguists I've worked with are some of the flakiest human beings walking the face of the planet.

I noticed that in her curriculem vitae on her website, there is a reference to one of her grad students do some Korean work, and another doing Portuguese, apparently a databasing effort. Otherwise, she seems focused on Arabic to a great deal (her native language), ergo, versus slamming her as a linguist, it might be more accurate to think of her along the same lines as a whacko english professor. It also seems she's spent a lot of time working on background efforts for automation of translation, so I'm speculating that she has dealt with it more from a pieces and parts aspect versus the underlying meaning of what she's dealing with. That would partially account for the narrowness of view, and I guess growing up in a country "at war" with Israel probably makes up for the rest.

With apologies to the potential feminists out there - let her translate this

Stupid Bint

Let me also point out that I found that Anti-Boycott site in less than three minutes. Therefore, all those claiming that Prof Baker's actions (and others like it) are not challenged within British academe have failed the newly created freetles three-minute refutation test. Unfortunately this doesn't convert into a funky acronym, but them's the breaks.

I've done a little investigating into UMIST's policies on discrimination. Unsurprisingly, Mona Stark stands in direct violation of those rules. [Link: americankaiser.blogspot.com...]

Freetles, check out the signatories at Academics Against Boycotts. The majority are American. Of those that aren't, only a handful are from the UK.

To me, this page supports rather than refutes the idea that British academics are letting this go unchallenged.

I wouldn't worry at all about this little flap, it's probably just an example of friendly fire. The Israeli professors are probably idiot leftists just like Mona. As long as leftists are going to beat each other up, I don't care how they do it.

Joel in Honolulu writes:

I think the severity of her action is a bit overblown here. The removal of names from an academic journal's editorial board is not quite the same as firing people from their academic jobs. It's more like one blogger removing a link to someone else's blog from their blogroll.

That doesn't make it overblown. As an academic in a position of some power and prestige, Ms. Baker abused that power and prestige to attack two fellow academics, solely for having a nationality she disapproves of. This is blatant, textbook discrimination. I wouldn't tolerate it in any setting, and seeing it in academe -- where the ideas should matter, not the passport of the idea generator -- is absolutely appalling. We've tolerated a lot of bullshit from the academic Left in the name of open exchanges of ideas; hence the tragicomic drivel that often emerges from our campuses. For a professor to pull such an act of intolerance is absolutely inexcusable. Were I the dean of that college, Ms. Baker would be typing her CV by now.

And as for your comparison, if I ever see Charles deliberately removing a link to a blog because it is run by an Arab, or a Muslim, or for any other reason other than the blog's content -- especially if he brags about it -- my last post at this site will be a denunciation of this, and I will never visit it again. Of course, Charles wouldn't stoop this low, so I guess that disqualifies him from the Mona Baker Club for a Better World.

freetles, I actually knew about the movement against boycotts and divestments among the British (and American) academics. But that is beside the point. I can accept that some people don't consider the state of Israel legitimate. I can even accept that some would call for and support a divestment and boycott of the country. What I cannot and will not accept is mistreatment and discrimination against people based solely on being natives of that country. I further cannot accept the apparent silence of the British academics -- regardless of their stance on Israel -- when two of their fellow professors are thus treated. In other words, my problem here is not with the European faculty's point of view -- it's with their treatment of people whose point of view differs. Even those academics who have no opinion on Israel, even those who are hostile to it, should have loudly protested Ms. Baker's action. They didn't, and have thus trashed their own reputations.

Eric: I think Maine's Michael was saying being Arab and being academic were oxymorons. Which is not really fair to say, I would bet there are a lot of smart, decent Arab professors.

The Privateer writes:

I wouldn't worry at all about this little flap, it's probably just an example of friendly fire. The Israeli professors are probably idiot leftists just like Mona. As long as leftists are going to beat each other up, I don't care how they do it.

Well, the reason this has me so upset is not because I feel sorry for the fired professors (who really ought to look at this as poetic justice), but because of the action itself. It's a godawful precedent, and we need to acknowledge what an odious shrew Prof. Baker is, and the even more odious silence from her peers.

The linguistics connection is not just coincidental, but it doesn't mean that all linguists are flaky. Linguistics as a study of language became highly politicized (partly due to ... guess who ... Noam) back in the 1960s, and with the incorporation of the philosophies of deconstruction and semiotics, which have their origin in the creation of abstract grammar (Chomsky again!), has become the main locus for leftist politics: feminism, ethnic studies, the whole gamut stem very directly from the linguistics field. There is value here, but it has become very excessively politicized and this is clearly an egregious case.

I know the action itself is abhorrent. But if an Arab terrorist beat up a few peaceniks at a Gush Shalom rally, I'd consider it abhorrent but funny.

This is just another wake-up call for the left, that the haters hate Israel, not just right-wing Israelis.

Ifg one wishes to "intimidate" Ms. Baker by politely -- please -- calling her on her antisemitism, her publicly-listed email address is mona.baker@umist.ac.uk .

Jonathon, I did check out the signatories before I posted. I also did a mental adjustment for the relative populations of the countries concerned. First, people say that UK / Euro academics are saying "nothing" about these issues, next they say that, well, there are some who are actively opposing this but not enough of them. Well, I counted 22 UK affiliations on the pro-boycott site and around 50 on the anti-boycott site. Make of that what you will, but it seems that some people only look at the things that fit their prespecified point of view.

E.Nough, I'm not disputing that Baker's action is discriminatory, bigoted and stupid. She has violated her university's policies and should face the consequences of that. What I am disputing is the broad-brush denunciations of UK academe in general that are happening here.

MISSING AL QAEDA SPIRITUAL LEADER, ABU QATADA, IN NORTHERN UK SAFE HOUSE; LODGED, FED AND CLOTHED BY BRITISH INTELLIGENCE SERVICES...

Sheltering A Puppet Master?
[Link: www.time.com...]

But if an Arab terrorist beat up a few peaceniks at a Gush Shalom rally, I'd consider it abhorrent but funny.

Yeah, OK -- as long as it's really "beat up," not "blew up." I must admit I still enjoy the thought of Robert Fisk receiving a full can of whoopass at the hands of Afghan refugees. For what it's worth, it doesn't even seem all that abhorrent.

What I am disputing is the broad-brush denunciations of UK academe in general that are happening here.

freetles, the broad-brush denunciation comes from the UK academe's lack of reaction and protest to Mona Baker's inexcusable actions. The anti-boycott movement is not a substitute; this is a separate issue.

freetles,

the site you mentioned is a general site, without any reference to the incident in question. So, in this case at least we have not yet seen any official response!

on linguists,

Dan, I think that you are right and linguistics has become a politicised field. That's a damn shame because I love liguistics. I great reference site for anyone interested is ethnologue (not a political site)...

[Link: www.ethnologue.com...]

on academics and morons and Arabs,

sorry, if I misunderstood.

Freetles, not to pile on, but E. Nough makes the right point -- where's the response to Ms. Baker?

Another beauty from the University of Manchester

[Link: education.guardian.co.uk...]

Broad-brush away

If anything, this incident further comforts me on my decision to not go into linguistics when I decided to go back to college...

E.Nough, Jonathon,
Granted that there haven't been any specific reactions to the story YET, but that anti-boycott site is precisely opposing the boycott that Baker's actions were part of. Baker is a signatory at the pro-boycott site and her nutball sackings were her action in support of the boycott. They aren't separate issues at all. The anti-boycott folks have been signing that thing since April; give them more than 24 hours to make a specific response to this specific stupidity, will ya? Unlike the blogosphere, some people will take more than a day to respond to something. Institutions' wheels turn even more slowly.

So we've gone from "UK academics are all being spineless" to "not enough UK academics are being not-spineless" to "no UK academics have responded formally within 24 hours of the Telegraph printing the story". Admittedly the story in the Guardian seems to have been ten days ago, but the broader issue is clearly something that has UK academics on both sides. Ok, so here's a recent letter from a UK academic to a UK newspaper denouncing the boycott and calling it discriminatory -- hardly a refusal to stand up and be counded. And we don't know how many other letters have been sent (although there is another letter below it suggesting that Israeli universities also discriminate. I don't know the facts about that case so I won't get into it.).

As for the student vote linked by zulubaby -- ~700 students voted, out of how many thousand at UMIST. The motion was moved by a member of the uni's Islamic society (surprise), and it wasn't passed. Yep, anti-Semitism is widespread in all corners of the student and staff bodies in UK universities (not!).

reetles:

With respect, I lived in the UK, and anti-Semitism is rampant there. And the English do not speak up against it as loudly as the Americans do.

My nephew was at university there. We removed him from the university, and shortly after that, from the country. Why? Because the amount of anti-Semitism that he encountered on a daily basis was vile.

So what if it was 700 students who voted out of possible thousands. Is that supposed to be comforting? There is clearly a tolerance for open anti-Semitism.

“And we don't know how many other letters have been sent”

That’s right, we don’t. We don’t know if there have been 2 letters sent or 100 letters sent.

Mona Baker’s actions, along with her statements defending her actions, are so anti-Semitic, that there really is nothing to debate there.

And the university’s response:

“Umist refused to comment, saying it was a matter for an individual academic”.

Need I say more.

Her homepage is at [Link: www.umist.ac.uk...] Judging from the new of Arabic items that she translated she must be either been anti-Israel from the beginning and so when into Arab studies to find like minded people or she's been influenced by what she's read.

An e-mail I sent earlier today:

Ms. Baker,

I learn with considerable distaste that you have chosen to fire Dr. Schlessinger and Professor Tourey from the academic boards of two language journals owned by you, because their refusal to separate themselves from their Israeli connections.

You may be sure that I will treat you with the contempt and disgust that you have so richly deserved by your actions, as my interpretation of how to react to your attempted conformity with a boycott of Israel. In particular, I will not trade with , socialize with, accept employment from, or offer employment to, any person associated with you or your journals, unless and until they publicly repudiate your vile actions.

Furthermore, I shall write immediately to my Senators and my Representative, urging that you be permanently banned from entering this country, or from receiving from any emolument whatsoever, as official recognition of the fact that you are a racist whom we can
well do without.

-----------------------------
John W. Braue, III

I completely support Prof Baker's decision, and would encourage more of the same. Not only in the UK, but in the rest of Europe and the USA as well.

How many White profs, or writers or editors have lost their jobs for that unforgivable sin -- daring to criticise israel ? After a little too-close-for-comfort scrutiny of izzy/jewish behavior more than a few of those have been shown the door by their mediawitz bosses and owners. Can anybody say "Charley Reese" or "Joe Sobran ?" There are others as well, a little less high profile, but nevertheless working journos and academics who have lost their jobs after lifting up rocks and looking closely at izzy.

Now that the shoe is on the other foot and a couple of chosenites get canned for not pleasing THEIR boss, listen to all the hysterical mewling and squawking and sobbing ! Ha ha ! Funny, itz, I think ! Gotta love it.

Tough shit zhidn ! Now you get to find out what it feels like ! Bravo Professor Baker !

Mark Konrad

Cute hood ya got there boy. Been burnin any crosses lately? So tell me, ya still date your sister?

No, his sister's dating their daddy again

Charlie Reese writes for newspapers. If he pisses off the customers revenue goes down. It's just business.

In theory acadmics are supposed to hold to a higher standard.

In that case we'll have a never ending supply of ignorant white trash.

This- in a country where they don't let you advertise for a "friendly" worker, because it would be discriminatory against unfriendly people.

Don't they have laws in England or in the EU against discrimination in the workplace? If this had happened in the U.S. the lawsuit would already have been filed.

I don't know what to do with this article that I'm reading. I can't even put together a coherent response to the editor. But I will.

In the meantime, read this...

[Link: www.csmonitor.com...]

That link of zulu's makes reference to "Palestinians from inside Israel". Surely the author meant "Israeli Arabs", or am I missing something here?

The aurthor makes at least one good point - Arafat was freely and fairly elected - but takes that information and runs exactly in the wrong direction with it. It doesn't prove that Yassir is a man of upstanding moral character, but rather proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that the majority of the Palestinian people are utterly, thoroughly morally bankrupt.

Remember, this is the same Yassir who, just three years ago, rejected Bill Clinton's most abject appeasement policy, one that offered Arafat the entire Gaza Strip, 98% of the West Bank (which was NOT divided into smaller areas, contrary to Palestinian propaganda), and also would have bisected Israel by joining the two. He also offered great reparations for the land remaining to Israel, as well as statehood, recognition as an individual state, and so on. All Arafat had to do is stop the violence.

And Arafat refused. Not just made an empty promise, but openly REFUSED to stop killing Israelis, and immediately went about starting up their current uprising that is only now coming to an end thanks to Israel's decision to finally say "fuck the world opinion, we're taking action to protect ourselves."

Yes, Arafat was elected in a free and fair election by the Palestinian people. It's not a cause for respect, but a cause for destruction.

Hitler was also elected in a free and open election by the majority of Germans.

Mona Baker? Or is it originally Muna al-Bakr?

And Arafat "fairly and freely elected"?
Puh-leeze! Here's the dirt on that "fair and free" election.

Michael Glaze wrote:

"Hitler was also elected in a free and open election by the majority of Germans"

Actually it was a pluralty, not a majority. The Nazi Party never got more than 44% of the votes before the destruction of German democracy, which is why Hitler initially had to form a coallition with von Pappen.

But the point is valid.

By the way, Mussolini was also more or less democratically and constitutionally elected the first time.

Re: Radically politicized linguists like Chomsky, Baker, etc., don't forget that Professor Cloud at the University of Texas, who got some publicity last week with her leftist alternative Pledge of Allegiance, which she claims she wrote for her little daughter, also is a linguist. Why am I NOT surprised?

All I can add is that I seriously hope that when Professor Cloud's daughter reaches her teens and does the standard rebellion thing, she becomes the next Ann Coulter. Wouldn't THAT be special?

Britain bans 'made in Israel' labels on goods from settlements
[Link: www.jpost.com...]

Mona Baker was born in Egypt! Just like the July 4th Los Angeles terrorist

[Link: www.jpost.com...]

I live in the UK and I used to get so angry about the acceptable anti-Semitism and the European love affair with the arabs and Muslims. These days, I have decided that whenever I read about something anti-Semitic or anti-Israel, I will give more money to Israeli organisations. Hence, I have just set up a standing order to send money to Magen David Adom after something I read in the publication 'The Evening Standard' (here in London) which published an article by the well known Nazi Brian Sewell.

Israel support Websites:

What have you done for Israel this Week.
[Link: www.vipac.org...]

Support Israel Yahoo Group
[Link: groups.yahoo.com...]

Shop in Israel
[Link: www.shopinisrael.com...]

LIBI- The Fund for Strengthening Israel's Defense
[Link: www.libi-fund.org.il...]

...old palaces and pretty churches (#15)

Isn't "pretty mosques" more like it?

None Dare Call it Racism, or Religious Totalitarianism, or even Brazen Hypocrisy

Israel is the only state in the world that has a population of 200%. And that's a fact.

Public opinion polls show that it has two simultaneous majorities. One is peace-loving, the other supports extreme nationalism.

At the present time, it looks like this: In every public opinion poll there is a large majority that supports the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. Sharon wants, of course, to enlarge the settlements, intensify the war against the Palestinians, eliminate Yasser Arafat, postpone a permanent solution and refuse any peace negotiations until unattainable conditions are met. Anyone who supports him must be a radical right-winger.

But the very same public opinion polls show also that a majority agrees to withdraw from (almost) all the occupied territories, dismantle (almost) all settlements and accept the establishment of a Palestinian state in return for peace.

How is this possible? Can a state have a population of more than 100%? If so, Israel is a very special country. . .

. . . Statisticians and sociologists examined, researched, shook their collective heads, shrugged their shoulders, raised both hands and thought: a crazy people. Doesn't know what it wants. Mixed up. Schizophrenic. Suffering from a split personality.

But the people were not mad at all. The professors just did not know how to read the results of their polls.

What the public tried to say was: If it were possible to drive out all the Arabs, that would be wonderful. If it's impossible, let's get the hell out of there.

Why? For a simple reason: the one thing that unifies almost all Jewish Israelis is the wish to live in a state where there are only Jews. If we could achieve such a state in all the country between the Mediterranean and the Jordan river, O.K. If not, let's leave the occupied territories. Not "land for peace", but "withdrawal for the sake of safeguarding a homogeneous Jewish state". This is the majority opinion, and there is, indeed, only one majority.

Some call this "racist". Some call it "nationalist". Some say that this is "apartheid". But this attitude is rooted in the fact that for thousands of years Jews have lived as a religious-ethnic community dispersed throughout the world and often suffered cruel persecution (especially in the Christian world). [Yawwwn . . .] They have developed a ghetto mentality. They want to live among themselves, separate from others, surrounded by a high fence. [Except when they want to live in other, overwhelmingly non-jewish countries.]

Zionism wanted to achieve this by establishing a state where the Jews would live together, without Goyim (Gentiles). Even the presence of a considerable minority (the Arab citizens) in Israel creates severe mental stress. For most Israelis, the ideal situation would be a state without a single non-Jewish citizen. (The presence of foreign workers does not bother anybody; it is temporary, and they are devoid of any rights.)

["Diversity" in USA = Good. "Diversity" in israel = Bad.
Typical kosher hypocrisy. The only things that matter to any jew worldwide is "Is it good for jews ?" and "Is it good for israel ?" Nothing else, aside from personal enrichment and the ability to dictate to others, is important.]

Lately this aspiration has found new expression in an idea which is becoming quite popular: to transfer the Israeli Arab villages adjoining the West Bank, together with their inhabitants, to the future Palestinian state, which means giving up territory so that Israel will have less [fewer] non-Jewish citizens.

. . . Today, too, there is only one majority in Israel. Most Israelis are ready to pay the price demanded for peace. So why do they support Sharon, who represents the opposite? For one simple reason: they have been brought to believe that "we have no partner". There is a complete unanimity, from Avigdor Liberman and Effy Eitam on the right to Haim Ramon and Yossi Sarid on the "left", that "there is no partner". And since there is no partner for peace, let's support Sharon, who knows (or so it seems) how to wage war. The aim of this brainwashing is precisely to make it possible to keep the occupied territories and, God willing, to drive the Palestinians out.

The real criminal in this story is Ehud Barak. In order to hide his monumental failure as a peace-maker, he created the legend that "we offered them everything and they rejected everything." This historic lie is the connecting link between the two seemingly contradictory results of the polls: the majority is ready to pay the price of peace but does not believe that peace is possible. So let's support Sharon. [He of the Sabra and Shitila massacre].

[Link: news.bbc.co.uk...]

Mark Konrad

OK, LGF readers; I don't want to appear as if I'm stifling dissent, but this asshole "Konrad" and his hateful little rants are really pissing me off. Can anyone give me a good reason not to ban him?

Honestly, having the link to his disgusting web site here feels like someone took a shit in my living room.

Never mind; I decided I don't have to allow hateful pinheads like this to use our site to spread their filth. It's not dissent, it's abuse.

Charles, I've seen this guy before at other sites, his mantra never changes. I think I might have even banned him once myself a few years ago. So go ahead and pop him, he won't be missed.

Charles, how about deleting the KKK guy's entries as well?

Charles, Vanguard networks is part ot he National Alliance or new KKK/ neo nazis of west Virginia who are the most active neo-nazis in the USA.

UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology) is regularly described in the UK as "the British MIT". I doubt the institutions are truly comparable nevertheless is is considered to be a top flight university in its subject areas. I am shamed by the actions of this academic and shamed that this action has been largely ignored by the British press and academy.

I believe this silence is less to do with generalized anti-semitism, however, than with a generalized fear of expressing unpopular political views. People can lose their entire careers for speaking out in favour of the wrong cause and the plight of the "palestinians" is flavour of the month. It is a sad state of affairs that people would risk their lives to oppose this behaviour in NAZI Germany but won't risk their jobs in the United Kingdom.

Anyone who thinks the Shoah cannot be repeated is sorely mistaken. At least this time Israel is ready to fight.

Obviously I was wrong in my assessment of "the most racist mouthbreathing clod." Kudos to Konrad for pushing back the boundaries on stupidity.

Anyone seen his site? I went there once and spent way more time than I wanted, because I kept reading "just one more" entry in a vain attempt to find something that was not written by a useless loser. How to explain Konrad and his pathetic barely sentient ilk? Poor quality control at the Trojans factory is my guess.

Well, it's been more than a half century since a coalition of actual human beings kicked this knuckledragger's odious excuse for a guiding philosophy into history's trash can, and it's taken this long for his type to learn to walk erect again, and even use simple tools. Nice going, Naziboy. What's next, mastery of the wheel?

Tell you what, Konrad, the First Amendment really does apply to you, so say and write whatever you want. The second you act on it you're toast. Wrap one finger around that semi-auto, reach for the gas can, start loading the fertilizer into the rental truck, and you're going to be gone so fast the only memorial to your existence will be the shit stains in your skivvies. In the meantime, enjoy your worthless life slinking around the fringes of human society.

Oh, and don't forget - try to alternate inhaling and exhaling. It's a strain at first until you evolve a medulla oblongata.

Charles,

I have to dissent. I think that its good to have "Jaks" like this Konrad fellow on the blog -- they remind us of the hate that exists out there.

You publish Arab News "stories" -- he is just more of the same. Someone should just Fisk him.

That's just my 2 cents. Thanks.

Baker's Center is proud of their conferences; seems to me you fight fire with fire and encourage or organize a boycott of their busy international conference program.

Don't just write to Baker, who seems beyond hope anyway; write to her professional contacts and her University bosses, and encourage them to pressure her. Extract names & emails from her conference programs and email them. Emphasize the harm her actions do to the academic community.

And do be sure to subscribe to their mailing list at [Link: www.umist.ac.uk...] .

"It's not racism, it's a boycott? Brilliant! Thank you Mona!" - Lawyers for the Wards Cove Packing Company

Yep, Mrs. Baker is not only Egyptian-born, but also Egyptian-raised. She emigrated to England 20 years ago, already a practising professional translator. [Link: harpur.binghamton.edu...]

zulubaby wrote:
With respect, I lived in the UK, and anti-Semitism is rampant there. And the English do not speak up against it as loudly as the Americans do.

You must have lived in a different part of the UK to my out-laws (or whatever it is I should call my beloved's family), or my own friends, colleagues and family who have lived there at one time or another. I have heard some Brits express some bitterness about the way the state of Israel was formed and some of the specific actions of Ben Gurion, etc, but all of those people believe in Israel's right to exist, all of them detest and denounce the terrorism that's going on now as part of the intifada.

There's no denying that Baker's actions were anti-Semitic and stupid. But her stance is not supported by all or even a majority of UK academics or Brits generally. Yes, there is anti-Semitism in Britain, Europe -- and here in Australia, and in the US. Of course that should be challenged, it just isn't universal or widespread. (The reason I make this point is that too many people posting at LGF seem to be willing to lambast all Europeans/non-US folks as being anti-Semitic terrorism supporters. Please think, people, before next typing something about the "Euro-weenies" and blaming it on the divine right of kings or whatever.)

UMIST's response is disturbing and insufficient. As mentioned earlier, I believe in giving organisations sufficient time to respond thoughtfully, but this isn't it. One odd thing about this situation, however, is that the news reports of the sackings have said that she "owned" the journals. I've never heard of journals being owned by an academic before; usually they are owned by universities or publishing companies and edited by one or more academics. So what exactly has she sacked these people from? A vanity press called St Jerome, according to the Guardian. I wonder if this is a loophole that gets her around UMIST's anti-discrimination policies?

lotta hate going on with this site! you make sharon look like mother theresa.

Et tu, Canada? Or should we pay more attention to what smart Canadians have to say?

freetles,

I think that very few people here claim that every European is anti-Semitic and is worthy of scorn. Euro-weenies, at least in my understanding, refers to the officials of the EU (the political body), not to all its citizens. Furthermore, in democracies we look to the opinions of the elected officials (of each country) as proxies for the opinions of the majority of the populace. Even in Europe, where democracy is not as vibrant as here (e.g. France), this must still be the case.

Also, while it is true that the anti-Semitism of WWII has not returned to Europe, the ignorance of hate that causes anti-Semitism is in full blossom (like in the 1930s). It is disheartening to discover that Europe has learned nothing from the rise of Hitler his enticing call of war against the Jews. This naked ignorance of history is particularly enraging when it is accompanied by a morality lesson from one of Europe's numerous ministers and pundits.

BTW, thank you for offering intelligent dissent on this site. As you can tell by some other posts on this thread, that is quite rare.

Eric,
Maybe few think all Europeans are anti-Semites, but one could be forgiven for getting the opposite impression from this thread. And I don't know where you get the idea that democracy is less vibrant in France than the US; I'll concede it's noisier there, though. How do US farmers get all those subsidies without blocking the highways the way the French ones do?

Anti-Semitism in Europe is a problem, not only amongst the Mona Bakers and the recent Muslim migrants, but in places like Poland where the Jews get blamed for so much even though there are hardly any Jews left in Poland! But extending this to finger-point at Western Europe more generally is completely wrong and hardly constructive. (And without identifying myself, it might help to know that I spent many years throught the 1990s involved in a project that was largely about remembering the Holocaust and those who suffered persecution. My other posting theme is "don't just vent; do something".)

As for intelligent dissent, I'm not even sure I'd agree it's dissent! (-: I'm opposed to Islamafascism, terrorism, anti-Semitism, and I supported the invasion of Afganistan. There are plenty of folks with the same views as me; they just choose not to hang out on warblogs, probably because they have lives. And I should probably be out in the sunshine instead of posting here.

PS: If you really look to elected leaders as proxies of the views of that country, then as an Australian I can only cringe in embarrasment at our own elected leader. He don't speak for me.

Eric said "I think that very few people here claim that every European is anti-Semitic and is worthy of scorn."

I confess I also got the opposite impression from this posting. My apologies if I misunderstood your earlier statements. Several postings in the same thread by other people were similarly misleading, I guess.

freetles,

I may have been more sensitive to anti-Semitism while living in England, than your family and friends are (were). That was MY experience, and because your family and friends may not have encountered it, does not mean that it doesn’t exist. As for my nephew’s experience…the guy was miserable because of it, and he’s not exactly a shrinking violet. We just felt that it was unnecessary for him to live in that environment. It really is hurtful.

I had never experienced anti-Semitism myself until I lived there. I have many English friends, and I met some really nice people while living there, but for the most part, I was very happy to be on the ‘plane out of there. It felt hostile to me.

And with reference to there being anti-Semitism all over the world, I agree with you. But in my experience, nowhere was it as obvious as it was in the UK.

You must admit though, that almost every time a troll makes an appearance on the weblog, it’s a European. There is no love for the Jews there. I was horrified to find Jews in the UK who, while not exactly denying it, would certainly play down the fact that they were Jewish. In all, living there was a strange experience for me. It was in sharp contrast to how my life had been up until then.

And I apologize for misspelling your name earlier. It was a stupid typo. Hope it didn’t offend you :-)

Sharon is a past suspect war criminal. Noting to do with Anti-Semitism; Jews can commit war crimes just like everyone else.

zulubaby,
I'm not saying that anti-Semitism is absent in the UK, just that it's not the big universal that some folks are claiming (see the threads and posts I linked to in posts #106 and #107). While the obvious trolls here are (claim to be) European, there's also certain US residents at the other extreme (no point naming names).

As I predicted earlier, it took a few days to filter around, but now we are starting to see the repercussions of the Baker story: see for example the union of students attacking Baker's actions, letters to the Guardian all denouncing the sackings and this The Independent op-ed piece [emphasis mine] "Above all the academic boycotters give lethal sustenance to the lie that such criticism, even if it isn't simply anti-Semitic, amounts to saying that the state of Israel should not exist. If that's what they think, then they should say so frankly – and find themselves alienated from the large majority of people in this country."

So all the folks worried that there hadn't been a reaction or condemnation of this appalling action by Baker can now rest easy. I'm sure this story will go on for a few more days.

I didn't even notice the misspelling, zulubaby, so no offence taken. People misspell my real name, too, so I'm kind of inured to it now.

Her (i.e. Muna al-Bakr's) actions are a clear example of quintuple standarts. She was deaf-mute, when in February 1982 Syrian soldatesque slaughtered twenty thousand inhabitants of Hama. She was silent in 1988, when her brothers-in-faith in Iraq gassed to death five thousands Kurds in Halabja. She never showed any solidarity and compation towards Armenians and their Holocaust. Neither she ever protested slaughter of two hundred thousand Christians in East Timor,occupied by Islamic Indonesia in 1975-2000. What about ethnically cleansed Northern Cyprus, under Turkey since July 1974? What about extermination of black, Christian South in Sudan? Where have you been, Muna?

Thanks, freetles, for those links. It's nice to see that Europe has at least an iota of sense left.

"It's nice to see that Europe has at least an iota of sense left. "

You act surprised, Mr Bored. While my point here is to point out that Europe isn't chock-full of evil Jew-haters, despite earlier claims to the contrary on this board. Anti-Semitism exists, probably more than in the US or Australia, but it's very much a minority view.

"Anti-Semitism exists, probably more than in the US or Australia, but it's very much a minority view. "

Well, there's a bit of it here across the ditch in New Zealand, even though the average Joe in the street probably hasn't the foggiest idea what a Jew is. On talkback radio, callers reel off stories about the "Zionist lobby of the USA" as if it were common sense that "the Jews" control America. At Auckland University (which I attend), flyers emblazoned with "Zionism is racism", Sharon is the new Hitler" or "Help stop the USA-sponsored war against the Palestinians" and the like are posted at every corner. During Orientation an elaborate Palestinian stall was set up spouting more filith. I witnessed the shameful inaugration of a students group - "Students for Justice for Palestine". It's a dog's life.

Am I being too bold in calling those incidents at Auckland University anti-Semitic?

No way, man. Believe me, the Palestinian stall was a few posters away from "kill the Jews" and a few of the leftist flyers exhibit a liberal usage of the words "Holocaust of Palestinians" etc.

"Sharon is a past suspect war criminal. Noting to do with Anti-Semitism; Jews can commit war crimes just like everyone else."

Maybe, dood, but in spite of popular bufoonery, Sharon did not commit any war crimes. What next, more stories of rape and plunder at Jenin?

Evan_the_Bored,

I was being sarcastic :-)

I don't know how you live with it.

It is disgraceful that it is even allowed.

"Sharon is a past suspect war criminal. Noting to do with Anti-Semitism; Jews can commit war crimes just like everyone else."

It is funny that this is the seminal war-crime that anti-Israel people love to trot out.

Sharon was not found to be a war criminal. They said that he should have anticiapated the Phalange response and prevented it. Do you blame Gen. Westmorland for the Mi Lai massacre in VietNam?

Sharon was the general in command of the theatre and some allies of Israel, Phalange (Christian) Militia who's people had been slaughtered by the PLO, took revenge and committed a war crime.

Israel, is so moral, that they relieved Sharon of his command for something his allies did. No other country would do that.

Was Assad asked to resign for his massacre of 20,000 at Hama?(not killing 50 in battle like Jenin, and actual massacre). What about the Dutch "peacekeepers" who stood by while the in Bosnia while some Serbs massacred civilians?

The fact that Israel has not commited war crimes after what the rest of the world has put them through is the truly amazing fact.

Sharon has shown more restraint in this war than any other country faced with similar circumstances would do. What about Russia in Chechnia? If the roles were reversed in this case, there would be no more Jews.

freetles is correct; after some pause, UK and European academe seem to be noticing and vigorously protesting Mona Baker's actions. It's heartening to read of this, and I am quite happy to be proven wrong by her.

Sharon was not found to be a war criminal. They said that he should have anticiapated the Phalange response and prevented it. Do you blame Gen. Westmorland for the Mi Lai massacre in VietNam?

An even more interesting comparison would be with the Dutch military protecting the "safe haven" of Srebrenica. All they ended up doing was collecting a whole bunch of Albanians in one place, and then stepping back when the Serbs arrived, and genocide ensued. Granted, the Serbs were not allied with the Dutch, but surely the Dutch should have anticipated what the Serbs would do in Srebrenica, and taken steps to prevent it?

I presume that the Dutch military command is going to be charged with war crimes any day now? Getting them to The Hague shouldn't be too hard...

"Sharon was the general in command of the theatre and some allies of Israel, Phalange (Christian) Militia who's people had been slaughtered by the PLO, took revenge and committed a war crime.

Israel, is so moral, that they relieved Sharon of his command for something his allies did. No other country would do that. "

Close, but no cigar. Actually, in 1982 Ariel Sharon was not in command of anything. He was a politician, a civilian Minister of Defense. He was forced to resign in February 1983, on the recommendation of the Kahan Commission, the Commission of Inquiry appointed by the Israeli Government and chaired by Israel's then Chief Justice, the late Yitzhak Kahan. At the time of the Commission's work I was clerking at the Israeli Supreme Court. Though I had no contact with the work of the Commission of Inquiry,I did read every word of it's published report.

The Commission found Sharon indirectly responsible for the Sabra and Shatila massacre, for allowing the Christian Phalange Militia into the refugee camps shortly after the assassination of their leader, President elect Bashir Jamayel. The Commission felt, on the strength of a great body of evidence collected, that in those circumstances the massacre by the Phalange could and should have been foreseen, and that they should not, therefore, have been allowed into the refugee camps.

This is a good sight short of any "war crime" that anybody in history has ever been convicted of.

The closest example that I can think of is the role of UN peacekeepers in Yugoslavia who refrained from intervening to stop the massacre by Serbs of Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica. That case was actually far more severe than Sabra and Shatila, for several reasons. First the numbers of innocent civilians killed were higher than at Sabra and Shatila by at least an order of magnitude. Second, the UN forces didn't just fail to anticipate a massacre they should have foreseen, they failed to stop a massacre that they knew was occurring right in front of their eyes, and for the sole reason that they wanted to avoid casualties among their own forces. Third, the whole point of a UN peacekeeping force is to step in between the warring parties. Preventing such a massacre was their entire job description, and they were totally derelict in their duty.

However, neither their Dutch commander, nor their civilian superior (then UN Deputy Secretary General, Kofi Annan) nor any member of the UN forces or their civilian UN superiors has ever been accused of being a war criminal (much less formally charged with war crimes).

The obsession with branding Ariel Sharon a "war criminal" has nothing to do with objective reality or a concern for justice, and everything - I am saddened to conclude - with plain old anti-semitism.

Thanks Uzi.

While most hate stems from ignorance, I see a wave of anti-Semitism coming from people who are supposedly "intellectuals." The explicit behavior and actions by Mona Baker is done so with malice aforethought. There will be no educating Mona Baker. This elitist represents a growing class in Europe whose families have hated Jews since the beginning of time. In light of the current geopolitical scene, she seizes the opportunity to express herself. - a Jew is only "good" when he lies down and plays victim. The Israeli translators would not have been fired if they disassociated themselves from their country of birth. I just don't get it. Where are the dissenting voices from the "intellectuals? the academic body? Hello?
Anybody?

I still pray that ignorance can be remedied with education. How do you educate the "educated?" Sorry, I forgot, Ms. Baker simply despises Israel's politics and she was "justly" criticizing Israel by her actions. This is HER way of boycotting Israel.

In the USA, I notice that this story has received zero press in our broadsheet. In fact, when I do a search for "Mona Baker" on the "LAT" or "NYT," I yield zero hits. What's wrong with this picture is that, unfortunately, nobody gives a shit.

It should be front-page news, but it never will be because it places the Jew-hater in bad light. On the other hand, the "Left Angeles Times," had the following story emblazoned in all its front-page glory this morning:
[Link: www.latimes.com...]

In my humble opinion, the Mona Baker item is as newsworthy of front-page press as the column linked above.

Sad and dismayed.
Jacques

PS Thank God for the students!

[Link: www.instapundit.com...]

hello,

I am an academic in London UK
and I would like to express my
disgust at the sackings of two
Israeli academics. I have written
to UMIST and Baker via e-mail
comdemning such action.

Even though the vast majority of
British academics have remain silent,
there are some who have voiced their
horror at such action.

I am ashamed that the academics have
done very little in response to such
blatant racism. If two Arab academics
were sacked by an Israeli, this would
create shock waves throughout the globe.
But since they are `only' Israelis, then
the British people just like to stay silent.

This is typical of anti-Semetic British
politics. Double standards and hypocrisy.
The British nearly always side with
Muhammadans (Muslims) even if it means
compromising their `morals'.

Jacques, I don't think education is required, merely an understanding that such behavior is not to be tolerated. Hold any opinions you want, but there will be penalties for breaking the law (this even goes for Konrad the Nazi Moron).

Back in the seventies the Navy had a string of racial incidents. They dealt with them by, in essence, demonstrating that expressions of racism would be immediately and decisively dealt with. The "program" was in effect to say "we don't need to define it, we don't need to hold seminars, nobody needs his consciousness raised - you know what we're talking about, and. Do. Not. Ever. Do it."

Compare and contrast with the Navy's response to Tailhook. It instantly degenerated into a Pat Schroeder led witch hunt, politically correct posturing, panicked denials, interminable studying, lots of pointless seminars, wads of money shoveled to consultants, the invention of new terminologies, and when I last looked (1997) the problem was still being kicked around under the table because people were afraid to take decisive action and exercise leadership. It was dealt with by not being directly addressed. So long as you only look out of the corner of your eye, you don't really see it so it must not be there anymore.

To be fair, had the Navy's race problems surfaced after, say, 1985 it probably would have been dealt with as was Tailhook.

But my point is - don't bother with education. Simply display the big stick and make sure people know what you'll do with it. Let Prof Baker be as bigoted as she wants, but deal with behavior, not attitudes.

Thanks, R. Miah. That actually brings me to another issue I've been thinking about lately: multiculturalism. Is is over-romanticised in the UK, for example, in certain governmental policies and in novels like Zadie Smith's (quite bad) "White Teeth" and certain TV shows? I like the idea of different cultures coming together but allowing in hundred of thousands of non-assimilating radical Muslims from backward nations could be dangerous. Just get a look at that hook-handed, ranting what's-his-face who "declared Jihad" on Britain in the wake of September 11.

I'm not Arabic, nor do I have any connections with Arabs.

But I hate Israel too. Can you believe the way they behave?

I'm not Arabic, nor do I have any connections with Arabs.

Then you must be either an anti-semite or a leftist hypocrite.

But I hate Israel too. Can you believe the way they behave?

The way the Isrealis behave? What, putting out forest fires in the "territories"? Yep, clearly the acts of rabid genociders.

Here is a post I had made concerning containing a bit of additional information. I do not think the links will come through.
Fire the Filthy Jews.
“British [Egyptian] academic has sparked worldwide protests after sacking two scholars from her highly respected international journals because they are Israeli.” Each journal seems to have been only around for a short time in a very narrow field so saying they are highly respected may not be saying much. Here are two articles.

The Translator and Translation Studies Abstracts are the journals

Articles mention that the journals are owned by the editor Mona Baker but published in conjunction with University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) were Prof Baker is the director of the centre for translation and intercultural studies at UMIST [Corrrection – I spoke to the Director of External relations and Communications of UMIST (Ian Haworth) who said that in fact the journals have no connection with UMIST, do not have their logo on it, and if they had been part of the university would not have fired the Israelis since it violates university policy]

[The University is considering what actions, if any, to take against Baker]

Given Baker’s actions it seems likely that she is not fit to be the head of any center let alone one dealing with intercultural studies.

A CALL TO ACTION: IF YOU ARE PART OF AN ACEDEMIC INSTITUTION YOU SHOULD DEMAND THAT IT CANCEL ITS SUBSCRIPTION TO THESE TWO JOURNALS.

What is at the Core
Lord Janner cuts to the core of what is at the bottom of the anti-Israel feelings in Europe, especially in universities - MONEY : “Prof Greenblatt's intervention was welcomed by Lord Janner, the chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust. He said that the sackings set a worrying precedent: "This is disgraceful and dangerous. You should no more sack an Israeli academic for his nationality than you should a Palestinian in the same situation.
"I do not buy this argument that, just because there are more fee-paying Arab students at UMIST and elsewhere, their views should prevail. ”

Why Americans are great
The good professor alleges that since the sackings she has received a lot of hate make especially form Americans:
“She alleged that since the sackings she had been the victim of a hate campaign.
"My husband and I receive hate mail every day, up to 50 [letters] a day, some of it extremely obscene," she said. "I can't read it out it is so obscene and very threatening. It is also sent to my university, to my vice-chancellor and to some of my colleagues, and they threaten people who want to stay on the board. The Americans are the worst offenders”

Here is the publisher of the journals in case you want to send some love their way.
St. Jerome Publishing
2 Maple Road West, Brooklands
Manchester M23 9HH, UK
Tel. +44 161 973 9856 / Fax +44 161 905 3498
Email: stjerome@compuserve.com

E.nough,
Glad to hear that you are also glad. I don't know if I'd put the "after some pause" rider, though.

Most people don't react as fast as bloggers, nor do they want to. Sometimes people want to give consideration to the best possible form of action to take.

So, for all the wailing and gnashing of teeth here, the right things are being done. Although I will soon be going on vacation and no longer posting here to remind you, I ask everyone to remember this before they go ballistic about something or other. All countries suffer from anti-Semitism, but it's not a majority viewpoint by any stretch. Nor does it justify blanket condemnation of certain nationalities or groups. [end of public service announcement]

Hello everybody,

I was searching the web for some information on this topic and, well, here I am. I saw your comments and I could not help posting some of Mona's, first hand, just for the laughs. The e-mail was sent to me yesterday under the title "Academia in the World. A strange kind of freedom." Enjoy it:

This [article by Robert Fisk titled 'A strange kind of freedom'] explains why the vast majority of the 1000+ messages of abuse I now receive daily, calling me a 'filthy Arab', 'Osama's whore', etc. , come from the States. And so do the ones that are almost bringing the UMIST email system down and demanding that UMIST sack me without further ado. Who is being racist here? Can't the world do without a replacement of Jews, blacks, communists (and now Arab terrorism!)? Will we ever learn?

Do please circulate widely.

Mona

You can find the article here: [Link: news.independent.co.uk...]

I'm still bewildered. Is this not the same
English that occupy Ireland? Do they not
kill and execute Irish civilians and IRA alike?
Are these not the same poeple that cried foul
when the IRA responded by bombing London?
Yet, when the Palestinians mercilessly bomb
and murder and not just Jews, but any one
that gets in their way in Israel. Isn't Israel
supposed to respond just like England did with
Ireland and fight back? Just wait till the Muslims
in England get to a point where they think they
can flex their muscle and call for Jihad. The
bombs that will go off in London will make what
the IRA did look like a firecracker party. The
Muslims will murder and kill until every one
converts to Islam. Their's is a belief based on
hate, bigotry and misery. Londonstan is almost
a reality. You already blame Jews for trying
to stay alive. Yes, indeed. Your almost there.

i use to think arabs are bad poeple, and palestinians are a bunch of terrorists. I use to think jews are the victims of arab violence and we should all support israel.
Untill i visited israel and the occupied territories. i have seen the suffering and humiliation of the palestinian poeple with my own eyes (no media bias). I have seen how palestinians queu up for 3 hours to fill their jars with water while accross the road a settler who arrived from russia or USA 2 years ago, is having a dip in his swiming pool. I have seen roads closed to no jews. I have actually seen Israeli soldiers aiming their guns at kids and booommm a shot was fired, it blew up the head of a 12 years old palestinians.
if that happen to my kid. sure i will become a suicide bomber.
now i hate israel