Thursday, April 10, 2014

Profiles in Courage

Louis Brandeis was, among other things, the first Jewish member of the Supreme Court. He was also an ardent Zionist. Brandeis University bears his name.

Brandeis famously wrote the following:
"Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman."
Brandeis University is now having a cloudy day:
Brandeis University has decided not to award an honorary degree to a Somali-born women's rights activist who has branded Islam as violent and "a nihilistic cult of death."

The private university outside Boston said it had decided not to bestow the honour on Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Dutch parliamentarian who has been a staunch critic of Islam and its treatment of women.
Brandeis made a big show of saying that it wanted Ali back for dialogue at some other point. Ali's not having it:
What did surprise me was the behavior of Brandeis. Having spent many months planning for me to speak to its students at Commencement, the university yesterday announced that it could not “overlook certain of my past statements,” which it had not previously been aware of. Yet my critics have long specialized in selective quotation — lines from interviews taken out of context — designed to misrepresent me and my work. It is scarcely credible that Brandeis did not know this when they initially offered me the degree.

What was initially intended as an honor has now devolved into a moment of shaming. Yet the slur on my reputation is not the worst aspect of this episode. More deplorable is that an institution set up on the basis of religious freedom should today so deeply betray its own founding principles. The “spirit of free expression” referred to in the Brandeis statement has been stifled here, as my critics have achieved their objective of preventing me from addressing the graduating Class of 2014. Neither Brandeis nor my critics knew or even inquired as to what I might say. They simply wanted me to be silenced. I regret that very much.

Not content with a public disavowal, Brandeis has invited me “to join us on campus in the future to engage in a dialogue about these important issues.” Sadly, in words and deeds, the university has already spoken its piece. I have no wish to “engage” in such one-sided dialogue. I can only wish the Class of 2014 the best of luck — and hope that they will go forth to be better advocates for free expression and free thought than their alma mater.
That would be my wish, too.

5 comments:

Gino said...

i am impressed with her eloquence in the english language. i only wish our 'educated' class could do it so well.

Bike Bubba said...

God forbid that Brandeis would let Ms. Ali speak about what Islam did to her. How could she know better than the professorial class what Islam would do to a culture? She only lived in it, after all.

Anonymous said...

I wonder why liberal Brandeis University is participating in this War on Women? And I wonder why they are showing such vile hatred of a racial minority? I thought it was the evil Rethuglicans who did such things.

(Of course I don't really wonder. I know that such things are just talking points, not principles.)

W.B.

Anonymous said...

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an outspoken atheist who speaks out loudly against all religions, not only Islam. Perhaps Brandeis didn't want to upset its donor class by having someone closely associated with Dawkins/Dennett/Harris/Hitchens speak at the university closely linked with the formation of the State of Israel. Simply a guess. I don't know where Brandeis stands with regard to the movement for Israel divestment that's sweeping through our universities at this moment, but a quick Google of Brandeis and divestment shows that groups on campus are taking sides against Hillel and anti-Palestinian Israeli laws. I don't think the decision to silence Ms. Ali had a jot to do with liberal university professors or any stupid notion of that ridiculous term "Islamophobia." I could be wrong, but you'll have to prove it with some facts, not foolish conjecture.

Mr. D said...

Simply a guess.

Maybe, maybe not.

I could be wrong, but you'll have to prove it with some facts, not foolish conjecture.

So your conjecture is cool, but mine is foolish, anonymous commenter? Good to know.