chairman bill wrote:Here's proof of how evil she is - uncovered! No veiling! Disgusting. Stone the Jezebel!

orpheus wrote:I know my view of her looks is skewed by my admiration for her character, but I have to say I think she is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen.

Yesterday Brandeis University decided to withdraw an honorary degree they were to confer upon me next month during their Commencement exercises. I wish to dissociate myself from the university’s statement, which implies that I was in any way consulted about this decision. On the contrary, I was completely shocked when President Frederick Lawrence called me—just a few hours before issuing a public statement—to say that such a decision had been made....

I was not surprised when my usual critics, notably the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), protested against my being honored in this way. 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.

Onyx8 wrote:The woman has class. More than can be said about Brandeis.

David Silverman April 10, 2014 wrote:

Dear Mr. Lawrence,

I remember well my years attending Brandeis University. I remember the classes, the teachers, the students, and even the food. But perhaps most of all, I remember the activism.

I remember the student tables in Usdan pushing a diverse set of agendas. I remember the Republicans and Democrats; I remember Triskelion promoting awareness of LGBT issues. I remember a speech by Meir Kahane, who actively preached the murder of Muslims in Israel, proclaiming “violence is not the road to peace, but it is the road to survival.” I remember a student-made and staffed shanty-town protesting Brandeis’ investment in South Africa during Apartheid, and the pride I felt when Brandeis wisely divested.

Today, that pride is gone as Brandeis has caved to religious intolerance masquerading as political correctness and uninvited a valuable voice in the discussion of religion in public life, Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

More here

Ayaan Hirsi Ali wrote: "When there is injustice, we need to speak out, not simply with condemnation, but with concrete actions.

One of the best places to do that is in our institutions of higher learning. We need to make our universities temples not of dogmatic orthodoxy, but of truly critical thinking, where all ideas are welcome and where civil debate is encouraged. I'm used to being shouted down on campuses, so I am grateful for the opportunity to address you today. I do not expect all of you to agree with me, but I very much appreciate your willingness to listen."

In an online petition, Brandeis senior Sarah Fahmy wrote that Hirsi Ali’s invitation to speak at the school and receive an honorary social justice degree was a “shock to the community due to her extreme Islamophobic beliefs.”

Fahmy said that Hirsi Ali’s selection represented a “blatant and callous disregard” not just of Muslim students “but any student who has experienced pure hate speech” and represented a “direct violation” of the school’s moral code, as well as “the rights” of Brandeis students.

Arjan Dirkse wrote:Eh, I agree. Hirsi Ali's breadth of scholarship wisdom exists solely of repeating "Islam is bad, mkay" wherever she goes. I am not saying she isn't brave, but Hirsi Ali is not worthy of getting a honorary degree from any university.

She is also horribly right wing. She belongs in the Wilders/UKIP/Vlaams Belang camp, the paranoid idiots who think Europe is quickly turning into " Eurabia". And she's married to Niall Ferguson. She is against immigration from Islamic countries, conveniently forgetting that she herself was allowed to immigrate into the Netherlands from an islamic country.

Arjan Dirkse wrote:Eh, I agree. Hirsi Ali's breadth of scholarship wisdom exists solely of repeating "Islam is bad, mkay" wherever she goes. I am not saying she isn't brave, but Hirsi Ali is not worthy of getting a honorary degree from any university.

Arjan Dirkse wrote:She is also horribly right wing. She belongs in the Wilders/UKIP/Vlaams Belang camp, the paranoid idiots who think Europe is quickly turning into " Eurabia". And she's married to Niall Ferguson. She is against immigration from Islamic countries, conveniently forgetting that she herself was allowed to immigrate into the Netherlands from an islamic country.

laklak wrote:Buncha pussies. I'd grant the degree and tell the extremists to go fuck themselves.

HomerJay wrote:

Arjan Dirkse wrote:Eh, I agree. Hirsi Ali's breadth of scholarship wisdom exists solely of repeating "Islam is bad, mkay" wherever she goes. I am not saying she isn't brave, but Hirsi Ali is not worthy of getting a honorary degree from any university.

But the honorary degree was supposed to be in recognition of her human rights work, not scholarship.

Arjan Dirkse wrote:She is also horribly right wing. She belongs in the Wilders/UKIP/Vlaams Belang camp, the paranoid idiots who think Europe is quickly turning into " Eurabia". And she's married to Niall Ferguson. She is against immigration from Islamic countries, conveniently forgetting that she herself was allowed to immigrate into the Netherlands from an islamic country.

The problem here is that some survivors of repressive regimes have opinions of those regimes that don't marry with a western strategic position vis a vis those cultures.

I don't see that as a reason to dismiss their suffering.

One result of this is that people like Ali find that they get more support from the right wing, hence the film (which Ali was involved with) on the other thread.

This is a failure of the liberal strategy that pushes people looking for support into the arms of the Right, then the liberals blame them, not just for their original response to their suffering but subsequently for accepting the patronage of the Right.

orpheus wrote:

HomerJay wrote:

Arjan Dirkse wrote:Eh, I agree. Hirsi Ali's breadth of scholarship wisdom exists solely of repeating "Islam is bad, mkay" wherever she goes. I am not saying she isn't brave, but Hirsi Ali is not worthy of getting a honorary degree from any university.

But the honorary degree was supposed to be in recognition of her human rights work, not scholarship.

Arjan Dirkse wrote:She is also horribly right wing. She belongs in the Wilders/UKIP/Vlaams Belang camp, the paranoid idiots who think Europe is quickly turning into " Eurabia". And she's married to Niall Ferguson. She is against immigration from Islamic countries, conveniently forgetting that she herself was allowed to immigrate into the Netherlands from an islamic country.

The problem here is that some survivors of repressive regimes have opinions of those regimes that don't marry with a western strategic position vis a vis those cultures.

I don't see that as a reason to dismiss their suffering.

One result of this is that people like Ali find that they get more support from the right wing, hence the film (which Ali was involved with) on the other thread.

This is a failure of the liberal strategy that pushes people looking for support into the arms of the Right, then the liberals blame them, not just for their original response to their suffering but subsequently for accepting the patronage of the Right.

That's a really interesting point.

Arjan Dirkse wrote:Hirsi Ali's breadth of scholarship wisdom exists solely of repeating "Islam is bad, mkay" wherever she goes.