In late March, the University of North Carolina (UNC) and Duke University departments of Middle East and Islamic Studies co-sponsored a conference titled “Conflict over Gaza: People, Politics, and Possibilities.” The weekend-long gathering claimed to “shed much needed light on the current realities in the Gaza strip,” though it was wrought with Israel bashing and misinformation. Organizers neglected to invite a single mainstream pro-Israel group or speaker, demonstrating the extent to which the conference was held to disparage Israel rather than encourage productive dialogue and conversation.

In response to concerns raised by alarmed students and pro-Israel activists on campus prior to the conference, LDB sent a letter to the UNC Chancellor and Duke President. Based on past remarks and writings by numerous speakers invited to the conference, LDB alerted Duke and UNC to the “strong possibility that this conference will quickly degenerate into a forum dedicated to expressing anti-Semitic sentiment and anti-Zionist sentiment that will likely cross the line into anti-Semitism.”

LDB’s letter emphasized how “the First Amendment protects freedom of expression, allowing academics to fully voice their opinions – even those that are anti-Semitic and anti-Israel. We, therefore, are not suggesting that the event be cancelled, or that the speakers’ remarks be censored in any way.” However, LDB urged senior administrators from each university “to attend the conference to ensure that the conference remains a true academic conference rather than a forum for the spewing of anti-Semitic rhetoric. Furthermore, should the event take such a turn, we urge you on behalf of your respective universities to publicly acknowledge and condemn hateful statements that may be harmful and offensive to some of your students.”

Unfortunately, many of the conference speakers derogated the Jewish State in sessions that vilified its leaders and citizens. The Duke-UNC Consortium failed to provide its participants with what it originally promised—a nuanced and “deeper understanding of the context of these realities” and realistic “options that can better the lives of Gazans.” Other than perpetuating myths about Israel, the conference minimized Hamas’ role in perpetuating the crisis. A student attendee noted how Palestinian journalism and social activist Laila El-Haddad blamed Israel for stifling “development and prosperity while keeping Gaza on the brink of collapse.” The failure to acknowledge Hamas’ contribution to the crisis or condemn Hamas terror attacks against Israelis was devoid from El-Haddad’s presentation. Furthermore, panels and programs denied Israel’s right to exist, brandishing it a “settler-colonialist” entity while negating the enduring legacy of Jewish life in the region. Many of the films shown only presented the Palestinian perspective of Gaza, referring to Israel in terms of “occupation” and committing “crimes against humanity.” Furthermore, the conference program included researchers, advocates, and policy influencers who, despite being well-credentialed and experienced, share similar positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and therefore encumbered the potential for comprehensive, solution-oriented discussions on the issue. The North Carolina Hillel called out the implicit absence of multiple perspectives and missed “opportunity to convene a rich, educational forum that the UNC and Duke communities deserve.”

The Friday night performance by Palestinian rapper Tamer Nafar, who has previously rebuked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a fascist and the Israeli majority as racist, gave a very troubling performance. Ami Horowitz, an investigatory filmmaker, reported how this performer encouraged the audience to sing along to his “anti-Semitic song” while thinking about prominent anti-Jewish figures like Mel Gibson; after a few bars he lauded the crowd for looking “beautifully anti-Semitic.”

Weeks after this musical diatribe, UNC’s Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz acknowledged that members of the community are “heartbroken and deeply offended” by the “disturbing and hateful language” of the performance. His official statement continued with the following: “I stand steadfast against Anti-Semitism and hate in all its forms. The Carolina spirit is not about hateful language that divides us, but about civil discourse that advances ideas and knowledge. We must continue to aspire together to that ideal.” UNC Global—an institution that supports and facilitates UNC’s international priorities and engagement—echoed the Interim Chancellor’s statement by rejecting anti-Semitism and expressing regret for “any offense that the video and performance have had for members of the Jewish community.”

Despite the growing concerns raised over the March conference, Duke will be hosting Linda Sarsour on April 15^th for an event titled “Islam and Intersectionality.” Sarsour is a prominent Palestinian-American activist and co-chair of the Women’s March. She is an outspoken opponent of Israel and Zionism, on record for backing the BDS movement and a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and claiming that support for feminism and Zionism are incompatible. Her Duke speaking engagement, like the Gaza conference, is yet another case of how campus events related to Israel and identity have become a political hotbed that often fail to promote nuanced, inclusive dialogue.

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UPDATE: North Carolina Congressman George Holding (NC-2) has called for a federal probe into the “Conflict Over Gaza” conference organized by the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies. On April 15, Holding wrote a letter to Education Secretary Betsy Devos asking the department to investigate the “reports of severe anti-Israel bias and anti-Semitic rhetoric.” His letter calls for greater inquiry into the event program, specifically if the organizers invited “any mainstream pro-Israel groups or speakers to participate” and if presentations included “dialogue promoting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.” Holding expressed concern for the misuse of taxpayer dollars to fund an overtly biased gathering, and called on Devos to revoke the remainder of federal grant money awards to the Duke-UNC Consortium if the reports of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic bias are true.

Fallout from the conference continued when certain sponsors demanded a refund of their financial contribution to the event. Martin Brinkley, the dean of UNC’s law school which granted the event a $500, wrote to conference organizers that he was disappointed in their “breach of trust with innocent campus units who sought only to be good citizens and partners.” Dean Mike Smith from UNC’s School of Government echoed similar frustration. In a separate letter, he criticized student leaders for failing “to intervene and stop a performance that so obviously and painfully contravened campus norms and values.” Both deans not only asked for their schools to be refunded but also to be removed as co-sponsors of the conference. In response to these demands for recompensation, UNC Global stated that “the Center for Middle East and Islamic studies will return funds to any co-sponsors that request it, without relying on federal or state funds.”

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To read the Brandeis Center’s complete letter to the University of North Carolina and Duke University, see below:

 

March 22, 2019

VIA E-MAIL

Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
103 South Building, Campus Box 9100
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
chancellor@unc.edu

President Vincent E. Price
Duke University
207 Allen Building, Box 90001
Durham, NC 27708
president@duke.edu

 

RE:  Concern Over “Conflict Over Gaza” Conference Sponsored by UNC and Duke

 

Dear Chancellor Guskiewicz and President Price,

 

We write to you on behalf of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a national non-profit legal advocacy organization that works to combat anti-Semitism in higher education. We are concerned about an upcoming conference that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s (“UNC”) Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies is co-hosting together with the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies entitled, “Conflict Over Gaza: People, Politics and Possibilities.” The conference is scheduled to be held from March 22-24, 2019 at UNC. We fear, based on past statements made by several of the individuals invited to present at the conference, that the event will devolve from academic discourse on concrete issues into an anti-Semitic diatribe that seeks to delegitimize and demonize the State of Israel.

 

Our apprehension stems from past experience. In February, UNC invited Linda Sarsour, an anti-Israel activist, to give the keynote speech at UNC’s Minority Health Conference. Sarsour used this platform to promote the anti-Semitic and discriminatory Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement against only one country – Israel. Given the anti-Semitic and anti-Semitic-masked-as-anti-Israel rhetoric that some of the panelists and presenters at the upcoming conference have previously utilized, we are concerned that these speakers may similarly take advantage of this platform to promote such views.

 

For example, Palestinian author and lecturer Laila El-Haddad who is scheduled to give the welcoming remarks has tweeted remarks that demonize Israel such as, “…Israel is a terrorist state.” Ms. El-Haddad has even charged Israel with “equating [Palestinian] children with human cannon fodder” and with seeking the “extermination” of Palestinians. Another speaker, Harvard University professor Sara Roy, has compared Israeli policy to that of the Nazis, an anti-Semitic trope according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Definition of Anti-Semitism, the worldwide gold standard definition of anti-Semitism. Tamer Nafar, the conference’s scheduled musical performer, has been criticized for using lyrics that legitimize acts of terrorism. In one of his songs, “Who’s the Terrorist?,” Nafar says: “They call me a terrorist but I live in the country of my ancestors. Democracy? Why? It reminds me of the Nazis. You’ve raped the Arab soul, and it became pregnant, giving birth to a child called ‘terror attack’. And then you call us terrorists.”

 

It is for these reasons that there is a strong possibility that this conference will quickly degenerate into a forum dedicated to expressing anti-Semitic sentiment and anti-Zionist sentiment that will likely cross the line into anti-Semitism. We recognize that the First Amendment protects freedom of expression, allowing academics to fully voice their opinions – even those that are anti-Semitic and anti-Israel. We, therefore, are not suggesting that the event be cancelled, or that the speakers’ remarks be censored in any way. However, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs that receive federal funds. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that Title VI applies to discrimination on the basis of Jewish ethnicity or ancestry in guidance (see Kenneth L. Marcus, Dear Colleague Letter (Sep. 13, 2004)). Title VI requires universities to protect against a hostile environment.  Thus, should hateful speech occur at this conference, your universities must publicly condemn such speech, just as you would condemn bigoted speech that targets African American, Hispanic, or LGBTQ students, and evaluate potential follow-up actions to prevent the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish, Israeli and pro-Israel students.

 

Furthermore, it is important for your universities to recognize that Zionism is a key component of Jewish identity and the expression of the right to Jewish self-determination. Denying this right to self-determination (while promoting Palestinian self-determination) is anti-Semitic. The connection of the Jews to the Land of Israel pre-dates the modern state of Israel and dates back to the Patriarch Abraham who settled in the land. For over 2000 years Jews have “yearned for Zion.” No matter where Jews have lived, for centuries they have faced Zion (and Jerusalem) in prayer, and their prayers have included references to the “ingathering of the exiles” and the return of the Jews to Zion. Each year at the Passover Seder and at the end of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Jews around the world proclaim “Next Year in Jerusalem” as part of the service. Suggesting that this expression of faith and history is not legitimate or demonizing support for Jewish self-determination as colonialist, marginalizes and threatens pro-Israel, Zionist students on campus. The university has an obligation to protect its students from discrimination – and that includes the Zionist community whose support for Israel grows out of their ethnic and ancestral heritage and religious faith.

We urge you or senior administrators from your respective universities to attend the conference to ensure that the conference remains a true academic conference rather than a forum for the spewing of anti-Semitic rhetoric. Furthermore, should the event take such a turn, we urge you on behalf of your respective universities to publicly acknowledge and condemn hateful statements that may be harmful and offensive to some of your students.

 

We are available to share our expertise on these issues, and further discuss our recommendations with you, and can be reached by e-mail or by phone at (202) 559-9296.

Thank you in advance for your serious consideration of this matter.

 

Sincerely,

 

Alyza D. Lewin                                                                      Aviva Vogelstein
President                                                                               Director of Legal Initiatives
The Louis D. Brandeis Center                                               The Louis D. Brandeis Center
for Human Rights Under Law                                                  for Human Rights Under Law
alewin@brandeiscenter.com                                                  avogelst@brandeiscenter.com