Friday, January 25, 2008
Thanks to Anti-Racist Blog for the pointer to this story at the Indian Muslims web site: Arun Gandhi's resignation from non-violence institute accepted
The resignation of Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, as president of the M.K. Gandhi Institute of Non-Violence he founded has been accepted following a furore over his critical remarks about Jews and Israel.
Arun Gandhi, 73, was in India when the controversy over his column in a Washington Post blog erupted.
What upset many Jew was his piece titled "Jewish identity can't depend on violence" Jan 7 on Post's blog, "On Faith".
He sent his resignation by email to Joel Seligman, president of the University of Rochester, which hosts the prestigious institute, in upstate New York. Seligman asked him to sort out the matter in person with the institute's board.
"I resigned to relieve pressure on the university and the institute. I met the institute's board Thursday on my return and they went by my decision," Gandhi told IANS.
He said the storm was mainly in the Jew-dominated Rochester community...
...Far away in Israel, The Jerusalem Post too took note of the controversy as "Gandhi's grandson blasts Israel, Jews".
Today, Gandhi feels sorry for the episode because he wanted people to see his opinion about the proliferation of violence in a better light. He is not apologetic about his apology on the blog, "which was not for the content".
"Now, my first task is to start the healing process in the Rochester community," he said. He lives in his house near the campus.
But he is not crestfallen that he has to leave the institution he set up 17 years ago to spread the Mahatma's message.
"I used to wonder whether the institute, which became dependent on me, will die with me. Now it is a test for the board and others whether they can run it," he said.
"In six months, this storm will blow over and I can get back to the institute, if necessary," he said.
He will continue as a panellist to write weekly on the Post blog and will continue to lecture in the US and elsewhere. His next book, he said, is on "my understanding of the Mahatma's non-violence".
We'll cut him some slack for the "Jew-dominated Rochester community" bit, since that's not a quote, but clearly the scion of the Mahatma ain't exactly feeling the error of his ways in any sincere manner. This man needs a crisis public image manager, stat. If he thinks this issue will be forgotten in six months' time, and worse, allows himself to be quoted saying so, he has another think coming, big time.
See also: Anti-Racist Blog, Democracy Project
Previous: Arun Gandhi: Disgrace of the Third Generation, Gandhi Updates, University of Rochester Distances Itself From Gandhi Statement and Breaking: Arun Gandhi Offers Resignation
Update: An emailer notes that a certain degree of skepticism may be in order. So far, this has only been reported by this one source (and echoed on a few others). Though it has been a major story in Rochester, no other media outlets have picked it up yet. Good point. We'll see soon, I'm sure.
Update 2: Washington Post confirms: Arun Gandhi Quits Peace Institute in Flap Over Blog Posting
Update 3: Confirmed at the University of Rochester site, with postings of the resignation, a statement from the board and a statement from the president of the university: Arun Gandhi Resigns from Board of Gandhi Institute
What I see is a fake apology, and a fake resignation, the logic of which reminds me of the "revolving door" policy of the Palestinian Authority a few years back. They would "capture" terrorists, seen to be putting them behind bars as they go through the front door only to be let out quietly through the back door a few days later. Only here Arun is leaving through the front door in the expectation of slinking back into "his" Institute six months from now. I'll bet it is all arranged and understood in an "gentlemen's agreement".
I wouldn't be surprised if he is formally on paid leave for six months...
Thanks for covering this story! Glad I could bring it to your attention.
Gentlemen's agreement, I don't think so. No, I don't think Gandhi will slink back. He won't have to go back. He's a star now.
Accepting the resignation was a genuine move, and it was a mistake. Gandhi appears to be taking the high road now, and I imagine that he'll be following W&M's footsteps on the lecture circuit. In his speeches he'll refer, in gentle words, to his having to leave Rochester. He'll play the martyr. At least, his audiences will see him as a martyr, and he won't dissuade them from that view. He'll play his grandfather...to the hilt. He's non-violent, don't you know.
And the fact that the name of the university president who accepted his resignation is Joel *Seligman*, a Jewish name, is the last nail in that coffin. This incident will be added to the litany of oppression by Jewish power against "those who dare to speak out."
Seligman made an error here, a colossal error. This incident would have genuinely blown over if Gandhi had stayed in his comfortable little perch, in his small and little-known think tank, in a school of solid by middling academic reputation (it's not Harvard), isolated in upstate New York. Now... well... you can guess what will happen. He'll probably double bill with Walt and Mearsheimer.
It's like waiting for the second shoe to drop. We'll be hearing about how the Jews and the Israel Lobby have long arms.
arun gandhi is a decent man.he meant no hurt to
any one.he pleaded for togetherness for fellow
arabs.i was in nazi extermination camp in upper
austria.i felt if i were a jew i would have resisted
in dignity.this i write having tasted kosher meal.
if jews are semite arabs as well are semites.
what we mean is we are all humans.
dr.kreisky,who was jew, lived fighting the
jews within austria and came back to
austria to lead the country for more than
ten years as chancellor. he was a great
human tried his best to bring peace and
understanding between arabs and jews.
i salute that great human,=taravadu taranga trust
for media monitoring=(tttmm) kulamarva balakrishna
I am not certain what the above means.
However, Gandhi's remarks on Jews are visious and bogoted.
Arun Gandhi may be a decent man by your lights, but he didn't do a decent thing.
It just goes to show that "decency" is no guarantee of wisdom.