Friday, January 18, 2008
Arun Gandhi (see: Arun Gandhi: Disgrace of the Third Generation, Gandhi Updates and University of Rochester Distances Itself From Gandhi Statement) has offered to resign from his own institute. This, via email, is being circulated by the office of the President of the University of Rochester:
The Board of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence has received Mr. Arun Gandhi's offer of resignation as president of our organization. We take this very seriously and have begun appropriate deliberations. In accord with the Institute's mission – to educate for nonviolence and to inspire and support efforts that promote harmony in our communities – we believe that a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Gandhi is essential. We are scheduling a board meeting with him upon his return from India next week. Our intention is to review the facts and history, and to resolve this matter with all due speed.
Update: Of course, the board won't accept. What will happen is, he will come back from India, and a situation will be engineered whereby an acceptable statement will be made and subsequently accepted by a "respected group of Jewish leaders."
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham of the Newsweek/Washington Post site issued an apology this morning here: Gandhi Post Regrettable. Judea Pearl issued an important statement, here: Gandhi's Words an Insult to all Decent People:
...In his final moments Danny told his captors on camera: "My father is Jewish, My mother is Jewish, I am Jewish," and, as President Bush said in the White House last month: "These words have become a source of inspiration to Americans of all faiths."
My son Daniel died mighty proud of his Jewish identity. He, like the millions of decent and peace-seeking Israelis, and Americans who proudly carry on their Jewish heritage, did not see his identity as "dependent on violence" as the title of Gandhi's article implies.
Mr. Graham, the article your editors have allowed to be posted is a painful insult to everything Daniel stood for, to everything America stands for, and to every decent person inspired by Daniel's words.
Too many people were killed, abused or dispossessed in the past century by words of irresponsible authors, often disguised as scholars or humanitarians, who pointed fingers at, and blamed one segment of society for the ills and maladies in the world.
Arun Gandhi did just that...
Charles at LGF asks some important questions:
But why are the Washington Post and Newsweek escaping all responsibility? What happened to their much-vaunted editorial review processes? Didn’t anyone who read that disgusting article before publication see anything wrong with it? How could it be published in a section supposedly dedicated to “interfaith dialog?” And why have they allowed dozens—if not hundreds—of foul antisemitic comments to remain posted in the reader comments for Gandhi’s article?
And what does this say about their judgment in publishing numerous articles from smooth-talking Islamist apologists for jihad?
...go check out the comments on Pearl's note at the Wapo. Only six so far...two absolutely insane and four rabid antisemites. They'll never get it...
Sick but predictable.
Thanks for this important information. I wrote on this story and linked to yours. Keep up the excellent blogging!
It will be a crying shame if Arun Gandhi is forced to resign or is forced to recant his statements. Let there be a civil discourse on the different points of views. From the responses one can see that most of the Jewish community is acting irresponsibly. The typical slandering game is being perpetrated again. President Carter was hounded by the same very active and aggressive community for his criticism of the Israeli Government's policies. Meirshimer and Walt could not get their academic paper published in this "freedom of speech" country.
AIPAC is overplaying its hand.
You don't even know what AIPAC is. They have nothing to do with it.
"We have created a culture of violence (and Israel and the Jews are the prime instigators)" is pure antisemitism of longstanding, not criticism of Israel's policy.
Gurdip, Dhimmi Carter, our "smartest President", was unwilling to debate with attorney Alan Dershowitz at Brandeis.
Why would our "smartest President" be afraid to debate with someone with a position counter to Carters book?
If Carter is so knowledgeable, he would be able to handle Dershowitz.
AIPAC interferes with your goal to destroy Israel? Good for AIPAC.
Update: Of course, the board won't accept.
The "institute" consists solely of Arun Gandhi bragging about how famous his grandfather was. What would there possibly be left for him to "resign" from? As you say, the whole thing is a charade.
As for Gurdip Sethi, it seems to me that if it's acceptable for Arun Gandhi to accuse me of causing the world's violence, Jimmy Carter to accuse me of controlling the media and Mearshimer and Walt to accuse me of being part of a conspiracy that controls the US government, it's in my purview to call them a pack of self-promoting bigots.
Israel has continued the culture of violence and is currently the greatest perpetrator of racism on this planet.
As demonstrated in Gurdip Sethi's comment above, any resignation by Gandhi will only "demonstrate" the power of the Jewish or Israel Lobby. Gandhi will just be seen as a martyr, his downfall as proof of the power of the Jews to suppress dissent.
Here's an example of a fallacy that could get a boost from any "injustice" done to Gandhi: Sethi's contention that W&M couldn't get their paper published in the USA. As it happened, they wrote the article for the Atlantic Monthly, which later turned them down. After that, W&M didn't bother trying other US magazines or journals, preferring instead to publish in the London Review of Books. So...no other US publication turned W&M down. W&M simply didn't bother asking them. And W&M have had no trouble finding outlets in the USA for speeches, television appearances, and book signings.
No, leave Gandhi where he is. He'd get a lot more steam out of being a martyr than out of continuing to run a small think tank up in Rochester.
Why are you jews such evil people? So much hatred, racism and violence. And always looking backward.
Please tell me why do the Zionists deny the Armenian holocaust?
Why are Islamofascists such evil people? So much hatred, racism and violence. And always looking backward.
Please tell me why did Islamofascists commit the Armenian holocaust?
DEAR SIRS
IT IS WITH GREAT CONCERN THAT I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING ARUN GANDHI'S STANDING IN ROCHESTER AND THE NATION. MY CONCERN ARISES FROM THE APPARENT WILLINGNESS OF MANY TO SUMMARILY REJECT HIS RECENT STATEMENT AS RACIST WITHOUT MUCH EFFORT AT DIALOGUE.
IF SOMEONE QUESTIONS THE FACT THAT THE JEWISH PEOPLE ARE USING THE HOLOCAUST TOO FREQUENTLY, WHY IS THAT RACIST? IT SEEMS TO ME MOST PEOPLE REFER TO THAT TRAGEDY IN ORDER TO AVOID ITS REPETITION. THE ONLY TIME IN MY MEMORY WHERE THAT WAS AN EFFECTIVELY DONE WAS WHEN THE REMARKABLE ELIE WEISEL, REFERRING TO THE HOLOCAUST, PUBLICLY CASTIGATED BILL CLINTON FOR NOT STOPPING THE GENOCIDE IN THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA. SHORTLY THEREAFTER (BUT STILL FOUR YEARS TOO LATE) CLINTON SENT IN THE PLANES.
WHERE WERE THE SIMILAR VOICES OF DISSENT ABOUT RWANDA AND SOMALIA? WHERE WERE THEY WHEN ARIEL SHARON BUTCHERED PALESTINIAN INNOCENTS? WHERE ARE THEY NOW REGARDING DARFUR?
MY POINT IS THAT ONE INVOKES THE HOLOCAUST TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE. THAT HASN'T WORKED WELL. OVER REFERENCING IT CAN SEEM SELF SERVING AND THEREBY HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECT.
I THINK MR GANDHI BROUGHT UP A LEGITIMATE TOPIC FOR DISCUSSION
BERNARD MCCULLEN
December 28, 2004
We hate Jews and "No thanks We'd rather die"
Topics: International News
Like little tin soldiers marching lock-step with their Islamic brethren in Iran, Sri Lankan authorities have made it clear that they do want the aid that Israel has offered but have refused a 150 member Israeli aid delegation. The delegation was planning to assemble a medical facility comprised of specialist doctors, and to set up emergency, internal medicine and pediatric departments, as well as laboratory and X-ray facilities in the southern part of Sri Lanka. (cudos to Israpundit for the story)
This almost universal and consistant refusal by islamists to allow Israeli delegations to provide their people assistance while being completely willing to accept material goods tells us as much about their fear and ignorance as it does about their hatred of Jews. Money, goods, and indirect services from the Jews all seem acceptable to leaders and authorities in Islamic cultures, but not Jews themselves(the cynical side of me wonders if they'll simply accept the material goods but sell them for cash which would never find its way to the intended victims). They seem to fear that their populace might find out that Israelis are not the sub-humans that they, the Islamists, have portrayed them to be. Further, that the attitude of most non-Muslims throughout the world toward victims in times of need is to cast aside political differences and let people help people - an approach that seems impossible to accept in Islamic societies because their religion and politics are in fact one in the same. Their culture possesses an iron-clad ignorance of simple human kindness when it comes to their politically-clouded knowledge of human nature. This is magnified in the radical Islamist to a point beyond reason and sanity.
I read Arun Ghandi's statements. I let them linger within me for a few days, and then began the process of pondering and analyzing.
If people would just take the time to reflect on this issue on a larger scale, we would see that Arun Ghandi's statements were not intended to hurt, but to question, and incite; not anger, but thought. For that is what seperates us as humans from all other creations. Regrettably, with harm done unto his reputation, he accomplished his task. And I too will incite. I stand by Arun Ghandi's statements. Those who support his comments generally do not want to "destroy Isreal," and those who ludicrously say that it is so, talk out of ingorance. People would like to see Israel take responisibility for some of the violence that ravages "their area." As a dear Palestinian friend of mine once said, "They talk of the Holocaust! We are a Holocaust too. That is what we have been enduring with them for a-hundred years! I hate them, but I love them, because they are my brothers and sisters."
"I stand by Arun Ghandi's statements. Those who support his comments generally do not want to "destroy Isreal," and those who ludicrously say that it is so, talk out of ingorance."
Ridiculous and Ignorant? Like this example:
"As a dear Palestinian friend of mine once said, "They talk of the Holocaust! We are a Holocaust too. That is what we have been enduring with them for a-hundred years!" ?
aipac is a terrorist group
plo is a terrorist group
jews are stupid
muslims are stupid
let these fucks fight each other for a hundred years.. drain their energy
You were Chinese in your other comment. Is this what they teach at Michigan State?