Friday, February 4, 2005
LGF points to this video at StandWithUs.com of Amir-Abdel Malik-Ali. Ali was a speaker invited, according to Mere Rhetoric, to an event sponsored by the Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine to their event in response to "a somber memorial for the victims of terrorism" held a few days previous. (See Mere Rhetoric for some pictures.)
Video must be seen to be believed. Remember this was at a Muslim-student sponsored event in response to one in memory of the victims of terror at a public university.
I think it's fair to wonder if a speaker like this reflects the opinions of anyone at the ISB as well.
One of the human details I've noticed after a couple of years of Israel advocacy is that the hardcore Israel-haters are often palpably stupid. I'm not talking here about moral idiocy or ignorance of history. I mean these people are often of a lower stratum of intelligence. This accords with one of the basic premises I've adopted since 9/11: that utopianism is a quick-fix mindset to which the superstitious and stupid are prone; and Jew-hatred is a hallmark of (at least modern) utopianism.
One of the basic ways in which this stupidity manifests itself is in a chronic inability to spell "Israel" in written media. There are principled anti-Zionists, and there are "Isreal"-haters. Notice how Malik Ali, so tangibly dumb in his oration, actually says "Isreal" repeatedly. I must say this is the first time I've seen it carry over from writing into speech.