http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-ra-brandeis-muslim-students-nixed-ayaan-hirsi-ali-a-loss-for-them-20140411,0,7940815.story#axzz2ynATuqhlAnother spring, another college commencement speaker contoversy.
In 1990, students at Wellesley College objected to First Lady Barbara Bush, who they felt was not sufficiently feminist as she had dropped out of Smith College in 1944 to get married.
In 2006, Muslim students at Nova Southeastern University in Florida objected to author Salman Rushdie because they found parts of his novel “The Satanic Verses” offensive — never mind that he had been tormented for almost a decade by an edict from the religious leader of Iran calling for his execution.
In 2009, it was Notre Dame University that was unsuccessfully pressured to disinvite President Obama because of his stand on abortion and stem cell research.
This year, we have the unfortunate example of a university choosing not stand for freedom of expression, critical thinking and robust debate and instead folding under pressure.
Good going, Brandeis University. You’re setting a terrific example.
The “offending” speaker was Ayaan Hirsi Ali, 44, a feminist and outspoken critic of Islam who is affiliated with Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
After an outcry spearheaded by Muslim students unwilling to share their moment with someone whose views they consider offensive, Ali was disinvited to the May 18 ceremony.
“She is a compelling public figure and advocate for women’s rights,” the university said in a statement on its website. “And we respect and appreciate her work to protect and defend the rights of women and girls throughout the world. That said, we cannot overlook certain of her past statements that are inconsistent with Brandeis University’s core values. For all concerned, we regret that we were not aware of these statements earlier.”
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I think it's a total disgrace and disservice to academia to be listen to fundamentalist demands. And seriously, "core values"?. What a pathetic set of values this institution must have.
Topic: Muslim fundamentalists get their away again.