MSA’s divisive arguments fail to meet academic standards

By Roee Ruttenberg

Walking down Bruin Walk recently, I was appalled by the Muslim
Students Association’s blatantly racist and anti-Semitic
presentation, self-titled “Zionism equals racism.” The
display was an insult to anyone with an ounce of integrity and
commitment to the real spirit of learning. Such a group merits no
platform for spouting its views, considering its academically
unfounded claims and divisively hateful rhetoric.

The MSA presented an extreme opinion, and one that is patently
outdated. Make no mistake ““ every individual or group is
entitled to its own thoughts.

But when the university lends its name to such fringe ideas,
validating them as legitimate opposition perspectives, the campus
becomes a bulletin board for the ludicrous instead of an arena of
academia. Not much separates the remarks on Bruin Walk from slogans
on bathroom stalls; each is divisive in origin and preposterous in
presentation.

It should be noted that most students at UCLA do not genuinely
understand the beauty behind Zionism, the ideology that represents
a beaten people’s optimistic aspiration for a Jewish
homeland. Only in 1948, after the world witnessed the shameless and
unimaginable possibilities of inhumanity, did the Jewish people
return to a home of their own.

The MSA’s claim that the Jewish homeland ““ the
modern-day state of Israel ““ ignores its non-Jewish citizens
and is therefore racist, is absurd. Clearly the ideal is that all
of Israel’s citizens would be treated equally, as promised in
the country’s Declaration of Independence. But to suggest
that the state is inherently racist simply because it is Jewish in
makeup is not only ludicrous but anti-Semitic. Israeli-Arab men and
women own land, vote in elections, hold seats in the parliament and
enjoy several other liberties guaranteed by the government.

Rather than acknowledging the progress of Arabs in Israeli
society, MSA radically dismisses the entire institution of a Jewish
state as “racist” and calls for its eradication. Even
the United Nations, which coined the phrase “Zionism equals
racism” in the 1970s, repealed its declaration after
realizing the fallacy in issuing such a blanket statement. Yet the
MSA persists, determined not to repair but to destroy.

In order to propagate its fundamentalist agenda, the MSA relies
on isolated, out-of-context quotations, an act perceived in
academia as equivalent to forgery. My fear is that most students
are unaware of the MSA’s inaccurate dissemination of
material.

Jews are aware of this, as are many in UCLA’s Arab
community who do not associate with the MSA, in part because of its
extremism. But another Bruin strolling through campus may see no
reason to question such rhetorical refuse. In my eyes, these
students present the greatest danger. While such material is passed
off as educational, they may accept even the most horrific
scenarios.

It is thus incumbent on every institution of higher learning to
defend these vulnerable students in their quest for education. Just
as the University of California Press has standards for its
publications, so too should the university’s student groups
meet a certain standard before being provided a microphone to
amplify unsubstantiated positions. Had the MSA been required to
adhere to these same academic standards, the recent campus
demonstration would have never taken place.

Along with the academic community, I would have welcomed a
discussion on current peace process negotiations in which both
sides would present viable, well-founded arguments.

Although similar programs such as the prominent East Coast Seeds
for Peace are readily available on other campuses, the MSA chooses
not to participate in such a forum. Instead, the group chooses to
be divisive in its actions and hateful in its words, promoting
violence and destruction rather than compromise and peace-making. I
recognize the legitimacy in the plight of the Palestinians. Yet the
MSA’s unfounded claims are a far cry from a respectable call
for justice, and an insult to the real, ongoing efforts of
Palestinians.

How, then, has the MSA been able to advance its anti-Jewish
agenda on a prestigious campus such as UCLA? Fifty years ago, after
it became taboo to proclaim, “I hate Jews,”
anti-Semites had to resort to other terms to express their
distaste. Attacking Zionism ““ a basic tenet associated with
the Jewish people ““ became a politically correct means to go
about doing so.

It should come as no surprise that on other California campuses,
MSA chapters have distributed passages from “The Protocols of
the Learned Elders of Zion,” a book dismissed in all academic
fields as offensive and racist in content, and an absolute
counterfeit.

The book bears no relevance to the ongoing Middle East
situation. Rather, it fuels hatred of Jews among anti-Semitic
organizations in America, such as the Ku Klux Klan.

The MSA’s current agenda should be recognized as identical
to that of any other racist group, and it should be dismissed in a
similar manner. It warrants no more of a voice than other hate
groups and would be filtered out if UCLA’s standards were
upheld.

As subjective as these standards may seem, they are an inherent
part of the academic environment. To illustrate, assume that an
English professor, in an effort to discuss anti-Semitism in
literature, assigned to his students excerpts from “The
Protocols.” Of course, he would be justified in assigning the
text.

But in such a hypothetical situation, he would also be obligated
to discuss the volume in its proper context. If he assigned the
work as an acceptable, non-fiction account, his credibility would
have to be questioned. In such a case, the university is exercising
its criteria for academic standards.

Why, then, is the same not true outside the classroom? Are
student groups absolved of the ethical obligations that guide the
rest of academia? Absolutely not. These same principles must thrive
even among the loudest of campus groups. Anything less is an utter
disgrace.

The MSA created a mockery of UCLA’s academic integrity.
And perhaps more students would raise an eyebrow if they realized
exactly what message the university was providing a platform for.
The MSA’s agenda goes beyond the exercise of civil liberties
and it is high time that the group is called on it. Note that the
same publisher that prints “The Protocols” ““
Noontide Press ““ also print a plethora of other racially
provocative works. They are never prefaced with disclaimers, but
rather praised as ultimate truths.

Some directly attack Zionism, such as “The Zionist Terror
Network: Background and Operations of the Jewish Defense League and
other Criminal Zionist Groups.” Others target other minority
groups, such as “My Awakening: A Path to Racial
Understanding” by David Duke, “Adolf Hitler: The
Unknown Artist” by Billy Price, “AIDS: The Unnecessary
Epidemic” by Stanley Monteith, and the infamous “Turner
Diaries” by William “Andrew MacDonald” Pierce,
the book that arguably inspired the Oklahoma City bombing.

Would the UCLA community welcome these agendas on our campus?
MSA’s recent display should be treated no differently
considering its noxious and intolerant content.