I made a few tweaks to President Obama's statement about Iran
NEW YORK CITY (BNO NEWS) -- "The [Israeli] government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the [Israeli] government to stop all violent and unjust actions against [the occupied Palestinian] people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.
As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The [Palestinian] people will ultimately judge the actions of [the Israeli] government. If the [Israeli] government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of [the Palestinian] people and govern through consent, not coercion.
Martin Luther King once said - “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the [Palestinian] peoples’ belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness."
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Letter to the Pitt News
The Pitt News published this letter to the editor responding to this article. Here is my unedited letter as I sent it to them:
To the Pitt News,
I look forward to visiting the University of Pittsburgh next month to speak with students about the situation in Palestine/Israel, and in particular, paths to a future of justice, equality, peace, and freedom from any form of discrimination or violence for all the people who inhabit that land.
Your article on the Student Government Board (SGB) funding hearing for my visit quoted Becca Lehner of the group Panthers for Israel saying about me: "We feel like he will not bring a message of peace to the campus" and that on my previous visit "we feel that Abunimah personally affected students in a negative way." Another student, Aliyah Furman was concerned that I "would promote anti-Jewish views" and that my visit might cause "anti-Semitism." (The Pitt News, SGB grants funding for pro-Palestinian speaker, 18 February 2009)
I am grateful the SGB was not swayed by these inflammatory statements. I find it deeply troubling that some zealous advocates for Israel continually throw around such accusations in wanton attempts to silence much-needed critical discussion about the situation in the Middle East. I am proud of my long record of speaking out against all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism.
Four years ago, I was honored to visit both Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the University of Pittsburgh. The "controversy" was caused not by anything I said, but by similar efforts before my visit to de-fund the CMU event.
At CMU a minority of students continually disrupted my speech, and when I invited them to take the podium and to address the audience with their concerns, they simply walked out. This leads me to believe they were not so much interested in being heard, but in preventing me from exercising my right to speak. I faced what The Tartan, CMU's campus newspaper, called "organized harassment from hecklers."
The vast majority of students on both campuses received me with hospitality, and the disruptions did not prevent us from having an open and respectful dialogue. It is for such discussion, and no other purpose, that I return. And if such discussions cannot happen at a university then there is no place in our society where they can.
To the Pitt News,
I look forward to visiting the University of Pittsburgh next month to speak with students about the situation in Palestine/Israel, and in particular, paths to a future of justice, equality, peace, and freedom from any form of discrimination or violence for all the people who inhabit that land.
Your article on the Student Government Board (SGB) funding hearing for my visit quoted Becca Lehner of the group Panthers for Israel saying about me: "We feel like he will not bring a message of peace to the campus" and that on my previous visit "we feel that Abunimah personally affected students in a negative way." Another student, Aliyah Furman was concerned that I "would promote anti-Jewish views" and that my visit might cause "anti-Semitism." (The Pitt News, SGB grants funding for pro-Palestinian speaker, 18 February 2009)
I am grateful the SGB was not swayed by these inflammatory statements. I find it deeply troubling that some zealous advocates for Israel continually throw around such accusations in wanton attempts to silence much-needed critical discussion about the situation in the Middle East. I am proud of my long record of speaking out against all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism.
Four years ago, I was honored to visit both Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the University of Pittsburgh. The "controversy" was caused not by anything I said, but by similar efforts before my visit to de-fund the CMU event.
At CMU a minority of students continually disrupted my speech, and when I invited them to take the podium and to address the audience with their concerns, they simply walked out. This leads me to believe they were not so much interested in being heard, but in preventing me from exercising my right to speak. I faced what The Tartan, CMU's campus newspaper, called "organized harassment from hecklers."
The vast majority of students on both campuses received me with hospitality, and the disruptions did not prevent us from having an open and respectful dialogue. It is for such discussion, and no other purpose, that I return. And if such discussions cannot happen at a university then there is no place in our society where they can.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
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