Dear President George,
I must say I am deeply disappointed in McMaster's actions regarding "Israeli
Apartheid Week". Where, if not at a University must students be permitted to
explore the urgent issues of our day - freely and honestly?
Disallowing the "placement" of an "inflammatory" banner using the words
"Israeli apartheid" is disingenuous. Diplomacy aside, what is really happening
here is that supporters of Israeli Apartheid at McMaster are trying to prevent
members of the University community from learning the truth about the on-going
everyday oppression and brutalization of the Palestinian people. I could point
out legal opinions and charter issues relating to this debacle and
confirmations from Nelson Mandella and Desmond Tutu regarding Israeli Apartheid
but others have already done that. We are very aware of your involvement with
the racist illegal organization the Jewish National Fund
http://www.mcmaster.ca/pres/negevdinner.htm ,
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-2500957394773313398 and so your actions
are not unexpected. I'm not going to try to convince you of the validity of
McMaster students' concerns. You've already "chosen sides". What I am going to
do is to remind you of the
students' charter rights for freedom of assembly and freedom of expression and
of the fundamental need for academic freedom in Canada. As President of
McMaster University it is your responsibility to uphold these rights.
Mrs. Busch-Vishniac, please don't send me a form letter. I have taken the
time to raise specific concerns, please respond to my specific concerns. It is
sadly hypocritical that on your McMaster webpage you state, "as the Provost and
Vice-President [Academic] I was attracted to McMaster for three reasons [...one
being] although I have spent my entire life until now as a resident of the
U.S.A., I am discouraged by the recent restrictions of academic freedom in the
U.S.. By contrast, Canadian universities including McMaster, remain true to the
concepts of intellectual integrity and academic freedom."
<http://www.mcmaster.ca/vpacademic/bioprovost.html>. I ask you in your capacity
as McMaster Provost to explore your own unspoken personal biases and to set
them aside to reclaim these principles of intellectual integrity and academic
freedom.
I would like to know, if the students invited President Jimmy Carter to speak
at McMaster would you ban him too? Have you removed his book, "Peace Not
Apartheid" from the McMaster bookstore and library?
The oppression of McMaster students in this case has seriously affected my and
others' long held respect for McMaster University.
In order to rectify this injustice I strongly recommend that McMaster host a
forum to debate academic freedom at McMaster.
I look forward to your reply.
Susan Howard-Azzeh
Chair, Niagara Palestinian Association
Moderator, Niagara Coalitioin for Peace
Suite 112, 111 Fourth Ave., Ridley Square,
St. Catharines, Ontario
L2S 3P5
1919 majority decision written by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr: "there must be
"clear and present danger" such as "falsely shouting fire in a crowded theatre
and causing a panic" in order to limit freedom of speech."
1969 case (Brandenburg v. Ohio) the phrase "imminent lawless action" became
the touchstone regarding limitations to free speech in the USA.
==========================================================================================
Ralph Nader's dad to Ralph when he was 10 years old: "So what did you learn
in school today? To believe or to think?"
---------------------------------
Instant message from any web browser! Try the new Yahoo! Canada Messenger for
the Web BETA
