Thursday, April 07, 2005
British professors propose a litmus test
Israeli academics who refuse to condemn their government's actions in the occupied territories risk a boycott by the UK's leading lecturers' union....
The union voted against an academic boycott policy two years ago, but campaigners believe the motions are more likely to be passed this year...
British universities will have to decide on their legal position should the boycott become widespread. No academic or institution has been charged with breaking anti-discriminatory laws for refusing to work with an Israeli.
In autumn 2003, Oxford University suspended Andrew Wilkie, a professor of pathology, for two months after he refused to accept an application from an Israeli student for a PhD because he had a "huge problem" with Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
Mona Baker caused an international row in 2002 when she sacked two Israeli academics from the board of a translation journal she edited, citing the boycott.
She was cleared of breaking any rules in an internal inquiry by her employer, the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.
Link, via Andrew.
The British professors do not impose their litmus test on non-Israelis who refuse to condemn the policies of the government of Israel (or any other government, for that matter). Any British professor -- indeed, any professor from any country in the world except Israel -- is outside the scope of the proposal by its terms. Only Israelis are subject to a political test.
If the Union were actually interested in establishing a political test for its speakers it would impose that test regardless of nationality. The Union's proposal is racist, rather than merely silly, because it imposes a political test only on Israelis.
That this proposal is racist is beyond dispute. Any professor who votes for this proposal is either anti-Semitic or so irretrievably mutton-headed that he or she should be removed from the academy as an embarrassment. There is no third possibility.
4 Comments:
By 
Solomon, at
Fri Apr 08, 11:21:00 AM:
I think you've gotten to the crux of it. The degree to which these "academics" are behaving like outright Stlinists is just surreal.
By Solomon, at
Fri Apr 08, 11:21:00 AM:
By Solomon, at
Fri Apr 08, 12:11:00 PM:
BTW, does Juan Cole know about this? I wonder what he thinks.
By 
, at
Sat Oct 08, 06:18:00 AM:
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