Harvard faces protests over honour for Islamophobic editor

[Ken Burch]

Harvard academics and students are demanding that the university rescind a plan to honour the editor-in-chief of a leading Washington political magazine this week after he wrote that Muslims are unfit for the protections of the US constitution and said that "Muslim life is cheap".

Martin Peretz has partially apologised for the comments but critics say they are only the most recent of a long line of bigotted columns in the New Republic by the former Harvard professor that have drawn accusations of double standards in how the American media confronts prejudice.

Peretz caused a stir when he wrote in a column earlier this month that Muslims in the US should not be entitled to constitutional guarantees of free speech.

"Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims ... So, yes, I wonder whether I need honour these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse," he said.









http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/21/harvard-faces-revolt-martin-peretz

[Ken Burch]

1. From the link

"...some of Peretz's critics say he has a history of expressing views that would draw stinging criticism from the mainstream press if they were not about Muslims. In March, Peretz admitted to a prejudice against Arabs.

'Frankly, I couldn't quite imagine any venture requiring trust with Arabs turning out especially well. This is, you will say, my prejudice. But some prejudices are built on real facts, and history generally proves me right,' he wrote in the New Republic."

Peretz, who is a strident supporter of Israel, has said in conversation that he believes Palestinians are unfit to have their own country and suggested that Arabs are genetically violent.".

[Jefferson23]

2. What a disgrace, a half million dollar social studies chair named

after this slime. "But some prejudices are built on real facts, and history generally proves me right," he wrote in the New Republic."

Prejudices built on real facts?? Harvard should be ashamed to have anything to do with this schmuck.

[Ken Burch]

3. Sounds like he's getting in touch with his inner Nellie Forbush

He didn't QUITE say "It's born in me", but he got damn close.

[L.Torsalo]

4. Well, Mr. Peretz,

let's hope some Muslim doesn't draw the same conclusion about your cheap, little life. Loser with a Ph.D?