Ahmadinejad and Desmond Tutu
Check out this excellent article: “Ahmadinejad's U.S. visit was a missed opportunity for us” by Joan Chittister at http://ncrcafe.org/node/1357.
I have to correct a detail in my previous blog post. Tutu’s address at Metropolitan State has not yet happened. The speech I quoted was given in Boston in 2002, on which basis St. Thomas banned him. The issue is the same: Tutu’s daring to criticize Israel’s human rights abuses brought him the charge of anti-Semitism.
Inappropriately, according to Jewish Voice for Peace. It reported on October 3 that “St Thomas Justice and Peace Studies program were thrilled when Bishop Tutu agreed to speak at the University" but administrators did a scientific survey of the Jews of Minneapolis, which included querying exactly one spokesperson for Minnesota's Jewish Community Relations Council and several rabbis who taught in a University program" and concluded that Tutu is bad for the Jews and should therefore be barred from campus.”
I add one more detail to maintain scrupulous accuracy. Careful readers will notice an inappropriate quotation mark in the paragraph above. It’s as I found it at http://www.alternet.org/audits/64314/?page=1 This and other sites indicate widespread criticism of St. Thomas’ move. They give me hope that Americans, including Jews, are moving beyond uncritical and unconditional support for the State of Israel. Soon the U.S. government must do the same.
I have to correct a detail in my previous blog post. Tutu’s address at Metropolitan State has not yet happened. The speech I quoted was given in Boston in 2002, on which basis St. Thomas banned him. The issue is the same: Tutu’s daring to criticize Israel’s human rights abuses brought him the charge of anti-Semitism.
Inappropriately, according to Jewish Voice for Peace. It reported on October 3 that “St Thomas Justice and Peace Studies program were thrilled when Bishop Tutu agreed to speak at the University" but administrators did a scientific survey of the Jews of Minneapolis, which included querying exactly one spokesperson for Minnesota's Jewish Community Relations Council and several rabbis who taught in a University program" and concluded that Tutu is bad for the Jews and should therefore be barred from campus.”
I add one more detail to maintain scrupulous accuracy. Careful readers will notice an inappropriate quotation mark in the paragraph above. It’s as I found it at http://www.alternet.org/audits/64314/?page=1 This and other sites indicate widespread criticism of St. Thomas’ move. They give me hope that Americans, including Jews, are moving beyond uncritical and unconditional support for the State of Israel. Soon the U.S. government must do the same.
Comments
Peace and Blessings!
I love your book and blog, and I have added it on my blogroll.