Amateur Hour at Brandeis

gardenelf
Tue, 29 Apr 2014 14:56:07 +0000

The Brandeis administration demonstrated poor judgment and/or lack of due diligence in this incident. But it is an overreach to conclude that Brandeis has “no interest in diversity of opinion or thought”. Ayaan Hirsi Ali has condemned Islam as an inherently violent religion “a destructive, nihilistic cult of death”. She has stated that Islam must be defeated - not just radical Islam, but “Islam, period.” She would herself be likely to acknowledge that her views on Islam are extreme. Muslims at Brandeis were deeply offended by her blanket characterization of their religion, and others viewed it as negative stereotyping, likening it to anti-Semitism. To dismiss those who objected to the honorary degree by labeling them as “whiners” and “the usual politically-correct suspects” demeans their viewpoints. Doesn’t such name-calling demonstrate the very intolerance to diverse opinions that @AsleepAtTheWheel deplores?

Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s views on Islam certainly merit open discussion. But that’s not what an honorary degree is about. A college commencement is a coming together of a university community to honor its graduates, an event at which all members of the community should feel respected and safe. The Brandeis administration made the only response they could to a situation they shouldn’t have gotten into in the first place.