<p>I regret that this forum has veered into political debate, which is not what College Confidential is about. For anyone interested in pursuing the issue of honorary degrees from Brandeis to politically controversial persons, I’d suggest doing a search on Tony Kushner and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. </p>
<p>My reading indicates some differences between the two: Tony Kushner claims that his remarks about Israel were misrepresented and that he has always wanted the state of Israel to continue to exist. Ayaan Hirsi Ali has made it clear that her statement that Islam must be defeated applies to the entire religion, not just some practitioners of it. Readers of this forum can decide for themselves whether it is appropriate or constructive to use the term “whiners…whose politics are founded on victimhood” to characterize the Muslims at Brandeis who were offended by Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s position on their religion. </p>
<p>Perhaps it was because they learned from their previous experience that Brandeis decided not to go ahead with awarding a degree that offended members of their community. </p>