UmmZakariya
15-03-2005, 10:57 AM
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Tide of extremism is rising against us, say Jewish students
By Sean O'Neill and Yaakov Lappin
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,175-1521684,00.html
IN HER native Israel, Channa Gerrard is on the political left and involves herself in peace campaigns. In London, where she came to study Arabic at the School of Oriental and African Studies, she believes that she is singled out as a Zionist extremist.
Ms Gerrard, 29, is one of a number of Israeli and Jewish students at the renowned college in Russell Square, Central London, who complain of being targeted by radical Muslim students in an increasingly isolating and intimidating atmosphere.
Concern about anti-Semitism at the school has led Hazel Blears, the Minister who is responsible for policing and community safety, to order her officials to prepare a report on events at SOAS. She told MPs that legislation banning religious hatred may be needed.
“If any of these incidents are breaches of the criminal law, then there is provision for religiously aggravated offences now in terms of the provisions that we brought in,” Ms Blears said.
For Ms Gerrard, action to combat the abuse cannot come soon enough. “This is not a good place to be a Jewish student, and especially not if you are Israeli as well,” she said. “It is getting out of hand. Consistently people just look at me as Jewish or Israeli. They don’t look at me as an individual. I am interested in a peaceful solution. I came here to study Arabic and have productive discussions with people of different views. It is very frustrating and unpleasant just to be seen as the enemy.”
The latest sign of increasing anti-Semitism at the college is the publication this week in SOAS Spirit, the student union magazine, of an article advocating suicide terrorism by Palestinians.
The article, written by Nasser Amin, argues that violence is the best hope of the Palestinian people, describes Israel as a Jewish colony and says that all Zionists must be exposed. “Those who benefit from the immoral actions of a colonial state in which they have chosen to reside cannot be considered as innocent,” the article reads.
All Israeli adults, it continues, are “personally complicit in the national wrongdoing” and jeopardise their children’s lives by choosing to live there.
Ms Gerrard said that she found the language of the article deeply offensive. “I love studying here,” she said, “but it has become quite stressful. There can be a very unpleasant atmosphere.”
SOAS, founded in 1916, prides itself on its academic reputation, its diverse student population and its vibrant political debate. But with world affairs dominated by events in the Middle East, college authorities are worried about bitter divisions in the student body. They have intervened twice in recent months to reverse student union decisions.
Earlier this month they overturned the election of Ken Livingstone as honorary president of the student union. The Mayor of London had been nominated at the height of the controversy over his remarks to a newspaper reporter who is Jewish. The meeting at which he was elected produced a heated argument about Middle East politics dominated by talk of Zionist conspiracies.
A Jordanian student, who did not wish to be named, said that the meeting angered him. “Why now, at a time when Mr Livingstone is controversial?” he asked. “It’s intimidating to the Jewish Society.”
Danny Stone, of the Union of Jewish Students, said: “SOAS has become a very uncomfortable place for Jewish students. ”
However, Peter Baron, the general manager of the student union, denied that anti-Semitism was a problem at SOAS.
“Our line on racism is very clear. If there were any incidents, we would report it directly to the school,” he said. “But I don’t think there is any evidence of anti-Semitism at SOAS. It was discussed at the union general meeting last week and agreed that there was no anti-Semitism.”
Tide of extremism is rising against us, say Jewish students
By Sean O'Neill and Yaakov Lappin
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,175-1521684,00.html
IN HER native Israel, Channa Gerrard is on the political left and involves herself in peace campaigns. In London, where she came to study Arabic at the School of Oriental and African Studies, she believes that she is singled out as a Zionist extremist.
Ms Gerrard, 29, is one of a number of Israeli and Jewish students at the renowned college in Russell Square, Central London, who complain of being targeted by radical Muslim students in an increasingly isolating and intimidating atmosphere.
Concern about anti-Semitism at the school has led Hazel Blears, the Minister who is responsible for policing and community safety, to order her officials to prepare a report on events at SOAS. She told MPs that legislation banning religious hatred may be needed.
“If any of these incidents are breaches of the criminal law, then there is provision for religiously aggravated offences now in terms of the provisions that we brought in,” Ms Blears said.
For Ms Gerrard, action to combat the abuse cannot come soon enough. “This is not a good place to be a Jewish student, and especially not if you are Israeli as well,” she said. “It is getting out of hand. Consistently people just look at me as Jewish or Israeli. They don’t look at me as an individual. I am interested in a peaceful solution. I came here to study Arabic and have productive discussions with people of different views. It is very frustrating and unpleasant just to be seen as the enemy.”
The latest sign of increasing anti-Semitism at the college is the publication this week in SOAS Spirit, the student union magazine, of an article advocating suicide terrorism by Palestinians.
The article, written by Nasser Amin, argues that violence is the best hope of the Palestinian people, describes Israel as a Jewish colony and says that all Zionists must be exposed. “Those who benefit from the immoral actions of a colonial state in which they have chosen to reside cannot be considered as innocent,” the article reads.
All Israeli adults, it continues, are “personally complicit in the national wrongdoing” and jeopardise their children’s lives by choosing to live there.
Ms Gerrard said that she found the language of the article deeply offensive. “I love studying here,” she said, “but it has become quite stressful. There can be a very unpleasant atmosphere.”
SOAS, founded in 1916, prides itself on its academic reputation, its diverse student population and its vibrant political debate. But with world affairs dominated by events in the Middle East, college authorities are worried about bitter divisions in the student body. They have intervened twice in recent months to reverse student union decisions.
Earlier this month they overturned the election of Ken Livingstone as honorary president of the student union. The Mayor of London had been nominated at the height of the controversy over his remarks to a newspaper reporter who is Jewish. The meeting at which he was elected produced a heated argument about Middle East politics dominated by talk of Zionist conspiracies.
A Jordanian student, who did not wish to be named, said that the meeting angered him. “Why now, at a time when Mr Livingstone is controversial?” he asked. “It’s intimidating to the Jewish Society.”
Danny Stone, of the Union of Jewish Students, said: “SOAS has become a very uncomfortable place for Jewish students. ”
However, Peter Baron, the general manager of the student union, denied that anti-Semitism was a problem at SOAS.
“Our line on racism is very clear. If there were any incidents, we would report it directly to the school,” he said. “But I don’t think there is any evidence of anti-Semitism at SOAS. It was discussed at the union general meeting last week and agreed that there was no anti-Semitism.”