After a Stanford University resident assistant posted on his Facebook page that he would “physically fight Zionists on campus,” the predictable politically correct double standards began manifesting themselves.
Self-described Muslim and third-generation Palestinian refugee Hamzeh Daoud had also posted “And after I abolish your ass i’ll go ahead and work every day for the rest of my life to abolish your petty ass ethnosupremacist settler-colonial state” if ever someone informed him that Israel is a democracy.
Daoud eventually apologized, claiming it was never his intent to make anyone feel unsafe.
Because, you see, threats of actual physical violence don’t ever make people feel unsafe.
And then it started: Self-described Zionist Hannah Smith took to the Stanford Daily’s op-ed pages on Thursday to defend Daoud on just that point … and to call out the Stanford College Republicans instead:
The targeting of rising junior Hamzeh Daoud is emblematic of an ongoing pattern of the Stanford College Republicans’ (SCR) use of bullying and fearmongering tactics in lieu of engaging in intellectual debate. …
The SCR, upon seeing Hamzeh’s initial post threatening to “physically fight” Zionists on campus, didn’t recognize it as the impassioned hyperbole it was nor contact Hamzeh to debate this idea. Rather, SCR screenshotted the post (which Daoud quickly changed to “intellectually fight,” recognizing his own error within four hours of the initial post) and waited 24 hours to attack Hamzeh and post the uncontextualized picture with the original, now inaccurate, wording on Facebook.
Ah, so it was merely “impassioned hyperbole.” Did Daoud also edit his “abolish your ass” phrase — and within a “mere” four hours, too?
Others voiced support for the RA, including the campus Jewish Voice for Peace which sent emails with pro-Daoud talking points “for students seeking to deter administrators from expelling or firing [him.]” JVP president Emily Wilder said her group was joining with the Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine and the International Socialist Organization to get a petition going in support of Daoud.
MORE: R.A. threatens to ‘physically fight Zionists on campus’
The Stanford administration was tepid in its response with spokesman EJ Miranda noting Daoud “will receive fair and thoughtful consideration.”
“We also have an obligation to address the original communication and its effects,” Miranda told The Daily. “Our students must feel they are able to voice their own views on campus without fear of physical retaliation, and they also must feel physically safe in our student residences.”
Miranda did note the “seriousness” of Daoud’s language and said an apology to Jewish students would be made.
Well that’s nice. I guess.
At least someone in The Daily’s comment section asked the obvious: Think Stanford and various student groups would react like they did to Daoud’s situation if someone had written “I’m gonna physically fight African Americans on campus next year if someone comes at me with their [fill in the blank] bullshit”?
And the equally obvious answer is “of course not.” Just consider, for example, the recent tale of the Harvard employee who had asked the mother of a biracial child if she lived in “affordable” housing: After a paroxysm of outrage the employee is now on leave while Harvard and the local town are implementing bias training and diversity discussions, respectively.
Elsewhere, a 44-year-old photo of a Purdue professor in blackface led to a petition to get her fired. A Portland State student reporter who accurately quoted a Muslim student about shariah law was canned from his job. A student reporter at Rutgers got axed from his gig because he used the term “illegal alien.” Etc. etc.
This is because the progressive academic left loves the victim mentality, which means that even espousing threats of physical violence can be immediately forgiven if one has “victim” status. Daoud, a Palestinian, has to be “understood” in the context of Israel and its alleged “occupation” of “Palestinian” lands.
After all, so what if hate crimes against Jews continue to vastly outnumber those against Muslims or other religions. Jews just don’t seem to rank very high on the politically correct hierarchy. Maybe that’s because Israel, the actions of which American Jews (unfortunately) often bear the brunt, isn’t a victim … and doesn’t play one. Its people have survived against overwhelming odds since day one. How dare they!
Therefore, Jewish students at Stanford will get a mere apology from the administration, while any other actions will be nebulously “addressed.”
MORE: Ethnic studies dept. slams welcome of ‘Zionists’ to campus
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