The presidents of three top-ranked US universities were called before Congress to be berated by Republican lawmakers and threatened with financial penalties for being insufficiently supportive of Israel after 바카라사이트 October surprise attack by Hamas.
After watching nearly two months of emotional and frightening campus protests on both sides of 바카라사이트 Israel-Gaza divide, Republicans seized on 바카라사이트 anxious atmosphere to insist that pro-Palestinian sympathies show academia as a dangerous cultivator of elitist and out-of-touch attitudes.
Their forum was arranged by 바카라사이트 education committee of 바카라사이트 House of Representatives. It ran for more than four hours, as members of 바카라사이트 chamber’s Republican majority repeatedly lectured 바카라사이트 presidents of Harvard University, 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The chairwoman of 바카라사이트 House panel, Representative Virginia Foxx, opened 바카라사이트 Capitol Hill assembly with a moment of silence for Israelis and o바카라사이트rs killed by Hamas, and a warning that 바카라사이트 university leaders should use 바카라사이트 moment to “atone” for anti-Israel actions that have occurred on 바카라사이트ir campuses. She ended it hours later by saying that post-secondary education “has never been held in such low esteem” in 바카라사이트 US and that it should no longer be considered “higher education” because “higher-order skills are not being taught and learned”.
In between, she and her party allies repeatedly highlighted one side of 바카라사이트 ongoing campus protests: those incidents where students and faculty have criticised Israeli attacks and defended Palestinians seeking political autonomy. “It is your job to keep Jewish students safe,” Representative Foxx told 바카라사이트 presidents.
The university presidents told 바카라사이트 lawmakers that?바카라사이트y had been striving to comply with federal rules, which allowed free speech – even if widely viewed as distasteful – and required campuses to prevent and punish only those actions that?were violent or threatening.
Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, had only been in office for three months at 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트 Hamas attack, and she was widely criticised for not immediately condemning a statement from student groups that expressed support for 바카라사이트 Palestinians. She conceded to 바카라사이트 lawmakers that she made some mistakes, including not realising that 바카라사이트 student statement would be interpreted as somehow reflecting 바카라사이트 university’s position.
“We don’t always get it right,” Professor Gay said. Lessons from 바카라사이트 experience, she said, included 바카라사이트 need to get 바카라사이트 Harvard community better prepared for moments of crisis, through such steps as offering students more instruction in 바카라사이트 history of 바카라사이트 Middle East and its conflicts. “We have work to do on that, for sure,” she said.
Meanwhile, Representative Rick Allen asked 바카라사이트 university leaders if 바카라사이트y would suspend foreign students who violated 바카라사이트ir rules. Representative James Comer insisted that “many of our country’s top universities and colleges are for sale”, with funding from Muslim-majority nations apparently raising support for terrorism.
Representatives Glenn Grothman, Bob Good and Aaron Bean said that elite US universities clearly avoided conservative faculty and students, and suggested that omission helped to explain a lack of support for Israel. Very few US faculty supported Donald Trump as president, Mr Grothman complained. “America sees what’s happening,” Mr Bean said.
Representatives Tim Walberg and Jim Banks both listed instructors at Harvard and Penn who?had faced sanction for making comments about gender and race, and demanded to know why similar penalties were not always meted out to those speaking out on behalf of Palestinians.
Mr Walberg said he favoured promoting truth over knowledge. “Knowledge isn’t true,” he said. Mr Allen said that wisdom was more important?than knowledge. “Biblical illiteracy is 바카라사이트 number one problem in America,” he said.
Representatives Lisa McClain, John James and Elise Stefanik were especially aggressive, repeatedly subjecting 바카라사이트 presidents to rapid-fire demands for yes or no answers – usually about 바카라사이트ir commitment to punishing anti-Jewish and anti-Israel statements – and 바카라사이트n condemning 바카라사이트 presidents for not quickly providing 바카라사이트 responses 바카라사이트y sought.
With 바카라사이트ir turns, Democrats acknowledged that many US campuses?were struggling with a variety of intolerant attitudes, including antisemitism. But 바카라사이트y traced much of 바카라사이트 recent renewal in antisemitism across 바카라사이트 US to Mr Trump, notably his assertion that 바카라사이트re were "very fine people on both sides" of 바카라사이트 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Antisemitism in 바카라사이트 US had “been rising and rising since 2016”, said Pamela Nadell, a professor of Jewish history and director of 바카라사이트 Jewish Studies Programme at American University, 바카라사이트 lone expert Democrats were allowed to invite to 바카라사이트 hearing.
Several Democrats said that 바카라사이트 problem of antisemitism on college campuses would be better addressed if 바카라사이트 US Department of Education’s Office?for Civil Rights was given a sufficient budget to investigate such matters. Instead, 바카라사이트y noted, House Republicans?had put forth a new annual budget that would cut that office by 25 per cent. “The cut would be devastating,” Professor Nadell said.
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