Zionist Federal Labor MP Michael Danby believes that academia should not be a place for rigorous questions or dissent about the Middle East:
Prominent Jewish MP Michael Danby has accused two well-known academics of being one-sided over the Middle East conflict.
“I grieve for the state of Middle East studies in Australia,” Labor MP Michael Danby told parliament.
He accused Dr Andrew Vincent of Macquarie University’s School of North African and Middle East Studies of pushing a “bizarre conspiracy theory”.
And Dr Amin Saikal of the Australian National University’s Arab and Islamic Studies program, had unusual ideas about terrorism.
Mr Danby said the one-sided teaching could have bad long-term effects on Australian policy as graduates came into government.
He said public pressure had helped make the ABC’s coverage more balanced and the same pressure should be applied to universities.
Danby – a man with a history of trying to silence opposing views – disingenuously claims that “balance” in academia is sorely required. What he really wants, of course, is blindly pro-Western, pro-US and pro-Israel propaganda pumped into the classroom from dawn until dusk. Thankfully, many finer minds don’t share Danby’s ignorance of plurality. His concern for graduates is touching though his utopia, already occurring in the US, should be vigorously opposed.
The fact that Danby is Australia’s only leading Jewish parliamentarian is a damning indictment on the Jewish community itself.
Danby’d argument are of course baseless,
People form their oponions abtou politics, by an large, outside the classroom. Today’s youth are being highly proactive in seeking out information about world events and are not going to limit their imput to what they are fed at any University.
That is what Danby should really be concerned about.
Look closely at Danby and you can see the strings of AIJAC that operate his mouth. Shameful act. Goes into the parliament and then slanders academics in a blatant attempt to suppress opinion in our universities. He should be in the Knesset not the Australian parliament.
There I was, thinking that Andrew Vincent actually had a few intelligent things to say about this whole situation, in fact looking forward to seeing and hearing him on the tele, and now I find out that in fact he’s one of those tin foil hat conspiracy theorists types. Thanks for the enlightenment, Mr Danby.
Did anyone catch that lovely funny fellow Mark Steyn (Stein) on ABC 702am yesterday? The presenter Richard Glover laughed along with him as if they were old pals. Steyn launched into what I gather were his favourite topics with considerable enthusiasm. The Iraq war really isn’t going so badly, for example. I’ve realised that there really are a lot of laughs to be had by atttacking weak, embattled minorities. Like Muslims. As the ABC is big on balance these days, I look forward to hearing a Muslim humorist kicking the crap out of Jewish people on the radio soon – in a funny way of course.
What a disappointing throwback to Stalin-era antisemitism!! Everyone is entitled to ask questions and dissent on middle eastern politics except, er, er, er JEWS!
heard Doctor Rubenstein on the radio today vigorously lobbying against aljazeeras english language broadcast service which is mooted. One of his complaints was that they had failed to adequately investigate Hezballahs use of human shields. I had to laugh. But the pressure being put on all kinds of academics by government is no joke. Recently they have tried to bury a paper on the US free trade agreements (from ANU I think). Its a dangerous climate we live in now in more than one respect.
We do hear rather a lot of bleating about human shields from the Israelis and their cheer squads. Those damn civilians do get in the way of a good aerial bombing campaign – hang on, they’re human shields! I think the best, most literal example of human shields comes to us from the Israeli side. Does anyone remember that delightful strapping of Palestinians to the windshield of IDF vehicles in the Occupied territories – to stem the stone throwing? I don’t remember too many complaints about that, funnily enough. Except from the usual clique of whiny anti-Semites of course.
Suze
How many more than “one” respect? Two, three, elenty-four? Could you share with is what this “one’ is? And why is it dangerous? Then compare that to these respects of our dangerous climate that you are tracking.
Viva you knob, I’m not sure if you’ve been under a rock your entire life but Israeli opinion has dominated the entire debate for most of the engagement between palistinians and israelis.
You are absolutely right, dissent and questioning should be allowed, tell that to Danby and AIJAC who insist that nobody should listen to these questions and dissent because its just downright anti-semitic, which ofcourse is the morons way to dodge a question.
If its so anti-semitic viva, and your so against anti-semitism, how about you tackle the anti-semitic arguement and prove it wrong rather than whinging about it being anti-semitic.
None the less, in regards to Danby, he is a public servant and as such I think you should all follow AIJAC’s lead and exercise your freedom of speech, send good ol’ danby an email or 3, get your friends who care to do the same and let him know how disgraceful he is as a politician for a democratic society.
Suze – the FTA is a topic of interest to me. Do you have a reference to that paper at ANU or was it Prof Weiss at Sydney Uni?
Roonaldo – It was on ABC news on July 29th- Link here
No shelter for the Arab citizens of Israel.
Viva,
You have have often asked for an example of University academics beign censored with regards to Israel. Well, here is an extreme an example as you are ever likely to come across.
This is the kind fo news no doubt that Danby dreams about. Wha’s sfightens Danby is not that the subject is being discussed at all. Already, peopel are openly debating whether Zionism is on par with islamofascism.
I guess this makes me anti-Semitic for mentioning it right?
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1843543,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
Addamo
Really? I don;t recall ever asking for something like that. But as I have allegedly done so “often” perhaps you can post one of those requests to refresh my memory.
Viva,
right after you finally post an example of how me and addamo are holocaust deniers and anti-semites.