4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 14, 2001 41P___.dL_ & &. ight Ntchluan aa tllj AIIV 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 daily. letters@umich.edu Palestine: Lessons from the Holocaust AMER G. ZAHR Tt E PROGRESSIVE PEN EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 GEOFFREY GAGNON Editor in Chief MICHAEL GRASS NICHOLAS WOOMER Editorial Page Editors Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily s editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily I sat and listened to Cor- nel West for over an hour in Rackham Auditorium on Monday night. I listened attentively. I took notes. And I thought. I saw my fellow students, for the most part, sitting in the auditorium, entranced, listening to arguably the most prominent African-American intellectual today. I heard him talk about genocidal mentality. I heard him say that it is the arbitrary use of power to murder another people. I heard him say that scapegoating the victim is a component of the genocidal mentality. I heard him say that we must have the courage to call into question all forms of genocidal mentality and practices. He said that we need to fight against all forms of apartheid. I heard him describe a term I had heard before: "Blues sensibility." This way of thinking accepts that the courage to fight for justice is against the grain; it is both invigorat- ing and unnerving. Cornel West was invited to speak by Hillel, the Jewish umbrella group on campus and the various other groups that are sponsoring the Holocaust Conference. I heard him say nothing about Israel. I stood and applauded for him when he was finished with his lecture and I felt revitalized by his words. He is an engaging figure. I applauded for him for a long time because I thought he deserved it. I quickly scampered to the front of the line at the microphone to ask a question. Somebody got there before I did. There were two microphones. I quickly calculated that I would be asking the fourth question. The sec- ond question that was asked came from a secu- lar American Jew who asked Dr. West how he should grapple with being a humanist alongside with being a member of a religious community that was committing numerous violations of civil rights against Palestinians. He got a long response, riddled with applause, but he didn't get an answer. The third question came from an American Jewish woman who asked Dr. West why he had not mentioned Israel and its gross violations of human rights in his descriptions of genocidal mentality. Dr..West told her that the Holocaust Conference would be a great oppor- tunity to explore these various viewpoints. She also got a long response, but once again, no answer. Then my turn came. I greeted Prof. West and thanked him for coming. I told him my name and that I was a Palestinian. I said that I was interested in his opinion in particular, and I proceeded to ask him how we could, in an aca- demic and intellectual environment, talk about so many forms of genocide and apartheid and neglect to talk about the Palestinians. I also asked him what he thought about Zionism, whether he was a Zionist and how we can view the lessons of the Holocaust in Palestine. I informed him that as a result of the creation of the state of Israel, there are today almost 6 mil- lion Palestinian refugees living without a home- land, routine house demolitions and a system of apartheid that relegates Palestinians to less than second-class citizens in their land. My questions were also, for the most part, dodged, although I did get him to say that unlike Garvey and King, he was not a Zionist. But of course, as he noted, it is only because he is not a nationalist of any kind and since Zionism is a form of nationalism, he couldn't subscribe. i was disappointed. I had almost wanted him to redeem himself. But he didn't. In fact, he talked just like a politician running for office, looking not to offend anyone. I can't understand any of this. How can we sit around like intelligent people and talk about the European Holocaust, East Timor, the Armenian genocide, Rwanda and other situa- tions, without ever bringing up one of the most horrendous cases of ethnic cleansing this centu- ry, namely the Palestinian tragedy of 1948 to the present. The lessons of the Holocaust are there. Eth- nic supremacy, scapegoating the victim and attempting to destroy a national identity are all bases of the Jewish state. At birth, citizens are pigeonholed according to ethnic backgrounds. Only Jews are able to obtain permits to buy land. Furthermore, only Jews are able to take advantage of Israel's right of return. Any Jew from anywhere in the world can return to Israel and immediately gain citizenship and govem- ment subsidized housing and employment. Palestinian refugees from all over the globe, who have been displaced for almost 53 years, are afforded no such rights. In the common political jargon, we have a name for this type of government: Apartheid. Apartheid is seen as a dirty word and right- fully so. But it is clearly applicable, especially when Israel, like many other states which the United States routinely condemns and sanc- tions, gives one ethnic group numerous civil privileges while battering the human rights of another. South Africa functioned in almost the same way, with the main difference being that South Africa was a minority-controlled apartheid, while Israel is a majority-controlled apartheid. And they still have the nerve and so does our government, to label themselves a "democracy." Let it be known that the Pales- tinians are acting no different than any other colonized people: They are rebelling against their oppressor. Palestinians are living under a brutal mili- tary occupation and just about every worldwide human rights organization has affirmed this fact. I have viewed this occupation up close, and I would not wish it upon my enemy. Pales- tinian suffering has its nuances, but it is defi- nitely not unique. Native Americans, African-Americans, Bosnian Muslims, Rwan- dans, Armenians, Kurds, East Timorese - shall I go on? - have all been treated in the same way. We have our Emmett Tills. We have our suffering. And it has been seen throughout modern times in Palestines all over the world. I am proud to be a Palestinian, and I am sad- dened as well when I realize that my land, a land that met and shaped so many cultures, is also the center of such affliction. It is the focus of both my digffity and my pain. Let the lessons we have learned from human tragedy through- out our history not be lost on Palestine. Amer G. Zahr's column runs every other Wednesday. Give him eedback at www.michigandaily.com/Jcrum or via e-mail at zahrag@umich.edu. Despite Tietz's claims, he doesn't compare to Franklin Roosevelt TO THE DAILY: I was horrified recently, seeing the ultra right-wing Republican Michigan Party's campaign sign for the first time - a sign with a large picture of Franklin Delano Roo- sevelt, the most formidable U.S. President ever and prominent Democrat with the slo- gan "A New Deal with Michigan." Students should not be fooled by the Michigan Party's deceptive and hypocritical propagan- da that hides its reactionary conservative agenda behind a picture of a compassionate and visionary Democrat such as FDR. Roosevelt championed workers' rights, women's rights, and the rights of minority groups in America. Observing the little work that Michigan Party-candidates Doug Tietz and Chip Englander have done on campus with their cohorts in the College Republicans and The Michigan Review, they represent the exact opposite politics and social vision of FDR. For example, Tietz was one of the three people on the assembly to not stand up for workers who make Michigan apparel in Mexico and were hit with hammers by their supervisors and brutally beaten by riot police. FDR, who signed the National Labor Relations Act into law in 1935 - the most important piece of modern legislation for workers' rights - would have been the first to stand up for these workers. While some believe that the Michigan Student Assembly should be apolitical - most of them are conservatives who oppose all efforts to support women's, minority, students', environmental and workers' rights - student government does play an impor- tant role in voicing students' interests on a range of key issues that are indeed political. - Issues such as women's health and access to contraception, the repressive Code of Student Conduct, the environment, affir- mative action and racial discrimination, meaningful employment for students and campus workers are all critically important to our enjoyment and enrichment at this uni- versity. These are not just abstract issues the assembly chooses to pontificate upon - these issues affect our lives and the assem- bly should represent our voices. Unfortunately, the Michigan Party lead- ers do not stand up for students on issues that matter to us. For example, Tietz, tried to prohibit any proceeds from the Vagina Monologues from going to Planned Parent- hood, an organization that provides repro- ductive health care services for millions of women nationwide. Tietz and his Republican friends using the name and picture of FDR without articu- L ,, 4M,«r , .., '''+ r "" fl ti . a G 4 %""wiw3 t 3 M)' 2 I"" i ".-" -v Racism in the firing of Brian Ellerbe? NAACP wrong on retaining Ellerbe To THE DAILY: Although I am black, fully supportive of the efforts of the Detroit NAACP and sympathetic to their concerns about cam- pus support for black coaches, I feel that the organization is mistaken in insisting upon the retention of basketball coach Brian Ellerbe ("Some call firing of coach racial discrimination," 3/12/01). Under Ellerbe, Michigan has experienced the worst four year stint of college basket- ball that we've seen in the past two or three decades. I attend a law school with numerous alumni who agree that the Uni- versity's basketball program has become an embarrassment to the school. This sit- uation becomes unbearable when Duke alums gloat in our faces on a daily basis. It's important to realize that there are many, not only qualified, but superb black college basketball coaches who would jump at the chance to coach at the University. Two of the top candidates, Mike Jarvis and Tommy Amaker, are prime examples. I will not be surprised if the next coach is an African-American. If this is this case, look for students and alumni to claim reverse racism. TREVOR GARDNER Alumnus Not all blacks agree with NAACP, BAA Fisher's. Unfortunately, in a wrong- headed and misplaced attempt for racial justice, the NAACP and the BAA are expending precious political capital on a situation that clearly does not call for it. Kevin Gaines, Jamal Crawford, disci- plinary problems and recruiting miscal- culations are indicative of either bad judgment on Ellerbe's part or a lack of team control and direction. It is also clear that Coach Ellerbe came into a tough situation and seems like decent man. But the University is a proud insti- tution that demands more than the social malcontents and disciplinary nightmares that have accompanied his tenure. I am saddened that race has become an issue. It saps the credibility of a fun- damentally important organization such as the NAACP. There are many more instances of racism in our society that demand attention than the baseless and unfounded charge of racism being lobbed at Athletic Director Bill Martin. I am also incensed that the BAA has chosen to speak for thousands of African-American grads, such as myself, who do not agree with them one iota. Ellerbe's dismissal does not seem at all relevant to race and the suggestion that there is a monolithic and united front of support for him based on skin color is insulting. Clearly, Ellerbe has taken the high road and not invoked such an inflammatory suggestion. Michigan is a place -that has fought for diversity at every level and I dare anyone to find a more progressive uni- versity in terms of race and fairness. As most University grads will tell you, there is no finer atmosphere for the collegiate 9 ,i 7 V . - :, -., : : x;;, 7= 77: M i. . . . . .. . .....