Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Tuesday, November 15, 2016
EMILY WOLFE | CONTACT EMILY AT ELWOLFE@UMICH.EDU
Human rights: not just an issue abroad
ADITHI REDDI | OP-ED
L
ook at the person sitting
next to you. Who are
they?
You
question
yourself: Are they different from
you because of some physicality,
some accent, or maybe they are
just like you
— human. That
person might not be treated with
the same respect and freedom as
you. The year of 2016 has seen its
fair share of human mistreatment
— not just physically, but even
verbally, considering our new
president, Donald Trump, set
his campaign platform on the
misrepresentation
of
various
minority groups. I can also say
this as a student at the University
of Michigan since I have seen the
racist statements made about the
Black and Muslim communities
on campus.
On Oct. 11, Kathryn Sikkink,
the Ryan family professor of
human rights policy at the
Harvard Kennedy School, spoke
at the University, discussing
the human rights retrogression
in
which
certain
areas
of
human
rights
violations
are
suffering
more
than
others.
Disappointingly,
Ms.
Sikkink
focused more on developing
countries such as Syria and
Rwanda,
whose
governments
commit human rights violations
than on developed countries that
commit such violations as well
— including the United States
and its lack of human sensitivity
or empathy, which I attribute
to post-9/11 paranoia. There is
not enough focus on developed
nations committing human rights
violations even though their
governments
blatantly
carry
them out.
The United States is not the
angelic nation of equal human
rights that it is made out to
be. If that were true, Amnesty
International would not have
urged President Obama to close
Guantanamo Bay or even stop
the arms supply to countries
committing the human rights
violations. One prisoner was
held at Gitmo for 14 years
without
coviction.
Further,
some claim these prisoners have
never been convicted because
Congress has prohibited the
White House from financing the
trials of these prisoners.
While
Obama
issued
an
executive order back in 2009
directing that the prison be
shut down within one year, the
question of when it will actually
close remains open. Though some
or many of these prisoners could
hold vital information about
terrorism, the torture they endure
can never be justified as humane.
In the initial chapters of “Human
Rights in World History,” Peter
Stearns
discusses
the
U.S.
intervention in the Middle East
after 9/11 and questions whether
the
interrogation
tactic
and
prisoner treatment of suspects
violates the Geneva Code. This
is one human physically and
emotionally attacking another
human to receive information.
Such coercion leads to torture
and therefore should never be
justified.
No matter what the suspected
human being has done, how
can you sit back in your chair
and not even question their
innocence? While the United
States continues to keep these
prisoners indefinitely — some of
whom might be innocent — in
what is considered the gutter of
all prisons, the U.S. government
continues to supply weapons
to the Egyptian, Israeli, Saudi
Arabian
and
other
Middle
Eastern governments.
In
another
Time
article,
Jared Malsin writes about how
the
Saudi
Arabian
military
coalition has killed an estimated
10,000 Yemenis since the start
of their intervention in Yemen
in March 2015 using the $20
billion arms deal they signed
with the United States the same
year. However, while the United
States is monetarily backing
countries with little regard for
human rights, the White House
administration
continues
to
state that they have had “serious
concerns about the conflict in
Yemen and how it has been
waged.” This shows that the
United States has also waged
this war simply by supplying the
weapons.
The focus of the American
government
and
military
cannot solely rely on extracting
information to make the world
a safer place. The government
cannot
strategize
how
to
achieve its stated goals without
considering how they treat the
human beings. As individuals
seek
to
educate
themselves
on current events, they must
not look at a problem as solely
happening in “another” part of
the world. People must remember
that the United States is a
problem in foreign relations and
the preservation of human rights,
as exemplified in our country’s
actions
surrounding
Gitmo.
People living in this country must
acknowledge its flaws.
So look back at that person
next to you. Have they been
denied basic human rights as a
direct or indirect result of the
United States’ actions? With
Donald Trump holding executive
decision, the person next to you
and many others like him or
her could possibly lose a chance
to use and vocalize their basic
rights when necessary. Hold
this country accountable for
selectively choosing who joins
the melting pot of the United
States and selectively choosing
who should receive what rights
and when. Every human right
should be a fixed one, not a
conditional one.
LAURA SCHINAGLE
Managing Editor
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
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SHOHAM GEVA
Editor in Chief
CLAIRE BRYAN
and REGAN DETWILER
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All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
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EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
We are not defeated
MELISSA STRAUSS | COLUMN
E
arly
last
Tuesday
morning, I woke up at the
crack of dawn, walked
the five minutes from my house
to Angell Elementary School
and eagerly hopped in line to
vote in my very first presidential
election. I was giddy at the
prospect of finally getting the
chance to not only
perform my civic duty,
but also to cast my vote
for the first female
presidential nominee
in our nation’s history.
Afterward, I displayed
my “I Voted” sticker
on my shirt with a
sense
of
immense
pride. I spent the rest
of the day a bundle
of
nervous
energy,
but unequivocally hopeful and
excited for my country’s future.
Later in the evening, as I
watched the numbers roll in
on CNN’s numerous screened
walls, my elation from earlier in
the day began to wane. As Wolf
Blitzer frantically flitted across
the room reporting Florida, Ohio,
Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin,
Pennsylvania and even New
Hampshire as too close to call, I
grew wary. As I saw the polling
data from The New York Times
and FiveThirtyEight slowly take
her chance of winning from
around 70 percent down to less
than 30 percent, I was overcome
with dread. And then they
called Florida. And Ohio. And
Pennsylvania. And Wisconsin.
And most likely, Michigan. All
in his favor. I felt a combination
of soul-crushing devastation and
paralyzing fear I never imagined
I would experience in my lifetime.
When my dad called me late
Tuesday night, I couldn’t hold
back my grief. I cried real, gut-
wrenching tears I didn’t know
I could muster in response to a
political election. He comforted
me, telling me again and again
that I would be fine, my family
would be fine. But I wasn’t crying
just for myself. Despite the fact
that I am a woman, I am a white,
educated, middle-class person
whose life will most likely not
significantly change in the next
four years.
But so many millions of people
in this country may not be fine.
I cried for the Muslims in this
country — built on freedom of
religion — who are terrified they
will be banned for their faith. I
cried for the immigrants who
helped build this country who
don’t know whether to pack their
bags now or hope they won’t be
deported. I cried for the LGBTQ
community
who
must
now
endure a vice president-elect
who has advocated for increased
funding to “institutions which
provide
assistance
to those seeking to
change their sexual
behavior,” otherwise
known as conversion
therapy, to cure their
supposed
moral
wrongs. I cried for
the women in this
country
—
myself
included — who have
been told that even if
you rise to the highest
ranks of your profession, you will
still be beaten out by a man with
fewer (or no) credentials for the
job. And I cried for the half of this
country that is so unhappy with
our system of government that
they felt the need to overhaul it
completely by voting for the new
president-elect.
And yet, I realize my empathy
is not enough. Writing this article
and speaking with my other
privileged friends is not enough.
Posting messages of solidarity
on Facebook and Twitter and
Instagram is not enough.
While it is true that we must
come to terms with a president-
elect many of us so vehemently
opposed, we do not have to
accept the bigotry, violence and
hatred that has erupted in the
wake of his victory. Things such
as “daily lynching calendars” at
the University of Pennsylvania,
swastika graffiti on numerous
storefronts nationwide and also
the Muslim student forced to
remove her hijab at the threat
of being set aflame on this
very campus are completely,
incontrovertibly
unacceptable.
We — especially those of us who
are privileged enough not to face
prejudice and intolerance on a
daily basis — must not fall silent.
We must join in the protests,
stand up as allies and hold each
other accountable for our actions.
Failing to act is an act in and of
itself. Complacency is acceptance.
Looking around campus on
Wednesday and speaking with
a number of students, I realize
many people share my pain.
This has been a difficult pill to
swallow for so many of us at
this university. Ninety percent
of
votes
from
student-heavy
precincts in Ann Arbor were
against the winning candidate.
But despite all of this, if we also
lose our faith in humanity, we
let them win all over again. The
messages chalked on Wednesday
throughout the Diag of “You
Belong Here,” “You Are Loved,”
“You Matter” and more reminded
me that there is still so much good
in this country. We must work
together to fix the major social,
economic and political problems
that led half of our country to vote
against the system. We must work
together to guarantee the safety
and freedoms of all Americans
—
white,
Black,
immigrant,
Christian, Muslim, Jewish, gay,
straight, trans, young, old and
every single person far and in
between — because these people
are the very foundation upon
which our nation stands.
It may seem like there is
nothing we can do now, but I
assure you this is far from the
truth. Action starts today. Tell
someone you love them. Take a
look around and find the beauty
in this world because there
is still so much of it. Stand up
for all of those facing growing
marginalization and suffering
from despicable acts of hatred
we have seen increase in the
past few days. Participate in
protests and sign petitions. Write
letters to your representatives.
Regardless of their side of the
aisle, remind them of your values,
your priorities and that they
represent you. Take action for
social change, whether that be
by donating to an organization,
joining a campaign, participating
in a movement or anything else
that drives a cause you care
about. Think critically about
blindly following party lines.
Though they seem a lifetime
away now, midterm elections take
place in two years. Think about
your personal values and how to
pick candidates — on either side
— that actually represent these
values. And finally, find your
passion and pursue it vigorously.
We all have so much to offer, and
together we can work for a better
tomorrow.
Today we are afraid. Today we
are hurt. But today and every day,
we are not defeated.
MELISSA
STRAUSS
Melissa Strauss can be reached at
melstrau@umich.edu.
Now is not the time for BDS
JESSE ARM | OP-ED
A
round this time a year
ago, the Daily, as well as
many other publications
throughout the country, covered
the
University
of
Michigan
Central Student Government’s
first-ever
Ethics
Committee
investigation. It was a probe to
determine if I, an elected member
of CSG at the time, was guilty of
committing an unprecedented
ethical violation because of my
public and civil condemnation
of an anti-Israel apartheid wall
erected on campus.
Eventually, I was vindicated
of any wrongdoing after a
long,
stressful
process
that
included numerous threats and
harassments by classmates and
online trolls that went on for
weeks after the investigation
ended.
Because
of
this
horrifically negative experience
and the unwanted attention paid
to me in both the CSG weekly
agenda and in The Michigan
Daily, I have refrained from
writing about my experience
or matters pertinent to this
subject. Today, I no longer feel I
can remain silent.
On the night of Tuesday, Nov.
15, CSG will vote on a measure
dealing
with
the
proposed
imposition
of
boycotts,
divestment
and
sanctions
against Israel, and Israel alone.
This legislation is being brought
forth by the same student
organization that led the failed
effort demanding my removal
from the assembly, Students
Allied for Freedom and Equality.
This political organization has
brought forth what I believe
to be immoral legislation. The
resolution is not an accurate
representation of the University
student population’s views on
human rights violations, but is
merely packaged and presented
as such. In reality, it is a position
offering only one narrative in
the incredibly complex Arab-
Israeli conflict, chock-full of
regressive solutions that will
only
impede
dialogue
and
aggravate tensions.
It has been a difficult few
weeks
and
months
leading
up to the proposition of this
boycott declaration. Following
the 2016 election cycle, there
has been a deplorable uptick in
Islamophobia,
anti-Semitism
and other hateful rhetoric that
brings toxicity to this campus and
across our nation. However, the
University’s student government
is attempting to place all the blame
for a continuing Israeli presence
in the West Bank on Israel,
without any acknowledgement of
Palestinian leadership’s rejection
of Israeli peace proposals. Had
they
been
considered,
these
proposals would have brought an
end to the alleged occupation on
at least three separate occasions
(1967, 2001 and 2007). For CSG
to impose a boycott on the nation
state of the Jewish people at this
juncture in history, without any
suggestion of boycotting those
who have rejected peace time and
again, is immoral and a targeted
attack on the Jewish people.
Israel holds a special place
in my heart as the ancestral
homeland of my long-displaced,
nomadic people. All Jews share
this historical connection to
the land of Israel. But even
if we set history and the
well-documented,
unbroken
3,000-year-old
Jewish
presence in the land of Israel
aside, Israel today is a beacon
of liberalism, freedom and
democracy.
Arab citizens in Israel, both
men and women, have rights
unparalleled to most places
in the world. They serve in
the national legislature, the
Supreme Court, in academia,
business,
medicine,
law
and in virtually every other
professional
sphere.
Israel’s
record on rights for women
and LGBTQ people is among
the most progressive in the
world. The nation’s ability
to
keep
civilian
casualties
low throughout its history,
despite wars with enemies
who
hide
their
soldiers
behind their citizenry, is also
unprecedented.
And
most
critically, any Arab or other
citizen of Israel is free to take
up any grievance he or she has
with his or her government
or larger society in the courts
or in the international media,
because the right to access
the courts and speech are
unabridged in Israel. These
are
liberties
that
not
as
widely held in the rest of the
Middle East and across much
of the world at large. When a
boycott movement is targeted
exclusively at the world’s sole
Jewish nation, a nation with an
incomparable commitment to
the protection of human rights,
one must consider the prospect
of bigotry at play.
Equally important, a boycott
of Israel would irrevocably
damage the lives of Palestinian
workers who rely on Israeli
firms for economic sustenance
(in the West Bank and in Israel
proper). It would damage the
lives of all citizens across the
globe who enjoy the benefits
of Israeli technological and
medical
innovation.
And
it
would damage the lives of
Muslims, Christians and Jews
who rely on the state of Israel
for
protection
from
radical
terrorist
groups
seeking
as
much bloodshed as possible.
Now is not the time to focus
our attention away from what
is happening on our campus,
in our country and in other
corners of the world where
real injustice, bigotry and even
genocide is occurring. Now is
not the time to overemphasize
flaws and promulgate lies about
the world’s sole Jewish nation.
Now is not the time to propel
a BDS movement endorsed
by
terrorist
sympathizers,
Holocaust deniers and noted
bigots like David Duke, former
Ku Klux Klan imperial wizard,
according to The Algemeiner
and
Israel
National
News,
respectively. Now is not the
time for capitulation to clear
double standards. Now is not
the time for further division
within our deeply fractured
nation and campus. Now is not
the time for BDS.
Jesse Arm is in an LSA junior.
Adithi Reddi is in an LSA junior.