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

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SHOHAM GEVA

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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.

