Have you ever heard of Fatima Mohammed? Perhaps you haven’t. But maybe you heard through the media that there was an alleged “hateful antisemitic” graduation speech delivered at City University of NY Law School a month ago? -- Heard about that?
[In delivering it orally I made sure with emphasis to make clear that I totally disagreed with the words “hateful, antisemitic” but written on the page it’s not obvious -= so I am MAKING it obvious!]
Well Ms. Mohammed was the CUNY Law School graduate selected by her fellow students to give the student speech. She has been viciously attacked for her speech --- received death threats --- and has temporarily gone into hiding with beefed up security protection.
No less a liberal publication than The Nation published a piece with the following title: “Does Fatima Mousa Mohammed Oppose Israel’s Very Existence? The CUNY Law grad’s much-discussed commencement speech was less a defense of Palestine than a prosecution of the Jewish state.” [available here]. This article does not identify ONE SENTENCE in the speech that is anti-semitic – it goes off on a bunch of tangents which the writer claims is evidence for anti-semitism. (The writer asserts that the call to boycott Israeli businesses is itself an exercise in anti-semitism!)
The Board of Trustees of the City University of NY issued a statement calling the speech “hate Speech.”
[Here is part of it: “The remarks by a student-selected speaker at the CUNY Law School graduation, unfortunately, fall into the category of hate speech as they were a public expression of hate toward people and communities based on their religion, race or political affiliation. The Board of Trustees of the City University of New York condemns such hate speech.” More details are here. My union, the Professional Staff Congress of CUNY (I am a retired member) to its credit called out the Board for its flagrant attempt to chill speech.]
The NY Post put a picture of Ms. Mohammed on its cover with the headline STARK RAVING GRAD. Liberal member of Congress Richie Torres joined right-wing extremist Ted Cruz in attacking Ms. Mohammed. [See for example: “Critics Erupt at CUNY Law Grad’s ‘Hate-Filled’ Anti-Israel Speech,” available here.]
My representative in Congress, Republican Mike Lawler (NY -17) called for cutting off federal aid to the City University of New York for “allowing” such a hateful speech.
[The next sentence was spoken with over-dramatic emphasis to make clear by disagreement with the words …]
WOW --- that speech must really have been absolutely awful. Maybe the speaker was chanting, “Jews will not replace us!” --- or maybe she was wearing a CAMP AUSHWITZ sweatshirt.
NO, wait --- those chants were by the white supremacists at Charlottesville in 2017 – you know, the folks Trump called “very fine people” ---- and the Camp Aushwitz shirt was worn by one of the so – called political prisoners arrested for going on a violent “tourist visit” to the Capitol on January 6, 2021 ---
[again, sarcasm in my voice might not come through on the printed page! --- remember there were Republicans who claimed that the January 6, 2021 insurrection “looked like” a peaceful touirist visit to the Capitol --- and I presume all the injured police officers strained their muscles helping tourists up and down the stairs!!!!]
So what did this horrible alleged antisemite say at the CUNY Law School graduation?
Well, I watched a video of it. She didn’t say one word of antisemitism. The closest the speaker came to what some folks would assert is antisemitism was condemning Israel for raining bombs on civilians and supporting lynch mobs.
[For a relatively balanced view of the issue see https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/nyregion/cuny-law-speech-mohammed.html]
Now I know there are some people [and here I’m being serious] --- perhaps a number who listened to my oral version --- who believe that ANY opposition to Israeli policy --- opposition to the very existence of Israel as a “Jewish State” --- is the SAME THING as being antisemitic. But I refuse to accept that. Yes, obviously there are antisemites who oppose the policy of the Israeli government --- but antisemitism and opposition to Israeli government policy are two different things. In fact, ironically, many antisemites are strong supporters of the Israeli government. One person who comes to mind is Donald Trump whose stereotypical views of Jews as money-grubbers is very well known.
I am a Jew and I am personally offended by the argument that any criticism of Israeli government policy is antisemitic. There actually is an effort underway to make it the official policy of the United states government to DEFINE antisemitism as activity in opposition to Israeli government policy.
In 2016, the US State Department defined antisemitism as “… a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews..” The State Department then goes on to say: “Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”
But in fact the State Department seems to want to have it both ways because later in the document we read examples of antisemitism including:
“Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor. …. Applying double standards by requiring of [Israel] a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation. … Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis….”
https://www.state.gov/defining-antisemitism/
I have real problems with these examples --- Claiming the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor does not stereotype Jews as Jews --- it is a particular interpretation of Israeli government policy. It is not a double-standard to insist that Israel live up to the UN Charter in its treatment of people in the occupied territories and in its support for illegal Jewish settlements there. Finally, attacking Israeli policy as akin to South African Apartheid and the mass killings and totalitarian suppression of human rights by the Nazis may be incorrect but it is hardly antisemitism.
Amnesty International issued a report in 2022 accusing Israel of treating occupied Palestinians as the South African Apartheid government treated the black majority. Details here. Now, if one disagrees with this conclusion, ARGUE against it. Name-calling by saying anyone who agrees is an antisemite (and Jews who agree are “self-hating Jews”) is not a way to argue.
Meanwhile, true antisemitism such as the murderous assault on a synagogue in Pittsburgh, poses a real danger to Jews and American society in general. I is a terrible disservice to the struggle against antisemitism to equate opposition to Israeli government policy with antisemitism. It’s a cheap political stunt --- unworthy of self-respecting American and Israeli Jews.
Michael Meeropol is professor emeritus of Economics at Western New England University. He is the author with Howard and Paul Sherman of the recently published second edition of Principles of Macroeconomics: Activist vs. Austerity Policies
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