Guest Column: Standing in the face of bigotry

We are outraged to learn that on April 6, Sana Javed, a leading activist, member of the Muslim Students' Association and a candidate with the Student Power Party, received a threatening e-mail from a classmate urging her to "withdraw from Middle Eastern Politics class" because of the role Javed played in helping to organize last month's Palestinian Solidarity Week. The e-mail stated that "if you don't withdraw, things could potentially get nasty" as the classmate is "loosing [sic] my ability to control myself in relations to you."

Far from being an isolated incident, the threat against Javed is the latest in a series of escalating attacks against the Muslim, Arab and pro-Palestine activist community at the university.

After speaking out about the plight of the Palestinian people, the MSA has been specifically targeted with verbal and written harassment. Their event fliers were torn down systematically only to be replaced with racist, hateful fliers depicting Muslims and the religion of Islam as inherently violent. Since then, the attacks against the pro-Palestine community have become more racist, violent and personal.

We view these attacks as part of a larger pattern of demonization of Arabs and Muslims across the country. Hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs have increased since Sept. 11, 2001, as they continue to be scapegoated in the so-called "war on terror." We must stand against this Islamophobic prejudice and anti-Arab scapegoating whenever it appears and defend those most impacted by the war abroad and at home.

In addition, the attack on the pro-Palestine community is a direct attack on academic freedom. We are taught in our classrooms that tolerance and respect of one another's political views are university ideals. The people responsible for these attacks have made it clear, however, that academic freedom does not count when it comes to standing with the people of Palestine. This selective enforcement clearly goes against the values that the university holds dear. We must emphasize that these racist intimidation tactics will not now or in the future hinder any organizing or educational efforts of the pro-Palestine community at the university. The history and the suffering of the Palestinian people has just as much right to be heard on this campus as that of other communities, especially when this side of the story is rarely heard on the campus.

We ask that the administration oppose such attacks and bigotry not solely through public statements but action against those individuals who find this type of intolerance acceptable. Because the university stands for freedom of expression without intimidation or harassment, we demand that the students who are responsible for such attacks be held accountable by the university administration and community.

Furthermore, in the name of anti-racism and academic freedom, we implore all pro-Israel student groups to condemn the hate-filled attacks directed at the Arab and Muslim community and their political beliefs.

Finally, we pledge our solidarity with the Arab and Muslim students who have refused to stand silent in the wake of this bigotry.

This letter was written by the International Socialist Organization, Organization of Arab Students, Asian American Student Union, Nyumburu Cultural Center, Students for a Democratic Society, Student Power Party, Muslim Students' Association, Black Student Union, Sikh Students Association, Muslim Women of Maryland, Feminism Without Borders, African Students Association and the Pride Alliance. They can be reached through graduate student Shane

Dillingham at asdillin@umd.edu.