RADIO INTIFADA
Intifada=shaking off - oppression/silence
Voices from Kolkata to Casablanca
Voices of Struggle, Voices for Change
Freedom of Speech or Hate Speech
At The University of California
With Jess Ghannam
Wednesday, March 28, 2012, 2:30-3:00pm
KPFK/Pacifica Radio 90.7 fm, Los Angeles
Streaming at http://kpfk.org and available on audio archive for 90 days
Can We Speak Freely about the Middle East?
This week’s show will focus on the obstacles to free and frank discussion of Middle East issues in the United States and especially in California. In February, an extremist group going by the name of the AMCHA Initiative tried to prevent Israeli historian Ilan Pappé from speaking at CSU campuses because he presented a systematic and principled critique of Israel’s long-term policies. Fortunately, the President and Chancellors of the CSU system responded with a defense of academic freedom and Pappé’s talks went ahead. TODAY we turn to more recent events at the University of California and the controversy brewing over criticism of Israel and UC system President Mark Yudof’s response to it. The program will cover issues surrounding Yudof’s response letter to the protest held against the February 27 event at UC Davis, organized by Stand With Us, a right-wing pro-Israel organization. In particular, we address Yudof's apparent bias and failure to consider the climate of Islamophobia nationally and specific incidents in UC campuses, both of which directly affect Arab and Muslim students.
Guest: Jess Ghannam is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Global Health Sciences in the School of Medicine at University of California, San Fransisco. He is a founding member of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and a member of California Scholars for Academic Freedom.
Produced and Hosted by David Lloyd and Sejal Patel
of the
SWANA Collective, KPFK/Pacifica
(South and West Asia and North Africa)
