Anti Semitic Cartoon Distributed on Campus

To the Editor:
On Wednesday April 30 2008, David Horowitz, a controversial speaker, came to UWM to discuss a highly politically charged topic. We, as members of the Jewish community in Milwaukee, understand the sensitivity of this type of speech. Jewish student groups were not involved in the organization or promotion of the event.

However, even though a non-Jewish student group organized the event, opposing students distributed anti-Jewish cartoons filled with libel and hate speech. The cartoon portrayed David Horowitz in traditional anti-Semitic cartoon, identical to the types of stereotypes used in Nazi Germany and throughout the Middle East today. Along with the stereotypical hooked-nose Jew portrayal, he is also displayed in what can only be described as a Nazi-style uniform with the swastika arm-badge replaced with an “H”. While the rest of the comic is not in good taste, it does not represent more hate speech; we are not at issue with political satirical cartoons, but only those that target Jews in historical Anti-Jewish propaganda. The rest of the flier is a three-paragraph slander of an assortment of libelous charges as well as ethnically infused subtleties that compare David Horowitz to a Nazi.

Libel is not protected speech, nor is hate speech saying that someone supports “PROMOTES CONTINUED ETHNIC CLEANSING AND GENOCIDE.” Unfortunately to an uninformed mind, this type of illegal slander can have lasting repercussions to the reputation of those it targets, and those who are associated with it. When it comes to Libel suits and claims, the truth is the only way to defeat it, and sometimes that is not enough. Fortunately, Mr. Horowitz had a chance to respond to one of the claims in the flier. An African American Student became very upset during the Q&A portion of Mr. Horowitz’s appearance and brought up a claim from the flier that reportedly quotes him saying, “African Americans should be ‘grateful’ for their ancestors having been kidnapped and enslaved.” To this he responded that slavery is a travesty against humanity. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done and the student angrily left.

Hatred is wrong. Even though there are disagreements about policy and controversy about personal politics, it does not give anyone the right to engage in illegal slander and hate speech directed at entire groups of people only because of race, creed, color or ethnicity. This time, the target was Jews, but if we let this type of hatred go unchecked who could be next? It could be anyone.

Respectfully,
Concerned members of the Jewish Student Organization at UWM

Dear UWM Post Editor:
I am a full-time student and a Muslim here at UWM, currently majoring in International Studies -- International Politics and American Foreign Policy. I am also a six-year veteran of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and am doing six more in the US Army Reserve. I have been exposed to both sides of the struggle of a Muslim living in America. Being born here, and not in Pakistan (where my parents are from) I was raised in a society where you experience many freedoms; we, as Americans, often take these rights for granted. That is one of the reasons I am a proud member of the United States Military.

As most of the student body knows, there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding the event hosted by the Conservative Union at UWM. David Horowitz, who I had the privilege of having dinner with (as well as with members of the Conservative Union) I learned is not the evil, hateful person everyone says he is. I found him to be very passionate about the rights of all people, regardless of their background or political affiliation. They say he spreads a false message that all Muslims are terrorists and that Radical Islam is the primary enemy of the world. This is a clear fabrication of the facts. He does NOT believe that all Muslims are terrorists; however he does believe that there are many who use the faith (Islam) to spread their own ideology of fear and terror all across the world. He does, however, believe that Radical Islam (the fundamentalist ideology of hatred and violence) is a big threat to the safety and security of mankind. I would have to agree with him.

I have been labeled as “ignorant” and an Islam basher by members of the Muslim Student Association. They question my service in the U.S. Military because it’s un-Islamic to serve for the “infidels” and spread the anti-Islamic sentiment all over the Middle East and Muslim lands. It appears to me that the President of MSA at UWM, Mohammed Al-Syed, is a controversial leader due to his distribution of anti-Semitic literature portraying David Horowitz as a Nazi. The flyers were littered all over campus and they were actually handing them out around campus last night. I was questioned by him, as I was walking by, and he asked, “Raja, don’t tell me you support this event?” I gathered from his question, that as a Muslim I am obligated to support their cause even if I personally disagree with their tactics or their backwards ideology. In my opinion, the MSA is oppressive to the rights and freedoms we as Americans enjoy in this country. They don’t have any respect for democratic freedoms and they themselves don’t follow the democratic process when it comes to their E-Board elections since they are controlled by the Islamic Society of Milwaukee.

In conclusion, Mr. Editor, I would rather be called “ignorant” and be labeled as a traitor than personally be misguided by a backwards, anti-Semitic, and hateful organization, the MSA at UWM. I can’t believe that they would take such drastic steps and basically perpetuate an anti-Semitic campaign of propaganda and not denounce terrorism.

Sincerely,
Raja M.I. Khan
Freshman, UWM

Chancellor Santiago

Last Monday night I attended a focus group at the Union regarding the UWM Master Plan. One of the discussions centered on what is “lacking” in the UWM experience. Since then, I have given the matter a great deal of thought and believe that, because of my rather unique perspective, I can offer a valuable opinion.

First of all, I am a graduate of UWM (Geological Sciences), an adjacent property owner, and an investor in a biomedical start-up that has resulted from research by UW-Milwaukee and UW-Madison faculty. Therefore, I have been interested and involved in the University since graduation. As such, I would expect to be the kind of person to whom the University would look for support in the community. Recently, I have made at least a half dozen attempts to speak with Chancellor Carlos Santiago concerning a UWM land sale adjacent to my house (UWM recently sold a portion of its “over compressed” campus) and I was rudely rebuffed. I was finally told by the Chancellor’s Communication Director that Chancellor Santiago would not speak to me because “he doesn’t have to.” There has always been a tension between “town and gown”; however, successful universities respect and embrace the community that surrounds them. What I have found lacking in UWM is any interest, concern or respect shown to me, a member of the community, from the administration.

I am a community investor in a UWM related biotech start-up. My father and I combined have a significant (six figure) stake in Quincy Biomedical which has recently begun manufacturing a dietary supplement known as Prevagen. Derived from a protein found and isolated in jellyfish (and now artificially synthesized), Prevagen promotes brain cell longevity through a process that better adheres calcium to the individual cells. Prevagen is the direct result of the collaboration of two researchers from the UWM Psychology Department and UW-Madison. The potential benefits to the possible prevention or deceleration of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and MS are enormous.

There is, of course, always a financial risk involved in investing in start-up ventures and when these companies go under, they take with them potentially life saving proprietary knowledge and patents. The failure of biotech start-ups is a disservice to every person on this planet when promising medical advances cannot be brought to market, as is frequently the case. These are tenuous investments, but with great upside potential for both the public and the university.

I am not relating this recent story just to air dirty laundry and grievances. The discussion of “what’s kind of missing” at the UWM Master Plan discussion group should include the behavior of a Chancellor as he or she relates to the community. A distinction between someone in the community being a “somebody” or a “nobody” with regard to accessibility to the Chancellor should never be invoked. Chancellor Santiago should be lauded for his vision and fund raising abilities and absolutely decried for his arrogance and elitism. This University and its efforts to expand and involve the community, through direct investment, receive a great deal of press in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Is this the really the manner in which community investors should be treated by the University? In closing, the one additional “something missing at UWM” item is, in my view, a Chancellor who is not only effective but shows respect and concern for the community. I’ve taken a real financial risk here, one that could directly and positively affect the University. I surely do not expect that same university to treat me with such disrespect.

Sincerely,
John Moser

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