‘Perplexing’ Talk at UCI

In a recent college radio interview conducted by a colleague, students representing a Muslim group flat-out denied that Israel has the right to exist. “No, not there at least. Not the way it became a state” was the initial statement.

What about if Israel were to exist with pre-1967 borders? “I think the way the people lived there before 1948, the Jews, the Muslims, the Christians, they were in harmony then. After that is when things changed.”

Not so. As a university student and as a college radio talk-show host, I’ve heard some pretty extreme things. Yet as someone who regularly engages in debate on a wide range of issues, I truly cannot understand this point of view.

It may very well be that I’m missing a key piece of information or that my heritage has rendered me biased. Whatever the reasons, I’m simply perplexed that some of my peers believe that Israel should be stripped of its right to self-determination. For those who cherish peace and democracy, such anti-Zionist statements make one a little queasy. Unfortunately, at least at UC Irvine, there is too little reaction to such inflammatory remarks and to the international crisis.

At the student center during the first and second weeks of school, giant signs promoting fraternity life and club activities occupied the skyline and bridge space. Ask a random student the top two things on his or her mind, and one likely would hear “Getting my add card signed before the deadline” and “Do I have a quiz this Thursday?”

For a campus that’s usually apathetic on political issues, the KUCI telephone bank was burning red during the November 2000 election crisis. Now the college talk-show lines remain in their occasionally lighted state. True, candles were lighted during an evening vigil before the start of classes, but since then, signs of the “new war” are sporadic.

Then again, things could be worse. Recently, more than 150 college campuses were used as stamping grounds for antiwar demonstrators. On the bright side, UCI wasn’t one of them. But neither the “Nay America” nor the “Go U.S.A.” crowds have felt the need to rally yet. Of course, school recently got underway (UCI is on the quarter system), and if asked, many students probably would declare that they’re deeply angry at our attackers.

At the moment, however, such frustration is only being bottled up. Whether the lid will come off is yet to be seen. But as the situation escalates, one hopes that America’s youth would decide to rally around those voluntarily fighting for our freedom. But if past demonstrations are any indication of where the UCI campus is headed, the ride could get bumpy.

Last year, some students organized an Anti-Zionism, Anti-Oppression Week on campus. They distributed literature and invited speakers credentialed with doctoral degrees. Some (I don’t know if they were UCI students) even staged protests and waved banners depicting the Star of David dripping blood. Similar movements have occurred at UCLA, Santa Clara University and UC San Diego.

At UCLA, things were peaceful until someone showed up with a sign depicting a swastika. At Orange Coast College, such an event was also planned, but administrators pulled the plug with the explanation that the sponsoring group misled officials about the program’s content.

I’ve never believed that America is an anti-Semitic country. I’m well aware that America’s college campuses are home to many of the more radical points of view. Yet I am still perplexed. If the ultimate goal of both Jews and Palestinians is to live together in peace, why shouldn’t Israel be allowed to have a place on the map? Am I nave to believe that peace implies a compromise between two sides, not the domination of one over the other?

While the mood on campus reflects some indifference, I would like to see my fellow college student make stronger attempts to address and clarify these issues, because they are crucial to our future.

If there are ever any hopes of both sides seeing eye to eye, there must be a basic recognition of each other’s claim to existence. And this reciprocal claim must be manifest in all gatherings of activists.

I’m fairly certain that the students who would deny Israel its right to exist are primarily radicals and in no way represent the majority of U.S. Muslims. While it may be hard to distinguish between those who truly represent their people and those who just claim they do, we all must be on the lookout for fraudulent preachers.