March 8, 2008

from *Western News (University of Western Ontario)                     

Tolerance and Social Justice Incompatible with Award, say University Professors

Professors, Rebecca Coulter, Randa Farah, David Heap and Michael Lynk

  Is it appropriate for a university president to accept an award for
promoting tolerance and diversity from an organization whose own
policies and practices have been called 'racist' and 'discriminatory' by
respected human rights organizations and leading newspapers?

  Thirty-six professors at Western and its affiliated colleges, including
the four of us, recently posed this question to President Paul
Davenport. In early January, we asked him in a letter to reverse his
decision to be the Jewish National Fund's 2008 Honouree at a dinner
scheduled for 1 June in London. President Davenport subsequently met
with some of us, but stated that his mind was unchanged.

  The issue arose when the University announced in early December that
the Jewish National Fund (JNF) wanted to honour President Davenport
"...due to his commitment to create a campus community at Western that
promotes tolerance [and] supports diversity."

  We wrote a four page letter on 10 January to President Davenport,
stating that: "Like you, we are supportive of a campus, a community and
a world that is tolerant, embraces diversity, and advances justice and
social equity. Many organizations do so, and are worthy of our support
and endorsement. The Jewish National Fund is not one of them."  

  Our letter provided several substantive reasons that detailed the JNF's
history of exclusion, intolerance and institutionalized discrimination. 
It pointed out that the JNF owns 13% of the land in Israel, which is
reserved by law for the exclusive benefit and use of Jews only.
Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up 20% of Israel's population,
are forbidden by the JNF covenant from leasing or using these lands.

  This legal exclusion is contrary to the values and practices of every
modern democratic state. /Ha'aretz/, one of Israel's leading daily
newspapers, has called the practice 'racist' in a recent editorial,
stating that: "The Jewish National Fund's land policy counters the
interests of the state and cannot discriminate by law against the
minority living in Israel." (21 July 2007)

  As well, our letter noted that the JNF-Canada is the lead sponsor of
Canada Park, built in the occupied Palestinian territories on the ruins
of three Palestinian villages deliberately destroyed by Israel in 1967.
Former Israeli Knesset member Uri Avnery has called the destruction of
the villages: "a war crime under international law and the endorsement
of the naming of the Park...as implicating Canada with giving a cover to
war crimes."

  Three Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations have recently
written to President Davenport on this issue. Al-Haq (a Palestinian
human rights organization) and Zochrot (an Israeli NGO) wrote on 23
February that: "we call upon you, as a joint Palestinian and Israeli
voice, to show your true commitment to equality, diversity, tolerance
and human rights by reconsidering your decision to accept an award from
an organization which disregards such precious values so irresponsibly."

  Similarly, Adalah (The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel)
provided a detailed critique of the JNF's discriminatory practices in
its 22 February letter to President Davenport. It concluded by reminding
him that: "it is very important that international scholars who are
committed to civil rights and human rights, such as yourself, take a
strong stand in opposing the JNF and not giving it legitimacy."

  --Professors Coulter (Education), Farah (Anthropology), Heap (French)
and Lynk (Law) all teach at the University of Western Ontario.

The letters, and some very interestint background material, can be found at:

http://publish.uwo.ca/~djheap/equalityforall

Update, March 13 - Davenport says his decision is final. “I hope my colleagues and the community at large, whether they are Jewish, Muslim, Christian or Hindi, will respect my decision and understand my goal is not to cause divisions at Western or in London – but rather to accept this award as recognition of the commitment by Western, as well as myself, to celebrating diversity and promoting tolerance and free speech.”

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This article was originally published at http://communications.uwo.ca/com/western_news/

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