|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.startribune.com/562/story/1481533.html
What We Can Learn from the Tutu Affair
[Minneapolis Star Tribune] Mark B. Rotenberg - University of St. Thomas President Dennis Dease decided to uninvite and then invite Desmond Tutu to speak on his campus. Many thought Tutu's canceled invitation was part of a pattern of widespread Jewish pressure to censor Israel's critics, but President Dease demolished that idea. "I was under no pressure from any pro-Israeli groups or individuals, nor did I receive any requests from them to refrain from inviting Archbishop Tutu to speak," he declared. That an esteemed Catholic university leader would feel compelled to make such a public denial is sad testimony to an upsurge of sinister theories about Jewish power in America today. The truth is that university campuses are awash with anti-Israel sentiment. Those who bewail secret Jewish influences in American politics are not describing reality, but are dabbling in a dangerous cesspool of prejudice. The writer is general counsel and adjunct law professor at the University of Minnesota.