Editorial: Chutzpah at SDSU

By Donald H. Harrison

Donald H. Harrison
Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO–Students at San Diego State University and a representative of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) evidently feel that a strong offense is a good defense.  On Wednesday, May 4, at a campus news conference reported on local television, they called for the resignation of SDSU’s President Elliot Hirshman because he has not joined them in condemning flyers that had circulated on campus describing some students as allied with terrorism.

This publication has criticized the flyers issued by the Los Angeles-based David Horowitz Freedom Center. Linking students, who are peaceably arguing their case against Israel–however misguided that case may be–ought not to be confused with terrorists, who we define as people who are engaging in mass shootings, suicide bombings, airplane hijackings, and the like.  Painting them with such a brush is wrong.  If Horowitz has any proof that these students — or others whose names he similarly tarred on other campuses — were allied with terrorists, he ought to go to the FBI which can conduct the appropriate investigation.  Simply attempting to brand the students is absolutely wrong.  We’ve called for law enforcement to determine whether Horowitz violated any laws and think the students ought to consider a libel action against him.

At the same time, we’ve called for an investigation into the students who held Hirshman captive for two hours in the campus police car that was escorting him to his car on April 27.  For these same students, who potentially may be subject to charges of false arrest for holding Hirshman captive, to now call for his ouster is a bullying tactic that may be classified as either political theater or absolute chutzpah.  Hirshman has no reason to step down.  After a campus meeting just last Monday, he and the Muslim Student Association, the Associated Students, and the Students for Justice in Palestine issued a statement jointly calling for a review of university policies “to ensure both freedom of expression and protection from harassment.”

The joint statement also said that the participants in that meeting agreed “that in cases where racism, Islamophobia, misogyny, homophobia and all forms of bigotry result, we abhor the content of such expressions, even as we recognize the protected status of these expressions. Finally, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting an environment that fosters meaningful dialogue and mutual respect.”

Just two days later, however, the students have gone back on the agreement hammered out Monday and are now fomenting a campaign against Hirshman — to what end we cannot be certain. This is clearly a case of bad faith on the part of the students. Their irresponsible call–supported by CAIR–for Hirshman to step down belies the commitment that some of these very same students made to “supporting an environment that fosters meaningful dialogue and mutual respect.”

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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com.