Combatants for Peace

Several news outlets (1, 2, 3, 4) are reporting that the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahatir Mohammad, opened the summit of the Organization of Islamic States with some good ol’ fashioned anti-Semitism. I’m not talking anti-Israeli comments – which are often labeled as anti-Semitic, but more on how that lazy use of language, and how it does a dis-service to all involved, in another post – but full out Judeophobia. Just so you don’t doubt me, here’s the most obvious example: “The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million, but today the Jews are in control of the…

Sept. 11 Memorial Obscures a Police Cadet’s Bravery – NYTimes.com. And Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota, one of two Muslim members of Congress, was brought to tears during a Congressional hearing in March while describing how the man, a Pakistani-American from Queens, had wrongly been suspected of involvement in the attacks, before he was lionized as a young police cadet who had died trying to save lives. Despite this history, Mohammad Salman Hamdani is nowhere to be found in the long list of fallen first responders at the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan.

Since Haroon asked: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/05/09/columbia_katrina.html Columbia Extends Sympathy and Assistance to Hurricane Katrina Victims The Columbia community is deeply saddened by the magnitude of the pain and suffering that has resulted from Hurricane Katrina. We join the rest of the nation in seeking ways to aid those in need. The University would also like to express its deep appreciation of the extraordinary response efforts by volunteers, state and local government agencies and relief organizations. We in New York City know deeply and personally how difficult and painful a disaster of this magnitude is for the individuals and families experiencing it. As…