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Thank you, Sam, for stating these principles so clearly.
My own views aside, Samidoun is a registered non-profit in Canada operating within the bounds of Canadian law. As Rachel mentioned, Samidoun is illegal only in Israel.
The idea that our students and faculty should be surveilled for their political views is a fringe position that does not comport with Canadian law or the ethos of a university setting. As I said previously, these messages underline the importance
of this initiative. Faculty and students advocating for Palestinian rights and freedoms within the bounds of Canadian law should be able to do so without being hounded by campus security, the RCMP, or CSIS.
Best wishes to all,
Tamir
On Jan 29, 2024, at 10:46 PM, Sam Black <samuel_black@sfu.ca> wrote:
Hi All,
When it comes to speech acts made by members of the SFU community (pace David's claim) it is NOT "pretty reasonable that police and security [should] follow us to keep us all safe". Nor do I see anything in
the campus actions described on this string which cause me to revise that assessment in this case.
Is there evidence of documented convictions for anti-semitic assaults at SFU, or even at other Canadian college campuses? None that I could find. But I welcome being corrected.
Hate speech is also a crime in Canada. But someone commenting on the Israel/Gaza war -- even declaring support for a group on the government's terrorist list -- would have a clear defence under Canadian Criminal
law. The charge is a non-starter.
The more general point is this.
There is (and should be) plenty of offensive speech on campus. I'm very grateful to those who think highly enough of this forum and this community to take the time to engage with it, or to produce some of their
own. I also think it is absolutely corrosive to the silo-busting culture, which should be part of our ethos, to suggest that disagreement should be reserved for experts in an area (or postponed until some are hired). Admittedly, personal attacks are generally
not helpful. But the line between them and more substantive points is easy to blur.
Best,
Sam
Sam Black
Assoc. Prof. Philosophy, SFU
This note is not AI-generated.
I respectfully acknowledge that SFU is on the unceded ancestral and traditional territories of the səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish),
xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) Nations.
Dear all,
I appreciate Ronda clarifying her own views and Tamir’s call for respectful discourse. But with all due respect, you should all be
aware of the movements that F4P endorses and take full stock of the discourse at SFU.
BDS demonizes Israel and is generally opposed
to a two-state solution and opposed to productive Israeli-Palestinian discourse. The SFSS BDS resolution has been used to prevent the Jewish Students Association from booking rooms to hold events on
topics related to Israel and antisemitism (Hillel's BC rabbi is from a Jewish movement that is pro-peace/two-state, and that's their general vibe, but Hillel is far more focused on bringing Jewish students together than on political advocacy).
SJP chapters have openly celebrated the
October 7 terrorist attacks, and yes, I also got the flyer that referenced Samidoun (a known PFLP front).
Some faculty who have signed on to the initiative also celebrated the October 7 attacks, or commented approvingly on vandalism here in Canada against Jewish-owned businesses with no direct
ties to the State of Israel.
So I think it’s pretty reasonable that police and security follow up to keep us all safe. And I’m glad that Rachel raised this concern. CSIS
and the RCMP are welcome to come to my classes and follow up with me afterwards.
I’m not really sure how the “discourse” Tamir is referring to can get much worse. I don’t really see any productive dialogue at SFU
on this topic, only Israel-bashing. There aren’t any Jewish faculty who research Israel who would even bring that perspective anyways (nor any tenure-track faculty specializing in the Holocaust or Jewish history). I
haven’t seen any of the faculty taking an active interest in Israel/Palestine issues right now trying to bring in mainstream Jewish perspectives to promote dialogue.
Forming a pro-BDS group is just a step to entrenching SFU as a place that teaches students to blame Israel for the world’s problems and thereby foster antisemitism. Openly
supporting SJP and opposing security makes Jewish faculty and students feel unsafe and justifiably so given the sheer quantity and severity of harassment and attacks directed against Jewish people and institutions in recent weeks here in Canada. It
sounds like that isn’t what Ronda and Tamir want out of it; other members have clarified their views in other directions.
David
PS While we’re at it, notice how Eugene tends to send out his controversial messages around the start of Shabbat, when observant Jews wouldn’t be checking their e-mail?
Dear Tamir:
Aspersions? No. I simply raised a question about F4P's support for SJP given that they are advocates for Samidoun. If you're asking for proof of the latter, i n the fall, SJP widely distributed
a pamphlet that promotes Samidoun, even slipping a copy under many SFU faculty members' doors. Samidoun has (rightly) been under watch for years because of their close connections with the PFLP, a designated terrorist organization. Read in
their own words how they support Hamas (another designated terrorist organization) and how they view the massacre, rape, torture, and kidnapping of Israelis and others on October 7
as "heroic". If you think that they -- and the groups that support them -- don't warrant surveillance, we'll have to agree to disagree.
Rachel
From: James Fleming
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2024 12:08:43 PM
To: Ronda Arab; Tamir Moustafa; Rachel Altman
Cc: academic-discussion@sfu.ca
Subject: Re: Announcing Faculty for Palestine (F4P) at SFU
Could have sworn, Ronda, that I expressed a thought of my own. If it strikes you as food for yours, I guess that's dialogue. JDF
From: Ronda Arab
Sent: January 29, 2024 11:52:18 AM
To: James Fleming; Tamir Moustafa; Rachel Altman
Cc: academic-discussion@sfu.ca
Subject: Re: Announcing Faculty for Palestine (F4P) at SFU
James,
No body is talking about the tone of Rachel's message; Tamir referenced the content.
Please don't tell me what I think. I firmly believe that Israel has a right to exist. I believe there needs to be either a two-state or one state solution for all Palestinians and Israelis. I'm really weary of
people insisting that those of us who advocate for Palestinian rights and freedom are simultaneously calling for Israel's destruction. Non-sequitur.
Ronda Arab
Dr. Ronda Arab
Associate Professor of English
Simon Fraser University
pronouns: she/her
I find nothing disrespectful, let alone bizarre, about Rachel's message. This is tone-policing, a familiar form of silencing.
As for the faculty group in question: In my opinion, the only coherent reason for endorsing it is if one believes that a nation-state entity called Palestine needs to come into existence in some or all of the
geographic area that is currently the state of Israel. And if one believes that, then one has to reckon both with the methods by which this outcome might be achieved, and with those who wield them.
Frankly, for this group to announce itself in a connection with the International Day of Holocaust Remembrance is really quite extraordinary, to put it respectfully. Sincerely, JDF
Professor, Department of English
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby/Vancouver,
British Columbia,
Canada.
The truth is an offence, but not a sin.
-- Bob Marley
Dear Rachel,
In my view, your message serves to underline the importance of this initiative.
I agreed to endorse the ‘basis of unity’ statement in large part out of concern for the climate on campus. Your message has cast aspersions on your colleagues and students through a bizarre chain of supposed associations with the objective of tying students
and faculty to terrorism. In doing so, you are encouraging the sort of targeting and surveillance that the statement highlights.
I hope that we can all engage in more respectful discourse.
Best wishes to all,
Tamir
Dear Eugene:
I was delighted to see that this new group supports movements for Indigenous land rights, which surely includes Zionism (the movement for the self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people
in their ancestral homeland). Well done.
The fact that the group supports Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) though, is a concern. On our campus, SJP has been promoting Samidoun, which has been designated as a terrorist
organization in Israel and
banned in Germany.
Recently, Khaled Barakat, alleged high-ranking member
of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP, a designated terrorist organization in Canada) and husband of Charlotte Kates (the international coordinator of Samidoun), was caught on video at a rally in Vancouver saying "we're
not going to shy… Our resistance is very united. The PFLP is fighting today among Hamas and Islamic Jihad… One united front." Barakat and Kates were banned from entering the European Union in October 2022 because of their connections to the PFLP. I
do hope that F4P will clarify its stance on terrorism soon.
Sincerely,
Rachel Altman
Associate Professor
Statistics & Actuarial Science
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby BC Canada
From: Eugene McCann <emccann@sfu.ca>
Sent: Friday, January 26, 2024 3:25:07 PM
To: Faculty Forum Mail List
Subject: Fwd: Announcing Faculty for Palestine (F4P) at SFU
Hi all,
I’ve been asked to pass this along. A new initiative by SFU colleagues, with an opportunity to endorse it via the link.
Best,
Eugene
PS As with other things I’ve been asked to send recently, there’s an email link to the organizers available (on the linked website), if you have further questions.
Begin forwarded message:
**Please forward this message widely**
Dear Colleagues,
We hope this email finds you well. Recognizing both International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and today's landmark International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision requiring that Israel take all necessary measures to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,
we are reaching out to invite you to join an urgent initiative to support the cause of Palestinian freedom.
We are writing to announce the formation of Faculty for Palestine (F4P) at SFU. Faculty for Palestine is
part of an emergent network of faculty initiatives taking root in and across over 90 universities in North America. We invite you to read and endorse our Basis of Unity statement if you embrace its values and aims.
In the coming months, there will be gatherings, events, and opportunities to organize together. Please fill out our Interest Form to stay in touch or get involved.
Please also share the URL for our website:
In solidarity,
Faculty for Palestine, SFU
_______________________________________________________
Eugene McCann (he/him/his)
Professor, Geography
Associate Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology
Simon Fraser University
Managing Editor, EPC: Politics & Space
https://journals.sagepub.com/home/epc
Minor Revisions podcast
https://journals.sagepub.com/page/epc/collections/podcasts
Personal website: https://emccanngeog.wordpress.com
Contact information:
Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University,
8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada
Unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Email: emccann@sfu.ca; Phone: 778-782-3321
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