The Panel:
Michael Walzer - Author: Just and Unjust Wars. Board of Directors,Americans for Peace Now
Brooke Goldstein - Director, The Lawfare project
Zuhdi Jasser - Founder and President, American Islamic Forum for Democracy
Brooke Goldstein - Director, The Lawfare project
Zuhdi Jasser - Founder and President, American Islamic Forum for Democracy
Recorded March 4, 2012 - Old First Reformed Church in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY
Despite its use of "human rights language," the BDS Movement is an obstacle to a resolution in the Middle East.
Download the Video
For more information:
http://middleeast.evidencewatch.com/
Oh Barb this is just so very cool.
ReplyDeletethanks for putting up the streaming video.
and thank you Jacob for helping out.
avishay
Michael Walzer is one thing, but I'm really surprised that those opposing the BDS referendum (or at least, those who set up this blog) need associate themselves with the Lawfare Project and Zuhdi Jasser, each controversial in their own right. The Lawfare Project is particularly problematic, known for its neoconservative posture and strident opposition to human rights law.
ReplyDeleteJonathan -
ReplyDeleteI do hope you will check back here and elaborate on your comment. I also hope you will take the time to listen to the conference and tell me what is anti-human rights in the presentations of Ms. Goldstein and Dr. Jasser.
I attended this conference. Ms. Goldstein spoke her film "The Making of a Martyr," and the abuse of children in living under the Palestinian Authority. Particularly their recruitment for suicide bombings. Are you saying opposing using children as human bombs - to kill themselves and innocents - is counter to a human rights concern?
Dr. Jasser's presentation dealt with secular fascism versus the rise of theocratic fascism in the Arab world. Is that problematic or controversial?
Both speakers emphasized the need for the development of civil society within the Arab world.
Barbara
Mr. Jasser is currently defending the NYPD's racial profiling and surveillance of Arab-American and Muslim civil society groups in our own city.
ReplyDeleteThe Lawfare Project (besides perverting the term "lawfare" as originally employed in international legal circles) is a neoconservative pushback against international human rights law. On their website, the first in the list of examples of "lawfare" as they define it is: "Al Qaeda manuals that instruct captured militants to file false claims of torture in order to reposition themselves as victims in the eyes of the law and media."
I don't deny that AQ has a media strategy, but we all saw the pictures from Abu Ghraib. Maybe we've heard about Bagram. And we know the reason many people in Guantanamo Bay can't be convicted in US civilian courts is because a lot of evidence was gleaned through torture, or "enhanced interrogation methods." Furthermore, that other detainees were rendered by the US government to Arab regimes (some that have been subsequently toppled) that did torture them. Focusing on Al Qaeda manuals is a way to ignore, and thereby excuse, these documented egregious violations of international human rights and domestic laws. Do you really think court systems aren't competent to distinguish between legitimate and sham claims of torture? If anything we err on the side of disbelieving detainees.
Another example the Lawfare Project gives is posed as a question: "Must the "underwear bomber" be read his Miranda rights?" I think this highlights the extremeness of the organization's views. It is completely, really totally settled that under US law the answer is a resounding yes. At the time this happened, a few Republican members of Congress criticized the Department of Justice for Mirandizing the defendant, but they were obviously doing so for political, not legal, reasons.
I have no problem with highlighting the plight of kids coerced into warfare by Hamas and lesser-known groups, but she seems to be doing so in order to justify, or at least deflect attention from, other deprivations of rights at the hands of Israeli actors. I have a feeling the mothers of these kids, whom she discusses meeting, wouldn't be so keen to have their stories used in this way.
I guess my points are two-fold. First, I think the substantive views of Jasser and Goldstein are deeply flawed and politicized. Second, I'm really surprised that the opponents of a co-op BDS vote are aligning themselves with such figures. Opposing BDS is a fairly mainstream position, yet you guys organized a conference with extreme speakers, Waltzer excluded.
Also it feels disrespectful to the victims of Arab dictatorships to say there's a "rise in theocratic fascism in the Arab world," in light of the Arab Spring.
Jonathan-
ReplyDeleteI am really glad that you responded and also for your other 2 comments. I hope we will continue this conversation.
Right now I am in preparation for Tuesday night's meeting so I cannot provide attention this conversation deserves. However, I hope we will continue after the vote.
In the meantime, I hope you will listen to the conference video, so we can discuss it. You can also find "The Third Jihad" and "Making of Martyr" online to watch. I have not watched the entirety of the latter 2 films, yet. I will not comment on them until I do.
Regarding your last comment, is it disrespectful to the victims of the Czars, to mention the victims of Stalin? Is it disrespectful to the victims of the Shah, to mention the victims of the current Iranian regime? Is it disrespectful to the victims of Saddam Hussein to point out Emo teens murdered in Iraq and the victims of other bombings? Is it disrespectful to the victims of Mubarak to point out the attacks on Egyptian Copts?
Do some research about what is going on in Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, Egypt and Syria right now. My point is they are going from bad to bad. The underlying cause is the lack of development of civil society and democratic institutions. This a result of living under totalitarian regimes. This is the take away from the latter 2 speakers.
I also want to respond to your other comments, but I just cannot give it the time right now. Forgive me.
Barbara