Israel Matzav

Congress to Education Dept. Civil Rights Division: Do something about anti-Semitism on college campuses

Thirty-six members of Congress have written a letter to US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan concerning anti-Semitism and intimidation on college campuses. The members ask whether Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is being used to protect Jewish students from intimidation.

"College campuses in the United States are meant to be positive, safe, and open forums for intellectual expression, conducive to learning,” they wrote.

"We believe that enforcing Title VI to protect Jewish students who, in rare but highly significant situations, face harassment, intimidation or discrimination based on their ancestral or ethnic characteristics – including when it is manifested as anti-Israel or anti-Zionist sentiment that crosses the line into anti-Semitism – would help ensure that we’re preserving the integrity of our higher education system by affording the same protection to all ethnic and racial groups on our college campuses.”

Incredibly, the Education Department's Civil Rights Division has thus far taken the position that Title VI does not apply to Jewish students.

ZOA has tried in recent years to get the civil rights' office of the Department of Education to investigate allegedly anti-Semitic incidents on US campuses. The office declined to take action, arguing that the incidents were not based on students' “national origins.” The letter from Members of Congress aims in part to clarify that Jewish students should be granted the same protections that are given to racial or ethnic minorities.

I wonder if intimidation of Muslims on college campuses would fall under 'national origins.' I'll bet it would.

Double standard....

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:18 AM