A professor issued an informal invitation to an Israeli film director to screen his new documentary, The Settlers, at Syracuse University—the site of an upcoming conference on “The Place of Religion in Film.”
Syracuse’s religious studies department cancelled the invitation due to concerns that “the BDS faction on campus will make matters very unpleasant for you and for me if you come.” (That’s the pro-Palestinian movement, the “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions” group, for those unfamiliar with the acronym.)
Is there a clearer case of a campus beholden to political correctness than this? Read Syracuse Religion Professor M. Gail Hammer’s letter to the filmmaker, Shimon Dotan:
I now am embarrassed to share that my SU colleagues, on hearing about my attempt to secure your presentation, have warned me that the BDS faction on campus will make matters very unpleasant for you and for me if you come. In particular my film colleague in English who granted me affiliated faculty in the film and screen studies program and who supported my proposal to the Humanities Council for this conference told me point blank that if I have not myself seen your film and cannot myself vouch for it to the Council, I will lose credibility with a number of film and Women/Gender studies colleagues. Sadly, I have not had the chance to see your film and can only vouch for it through my friend and through published reviews.
Clearly I am politically naive. I also feel tremendous shame in reneging on a half-offered invitation.
Read the full letter at The Atlantic.
Via Reason Magazine