'Anti-Jewish'

To the Editors of The Crimson:

It is an unmitigated shame that in Charles Kurzman's account of the protest against the PLO (4/27/83), he did not see fit to include a comment from someone who reacted strongly against Hassan Abdul-Rahman's speech, to get some perspective on what transpired.

Perhaps then he would have discovered that, while some people were there responding only to Rahman's presence (as happened with Falwell) and the policies of the organization Rahman represents, others. Jews and non-Jews alike, went hoping to hear a reasonable discussion of "The Road to Peace in the Middle East." They did not plan on "interrupting" the speech. Instead, those present were subjected to the harshest, most vicious of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish vituperation, remarks which went far beyond the limits of rational political discourse (I invite Mr. Kurzman especially, and others as well, to listen to a tape of the speech to refresh their memories).

It is most unreasonable to assume that the entire audience could have sat listening to Rahman's racist attacks, lies,-and anti-semitic slurs, in absolute silence. Even Jews who were willing to listen to "the other side," were provoked to respond to such outrageous comments as "the Jews collaborated with the Nazis prior to WWII."

I defy self-righteous students such as Cecil McNab to sit still and expouse "academic freedom" when a KKK member comes to deliver a speech at the Law School in which he calls Blacks "inferior" or in some way brings back the most pernicious racial slander perpetrated by pseudo-Darwinists at the beginning of this century. Mr. McNab's view represents, quite simply, the most blatant of double standards. Is his understanding of free speech that we must listen to such virulence as Rahman's in silence? Would he condemn the Falwell "hecklers" or those who protest at ACSR meetings?

Actually, Mr. Rahman said all that he wished to say, and some of his outrageous "facts" included the aforementioned "Jewish-Nazi collaboration" and, as Mr. Kurzman does point out, "that it was the Israelis who blew up the American Embassy in Beirut." Why did not Mr. Kurzman include some more of Rahman's anti-Jewish statements and outright falsehoods to give a truer sense of the content of the speech?

That "the approach of the Jews towards the Palestinians has been genocidal from the very beginning..." is an absolute lie. On the contrary, the PLO Covenant calls for the destruction of Israel (That is their goal. Their objectives are thus not as benign as the Crimson quotes would indicate, which further shows the need for some balancing remarks), and in fact all Palestinians or PLO members who have dared to speak out for peace with Israel have been murdered, most recently Issam Sartawi.

Why does the article covering the Falwell talk (4/26) give so much more print to the comments of the protestors at that event than did Mr. Kurzman's? Further, The Crimson pointed out how Mr. Falwell "sidestepped questions" on a variety of topics, including apartheid and abortion. Where is Mr. Kurzman's mention of the fact that Rahman never responded directly to any of the questions asked him? Indeed, if the sponsors really cared about educating the audience, perhaps they would have directed him to answer the questions, rather than allowing him to engage in verbal gymnastics and anti-Israel and anti-Jewish propaganda, thus avoiding the issue each time.

I supported the demonstration and am proud that over 300 people (not 150 people as Kurzman states) felt strongly enough to make a visible sign of protest against the PLO and its policies. Mr. Rahman's speech was the best confirmation of the fears these people had that it would turn into an anti-Israel, anti-semitic diatribe. I'm only sorry that Mr. Kurzman could not bring himself to report the situation as it actually was, and to see what was behind the "jeering, hissing, and shouting" of members of the audience.

The PLO has shown its true face to the Harvard community. Maybe I should thank the organizers of the event for inviting Rahman and allowing him to expose his fraudulency to the public. William Marks '83