Tariq Ramadan-Supporter Diana Eck Leads the Charge Against Fired ‘Islamophobic’ Professor

Tariq Ramadan-Supporter Diana Eck Leads the Charge Against Fired ‘Islamophobic’ Professor

The evil of small minds have triumphed over all that is good, both intellectually and morally, at Harvard.

by
PHYLLIS CHESLER

January 5, 2012 - 12:07 am

Professor Diana L. Eck is a supporter of smooth-talking radical Islamist Tariq Ramadan, whom she describes as “one of Europe’s deepest and most articulate Muslim thinkers… one of the most powerful exponents of a reformist, self-critical, spiritual and dialogical Islam.” She is also a defender of Boston’s notorious Roxbury Mosque (whose former and current trustees, mullahs, and congregants have known ties to terrorism and to preaching violence). Now she has successfully led the pack against Professor Subramanian Swamy. Last year, in December, he was dismissed after twenty years at the summer school on the basis of an op-ed piece he wrote in an Indian newspaper about the obvious and growing danger of Islamic terrorism in India, including the 2008 and 2011 jihadic massacres in Mumbai.

Eck is a professor of comparative religion at Harvard’s Divinity School as well as a professor of law and psychiatry. She is known for her “interfaith” work. She, other professors, and some students decided that Swamy’s piece was racist, Islamophobic, nationalistic, religiously intolerant, and in favor of violence and, as such, should be treated as unprotected hate speech. Eck and the students do not believe that Harvard should be associated with anyone who holds such views.


Who is Swamy? His biography is very distinguished. In 1964, as a full scholarship student, Swamy obtained his Ph.D at Harvard. He worked with Nobel laureate Simon Kuznets, and jointly authored papers with Nobel laureate Paul. A Samuelson. He has subsequently served in the Indian parliament for five terms and was also a cabinet minister for Commerce, Law & Justice. Swamy, the president of the Janata Party, is also a linguist and is proficient in Tamil, Hindi, English and Chinese.

Swamy is the author of many acclaimed books and papers. In 1971 Swamy published Indian Economic Planning—An Alternative Approach; in 1973 he released Economic Growth in China and India 1952-1970: A Comparative Appraisal; in 1989 he published an updated Comparative Appraisal of China and India (1870-1986). In addition, he has published numerous papers, including one with Paul A. Samuelson in the American Economic Review.

In addition, Swamy is also something of a swashbuckling hero. In 1976, Swamy exposed and challenged corruption in Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s “emergency authoritarian” rule in India and had to flee the country twice as a result. However, due to his campaign Gandhi allowed long overdue elections. In 1972, Swamy lost his professorship at the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, due to his crusade for both academic freedom and for the union rights of non-teaching Institute employees. After twenty years of litigation, the courts reinstated Swamy with full honors.

Between 1978-1985, Swamy visited China nine times. This led to the normalization of relations between India and China. In 1982, Swamy became the first Indian political leader to make a trip to Israel. Due to his efforts, India opened embassies in both China and Israel; these countries reciprocated..

In 1987, Swamy undertook a fast unto death to demand an inquiry into the illegal killing of Muslim youth by the police in Hashimpura, Meerut. The government finally yielded to his demand for which Swamy was hailed by India’s minorities. (For the record: Swamy’s wife is a Parsi; he has a Jewish brother-in-law, a Christian sister-in-law, and a Muslim son-in-law. He himself is a Hindu.)

In 1994, Swamy was appointed as chairman of Commission on Labour Standards and International Trade, with a cabinet minister’s rank. “This was perhaps the first time that a Opposition Party member was given a Cabinet rank post by the ruling party.”

Professor Swamy is also the president of the Janata Party in India and has been for the last 20 years. This party is an anti-Left, anti-socialist party which believes in limited government and opposes authoritarianism at the top and serfdom at the bottom. It is anti-caste and anti-language-based differences which divide Hindus. The party also stands for “the elimination of gender discrimination.”According to its website:

Atrocities and violence against women are on the increase throughout the country, more particularly against women (in) the weaker sections of society and the Minorities and Scheduled castes and Tribes. The instruments of the state for enforcement of law and order and giving protection to women like the police, the Judiciary and the Bureaucracy have themselves become indifferent to the cause of women.

Please note: Swamy is indeed “politically incorrect.” Why? Because he believes that Muslim terrorists do not have the right to take over Hindu temples, to forcibly convert, or to genocidally exterminate Hindus. Or to exist illegally in hostile, parallel societies harboring terrorists. Like Israel, Swamy is asserting the right of self-defense and the right to a national identity. Today, such sentiments are viewed as unacceptable, prejudiced, and primitive by Western intellectuals and activists.

And now let us pause. Who is Professor Diana L. Eck? She, too, has a distinguished resume. She has published many books, including her 1982 work Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India; her 1999 work Banaras: City of Light; her 2001 A New Religious America: How a Christian Country has become the World’s Most Religiously Diverse Nation; and at least two other works about India. She heads the Pluralism Project. Harvard suggests that press inquiries be directed to her in the following areas: gay and lesbian issues, Islam, America, multiculturalism, Hinduism, ordination of women, pluralism, Southeast and Southern Asia. She is married to the Reverend Dorothy Austin.

However, unlike Swamy, Eck has not risked danger or death by going against the “popular” or politically correct view. She represents, perfectly, the “mindset” of the intellectual Ivy League elite in terms of Islam. Here are her own words on the Roxbury Mosque (also known as the Islamic Cultural Center of Boston):

At the heart of Boston in Roxbury Crossing stands the magnificent shell of what will eventually be the Islamic Society of Boston’s landmark mosque, as yet incomplete. Progress is swamped by the well-publicized accusations of the David Project, a Jewish advocacy group, about the mosque’s funding and leadership and the ensuing litigation against the David Project by the Islamic Society of Boston. (The David Project won this litigation). Meanwhile, Jewish-Muslim relations in Boston have become tense, undermining honest and difficult dialogue at the very time we need it most. Last month, as I stood under the great dome of the mosque at Roxbury Crossing, I prayed, as a Christian, for its speedy completion… Boston is part of the Islamic world. Looking to the future, the vision of an Islamic Center dedicated to interfaith outreach and education at the crossroads of Boston is worth the commitment of Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

Swamy is trying to deal with the real but still incredible history of the Muslim genocidal persecution of Hindus. Eighty million Hindus were slaughtered over a five century period and many were forcibly converted to Islam. Eck has probably never focused on Islam’s long and ugly history of imperialism, racism, colonialism, forced conversion, slavery, and gender and religious apartheid. Swamy and his people lived through it and now see that a new and barbarous jihad is upon them again. Thus, Swamy identifies the ongoing Muslim terrorism in India as well as the illegal Muslim immigration which has meant increased criminal activity, including the kidnapping, raping, and forcible marriage of Hindu girls by Muslim men.

Eck is apparently not concerned with any of this. Rather, she is trying to teach Americans to be “sensitive” and “tolerant,” which to her now means we must understand that not all Muslims are terrorists. Swamy would agree with this and has not only said so — he wrote as much in the very op-ed piece which became grounds for his dismissal. He wrote:

We need a collective mindset as Hindus to stand against the Islamic terrorist. The Muslims of India can join us if they genuinely feel for the Hindu. That they do I will not believe unless they acknowledge with pride that though they may be Muslims, their ancestors were Hindus.

Strong words — yes. But not anti-Muslim words. He is calling upon Muslims in India to support their Hindu brethren. He is not calling for their extermination or their exile.

Also, Swamy clearly states that “Islamic terrorism is India’s number one national security problem….and already the successor to Osama bin Laden as the al-Qaeda leader has declared that India is the priority target for that terrorist organization and not the USA.” Do Eck and her followers expect Swamy to pretend that this is not the case?

In addition, Swamy is dealing with the continuous Islamic terrorist attacks on Hindu temples. Historically, literally thousands of Hindu temples were destroyed to build mosques or Muslims used the material as foot stones for new mosques. As they have done all over the formerly Pagan, Jewish, and Christian Middle East and central Asia, Muslim kings built Masjids (places of prayer) right in the holiest of Hindu temples. Swamy has not called for the destruction of mosques but for the restoration of temples — where now Masjids stand.

Islam has not historically been “tolerant.” Muslims have expected others to “tolerate” their views and their ways but they have not been and still are not reciprocal. Even as Muslims make demands on America and Europe for mosques — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan do not allow churches; Hindu, Buddhist or Bahai temples; or synagogues; in fact, Muslims are murdering Christians in these countries merely because they are Christians. The Arab and Muslim world is almost entirely “judenrein” except for Jewish Israel which Muslims obviously cannot abide.

Nevertheless, Eck wants Americans to understand that Islam is essentially “peaceful.” If Eck is at Harvard and is doing politically correct “interfaith” work then she wants such work to succeed. Unfortunately, she may be talking to all the wrong people. Eck should be talking to truly moderate and religious Muslims. Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, Dr. Bassam Tibi, Zainab Al-Suwaij, Zeyno Baran all come to mind but there are many others. She is not. Or, Eck should be talking to secular and former Muslims, like Ibn Warraq, Nonie Darwish, or Wafa Sultan, who stand against Islamism and for western democratic values, including tolerance and women’s rights.

Alas, like so many Americans, including those who work for the American government, Eck is misidentifying the Muslim Islamists/terrorists/jihadists as “moderates.” And turning her back on the genuinely moderate and anti-Islamist Muslims.

I interviewed Swamy about this shameful scandal. Here is our discussion.

PJM: What do you think of this turn of events?

Swamy: The turn of events is shocking for me since I have been a part of Harvard for over fifty years since 1962, first as a student and then as faculty. Last summer after the op-ed had appeared, the Harvard president issued a statement stating that “free speech is sacred for Harvard.” But now four months later it turns out to be “subject to majority opinion” of the faculty. I was judged behind my back and by deliberate distortion of what I wrote and without an opportunity to rebut the absurd and false charges. To me it seems like Harvard is now following the 21st century version Spanish inquisition or the procedures used in dealing with Galileo.

PJM: What effect does this have upon you?

Swamy: It has no effect on me personally since I live in India as a political leader. Just one week after the Harvard inquisition, I was nominated by a leading TV channel, CNN- IBN, as “Indian of the Year for Public Service.” In the last two weeks I have been the cover story for my crusades against corruption in leading magazines.

PJM: What does it say about Harvard and about the forces that threaten to undermine democratic and tolerant values?

Swamy: In 1976, when Harvard invited me to teach after I escaped Mrs Indira Gandhi’s authoritarian rule and had begun an aggressive campaign against it, Gandhi had sent the Indian ambassador to Dean/ Professor Henry Rosovsky to protest against me for what I was writing in the Indian underground media and to seek my sacking. The dean was dismissive. He told the emissary that Harvard only cares about my academic contribution and not about my campaigns outside the campus which are peaceful. The decline in free speech standards in Harvard today from then is truly sad.

Harvard may have fallen prey to narrow interest groups. The rise of appeasement of unacceptable Islamic militant interests in return for endowments in U.S. academia is quite alarming. It borders on the Stockholm Syndrome. I also believe that Harvard is looking for an endowment for its South Asian center from Ms. Sonia Gandhi, an Italian born former beneficiary of KGB funds and with long term association with the Habash Palestinian militants. She was also a recipient of slush funds from Saddam Hussein in the oil for food scam. Currently, I am trying through courts to send her to prison on corruption charges. I am given to believe that she took active interest in this sordid Harvard episode.

PJM: Did you ever have any personal dealings with Profesor Diana L. Eck? Or with any of the students who launched this petition against you?

Swamy: I do not know Eck. I remember her name from the sixties when someone asked me about her work on Hindu religion. Nor do I know any of the petitioners except that they are a part of the Leftwing Loonies crowd.

PJM: Did any of your students complain to you or about you?

Swamy: The Dept of Economics supported my continued teaching. They informed the faculty at the meeting that no student in his or her evaluation had complained about this op-ed. Only one student referred to it and (he) was favorable. I had six Muslim students in a class of 40, including two Pakistanis. None protested to me or in confidence in the course evaluation.

PJM: What would you like to see happen?

Swamy: One day Harvard will apologise to me for this. I shall await that day.

Dr. Phyllis Chesler is the author of 14 books and an emerita professor of Psychology and Women’s Studies. She once lived in Kabul, Afghanistan. She may be reached through her website www.phyllis-chesler.com.

1. Charles
Not surprising at all to read about heavy-handed actions against free and independent speech/thought at Harvard.

It would be a real treat to see Ms. Eck, hand in hand with her wife, the Reverend Dorothy Austin, strolling past the Taliban Morality Police or perhaps slow dancing at one of Saudi Arabia’s best clubs or perhaps making out in Tahir Square in front of a Muslim Brotherhood political rally. I’m sure her expression of “interfaith outreach” would be well received!

January 5, 2012 - 1:13 am Link to this Comment | Reply

Ken C.
Eck and her ilk can only survive in the hot house of academia. The wind that blows in the real world would rip all her petals away.

January 5, 2012 - 7:56 am Link to this Comment | Reply

whirlwinder
It is fascinating that the socialist/marxists in government and academia think they can partner with totalitarianesque Islam and share power with them over the unwashed masses. Their heads will be missing their bodies once Islam becomes dominant as Islam shares power with no one.

We should always judge Islam by their actions and not listen to the smooth talk of Eck or others whose opinions of Islam are not backed by facts or truth.

January 5, 2012 - 10:30 am Link to this Comment | Reply

2. Mad Magazine
Just for the record, the Professor’s name is pronounced, “Eccch!”

Also fascinating that she is completely blind to the homophobic intolerance of Islam.

January 5, 2012 - 1:32 am Link to this Comment | Reply

Robert
What does this tell us about scholarship at Harvard? However, judging from our current occupier of the Oval office there isn’t any! Any transcripts released by Harvard, at this late date will certainly be DOCTORED! Except the courses on being present.

January 5, 2012 - 7:09 am Link to this Comment | Reply

3. Daniel Bielak
Diana Eck, and the many other dishonest morally corrupt Western (culturally Christian-European (Christian and post-Christian)) people who are currently holding, and propagating, the bigoted racist wrong views that Diana Eck is holding and propagating, and who, in the cases of those of the people such as her who hold positions of power in political, academic, and journalistic, institutions, are engaging in totalitarian censorship of people who are accurately warning of extreme danger, hold the perverse wrong view: “The powerful evil deceitful Jews are persecuting the beatific innocent wronged ‘Palestinian’ Arabs who are being justly avenged by the noble savage Muslim warriors.”

Just as, in the 1930′s, the many people such as Diana Eck – who, in many cases, were self-described “Pacifists” – and who, in the cases of those of the people such as her who held positions of power in political, academic, and journalistic, institutions, engaged in totalitarian censorship of people who were accurately warning of extreme danger, held the perverse wrong view: “The powerful evil deceitful Jews are mongering for war against the beatific innocent maligned Germans who are honorably redeveloping their own nation.”

Western anti-Jewish racism (a legacy of Christian anti-Jewish racism) is profound and deep, and is currently endangering the whole world, and must be honestly addressed and countered.

I do not appeasingly pacify evil.

I oppose evil.

I advocate non-violent action. I advocate beneficial skillful action.

January 5, 2012 - 2:37 am Link to this Comment | Reply

4. Sodacrackers2
Dare to speak the truth and you will be silenced, one woy or the other: publicly mocked and villianized or screamed down and not allowed to be heard. The people grounded in faith are now the radicals. Two good first steps to sanity would be getting US out of the UN and disbanding the federal DOE.

January 5, 2012 - 4:04 am Link to this Comment | Reply

5. FX Meaney
Harvard has shamed itself once again.

January 5, 2012 - 4:41 am Link to this Comment | Reply

6. RobertMN
Islamophobic: an irrational fear of Islam. Because we all know that Islam does not breed terrorists or terrorism. Sure. Who’s irrational? Right up there with “progressive.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

January 5, 2012 - 5:22 am Link to this Comment | Reply

7. Chiefparker
Don’t you just love how some people voluntarily remove themselves from the gene pool? This is how they reproduce, teaching other peoples children at universities.
Even people like Eck must realize their own irrelevance.

January 5, 2012 - 5:34 am Link to this Comment | Reply

8. RareOne
Hard hitting facts that Harvard can hardly ignore. An excellent piece nonetheless. Phyllis please write more on the how islam is not only contributing to the spread of terror but slowly dismantling the very fabric of democracy around the world.
Time for Harvard to clean up its act and give back the taliban petro $ to the prince of Saudi Arabia. Its absolute hypocrisy that Harvard & Eck show. How can they accept millions of petro $ when women in the Middle East do not have even the rights that camels in that country has? ban of bananas/cucumbers as they can seen as phallic symbols. give me a break. Oh! by the way, I dare Eck to show her intimacy with her partner in Saudi where its punishable by death.

January 5, 2012 - 5:35 am Link to this Comment | Reply

Dave
I’ve had enough with Harvard idiots. OBama’s the latest given respect where none is deserved. They have 38 Billion + in their endowment and the greedy bastards bow down to islamists for more $. I recall a few years ago when MASS was proposing a 2.5% tax on the endowment and the VP of Finance at Harvard cried foul – said something like – not fair – that would be like taxing success!. Freaking hilarious.

January 5, 2012 - 12:13 pm Link to this Comment | Reply

9. Suvendu
Dr. Swamy clearly said how to wipe out Islamic TERROR. He did not say wipe out Islam.

BTW Dr. Swamy is right simply coz a terrorist attack of this magnitude cannot be possible without LOCAL SUPPORT..

January 5, 2012 - 5:43 am Link to this Comment | Reply

10. Girish
Diana Eck completely exposed in this article. Excellent post by PHYLLIS CHESLER. We need many more such writers with such mindset who can educate people about truth.

January 5, 2012 - 5:59 am Link to this Comment | Reply

11. Ganesan
I believe Eck has done yeomen service to Indian and world politics, by forcing Dr. Swamy to direct his attention to Indian politics where he’s needed more. He’s aging and a lot needs to be done in India.

Which is more important, teaching economics/ math to a bunch of already talented students at Harvard (who will get another good Prof anyway, hopefully), or helping India rid itself of its corruption in politics, when almost no one else is able to do what he’s doing?

Harvard has done the right thing by dismissing Dr. Swamy from its services, though for wrong reasons.

January 5, 2012 - 6:10 am Link to this Comment | Reply

Gopal
Very well said, Mr.G! Harvard’s loss – India’s gain. btw, Excellent article – many thanks!

January 5, 2012 - 11:38 am Link to this Comment | Reply

12. Ramesh
U do not need big intelligence to understand Islamic terrorism. All and any fire points around the world, including in Arabic world – one side is a Muslim. They fight with Hindus in india, Christians in philippines, Jews in Israel, Buddhists ans Jains in Thailand etc and with themselves (Shia Unni) in their own ciuntries this has to be stopped. But then who will pay salary of eek except saudi bin laden?

January 5, 2012 - 6:17 am Link to this Comment | Reply

13. Giti Thadani
I met Diana Eck many years ago and she said that she knew sanskrit but apparently thats not true – how can she have the nerve to write on indology unless she thinks its her christian right to colonize. The truth is Diana Eck hates the idea of intelligent autonomous indians who care about their civilization and cleansing the country from corruption & islamic terror as their mediocrity and will to power would be challenged. Furthermore accusing Dr Swamy of ‘rascism’ and on the other hand supporting an islamist supremacist speaks lengths about her bigotism and ability to deny the genocides practised by islam on the original people of india, sind etc. May I remind her that in 1947 there were 51% hindus in sind as well as parsis jews sikhs. Still it was declared an islamic state. Today 1 % is left. Basically Eck though she claims to fight for women and is an open lesbian has no empathy for those women, lesbians and gays killed by islam, yet uses the politically correct card to cover up her own colonial attitude

January 5, 2012 - 6:19 am Link to this Comment | Reply

14. Tom Carew
It is not accurate to suggest that in Egypt, churches are not allowed – the Copts are about 10% of the population and there have been several lethal attacks by fanatical Islamicist gangs on church members while leaving their churches, which are public buildings, not covert. Saudi Arabia is of course a very different story.

January 5, 2012 - 6:24 am Link to this Comment | Reply

Ken C.
I guess it depends on the degree of freedom you expect in the word “allowed”. I would not say they are allowed, more accurately I think would be something like “tolerated”. It’s virtually impossible to build a new Christian church in Egypt. It is also very difficult to repair existing buildings. To build a new Christian church anywhere in Egypt requires security clearances and a presidential permit. None of which are likely to be granted by the current government. Repairs require permission from the local governor and security forces. You can certainly quibble about the correct word describing the state of churches in Egypt but I think the article is an accurate one.

January 5, 2012 - 8:52 am Link to this Comment | Reply

Peggy
@Ken C

Let me add that not only do Egyptian Christians face a nearly impossible process to gain permission to repair their churches, they also have to answer to the local mobs who demand changes to the historical structures that eliminate any distinctively Christian features visible from the street.

One recent riot was touched off because the Christians refused to remove a dome and other identifying features of their historical structure. After the Muslims rioted and destroyed the church, it was the Christians who were blamed for destroying interfaith harmony in the community.

So it goes whereever Islam dominates. The world of reality is completely inverted and twisted into a surreal funscape where the rules are dictated to always and in everything to favor Islam.

I haven’t read the article by Dr Swamy so I won’t say yay or nay about it. However, I think that all cultures have a right to resist their subordination to another. Rising in defense of one’s own culture does not have to equal hatred or bigotry.

January 5, 2012 - 11:35 am Link to this Comment | Reply

Charles
Tom, the simple fact that a centuries-old church is a visible public building does not have any relevancy when discussing the realities of Egypt’s every day life. The Christians in Egypt are being systematically squeezed out by an intolerant culture that has been emboldened by the recent post-Mubarak success of the Muslim Brotherhood. While there will be no “official” policy that condemns Christians and other religions, the reality on the street will be very different.

I think it would be splendid if President Obama would embark on an “interfaith outreach” and send Eck and her wife to Egypt and Nigeria on a fact finding tour. I’m sure this dynamic duo would report back to congress that the Christians in these countries should have all foreign aid cut off for having provoked the peace loving Muslims by not respecting sharia, by failing to preach/promote acceptance of gay marriage and refusing to allow pedophiles positions as Boy Scout leaders.

January 5, 2012 - 11:58 am Link to this Comment | Reply

15. Jayaraman Rajah Iyer
Dear Phyllis Chesler,

Dr.Swamy’s Virat Hindu concept articulated well by him which was the basis on which Harvard showed him the door, is similar to Darwin theory of evolution, which was challenged in US Supreme Court in 1920s. During the hearings of the case, the US Judge intervened to remind of the person in the witness box defending teaching of Darwin’s theory in schools- “Mind you, he is a Harvard Professor”. In this case I want to remind Harvard, “Mind you, Dr.Swamy is a Harvard Professor”. His virat Hindu concept cannot be challenged in any court, for that’s the truth & challenge if anyone can, if anyone wants to. Let Harvard focus on education and leave religious concepts for questioning, at the expense of freedom of speech, to the courts of law. Harvard University has succumbed to a pressure group led by Eck. Question Eck’s motives. Question Harvard’s right to question freedom of speech. One should not enter into the domain of religious misconceptions that take away the main point – Harvard is at wrong.

January 5, 2012 - 6:46 am Link to this Comment | Reply

16. Indianwitchhunt
This Diana typifies what actually is wrong with PC thinking. It has caused the demise of UK as a “liberal” country and will eventually engulf Europe & US in its midst. Americans have to raise a voice against this for their own good sake. As for India we will take on the world. Sad to see that Americans have already forgotten who caused 9/11 !

January 5, 2012 - 6:52 am Link to this Comment | Reply

17. Proud Pagan
I forget what was the Quranic punishment for homosexuality. Is it stoning to death or a painless beheading?

January 5, 2012 - 7:06 am Link to this Comment | Reply

18. George Jochnowitz
Extremes meet. Eck is a pro-gay, pro-tolerance activist who has joined the most anti-gay intolerant forces of persecution. She reminds me of Ron Paul, who has joined up with leftist extremists to oppose American foreign policy and, in effect, Israel’s existence.

January 5, 2012 - 7:18 am Link to this Comment | Reply

19. Mike2
The answer to the mystery of why far left individuals align themselves with radical Islam still evades me. Does not Diana Eck not realize that if she lived in an Islamic country she would be either publicly whipped or executed for her open lesbian lifestyle? Maybe you can’t fix stupid after all.

January 5, 2012 - 7:19 am Link to this Comment | Reply

David Wall
“The answer to the mystery of why far left individuals align themselves with radical Islam still evades me.”

Eck, the Havard administration and Islamists are united by their anti-reason, anti-Westernism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Americanism. This trumps everything else. Obviously, Dr. Eck and the rest of them take for granted the freedoms granted by American institutions (military, police and courts) which protect them from anti-homosexual Islamists.

To think that most Americans (that Eck and her associates probably completely distain) continue to consider Harvard professors as our country’s elite challenge one’s natural optimism and hope for the future.

January 5, 2012 - 12:05 pm Link to this Comment | Reply

20. shamit
I am amazed at the number of comments in such a short time, peple are bothered , concerned worried, what harward does become a precedent……….free speech is a casuality……..

January 5, 2012 - 7:19 am Link to this Comment | Reply

21. PAthena
Diana Eck is a crackpot. She thinks she is married to a woman, the Reverend Dorothy Austin, which she is not – the birds who mate on my balcony always mate male to female, as do all sexually reproducing animals. She is a bigoted ignoramus – why is she on the faculty of Harvard?

January 5, 2012 - 8:09 am Link to this Comment | Reply

22. Olivepower
Dr. Swarmy should sue Harvard for racial discrimination and wrongful firing, and Diana Eck for slander and racially motivated harassment.

January 5, 2012 - 8:13 am Link to this Comment | Reply

Gopal
Well, he does not have time. Indians are indeed grateful to Harvard for freeing two precious months of his time, where he is busy filling the jails with the corrupt rulers, single-handedly fighting the establishment as a private individual in courts.

January 5, 2012 - 12:02 pm Link to this Comment | Reply

23. marsouin
These constant charges of islamophobia are diversion from the REAL problem: kaffirophobia! Hardly a month goes by in the US that another jihadist plot is uncovered to slaughter the kaffir. Sometimes, the jihadists are successful, but their actions are met only with silence by the Apostles of Conspicuous Compassion and muslim “civil rights” groups. We kaffir aren’t worth much.

January 5, 2012 - 9:05 am Link to this Comment | Reply

Dave
um – what’s a kaffir?

January 5, 2012 - 12:14 pm Link to this Comment | Reply

Dean from Ohio
A kaffir is an (unclean, awful, terrible, dirty, pagan, wretched, death-deserving, Allah-hating) unbeliever in Islam. I guess you must be one since you obviously don’t know whom to hate for being unclean, awful, etc. etc. Now, however, you can be one by choice.

January 5, 2012 - 12:48 pm Link to this Comment | Reply

i pledge allegiance
A kaffir is a derogatory term describing any unbeliever in Islam. The more I learn about Islam, the more I despise it.

January 5, 2012 - 1:07 pm Link to this Comment | Reply

24. exdem
At its root this is about sharia compliance. Harvard is already well on its way to becoming a sharia compliant campus with its female Muslim segregated gym hours, so why should it come as a surprise that they would yield to sharia blasphemy laws against criticizing Islam.

Phyllis mentioned the influence of Tariq Ramadan, Islam’s travelling snake-oil salesman, but let’s not forget the influence of Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal. He has been going around buying, I mean investing in Ivy League universities.

For a long time Harvard banned ROTC from the campus, but yielded now that the banning of gays from the military has been officially lifted. Defense Secretary leon Panetta recently ruled that Junior ROTC [high school level] had to allow female Muslim members to wear the hijab with their uniforms. It’s only a matter of time before this ruling floats up to the college level ROTC which shold make Harvard’s acceptance of ROTC even more palatable.

The sad thing about all this is that during WWII Ivy League universities produced some of our most dedicated and decorated members of the Armed Forces with many serving in the most dangerous clandestine operations. This was a proud tradition of these institutions – no more.

January 5, 2012 - 9:08 am Link to this Comment | Reply

25. tanstaafl
“dialogical Islam”

Oh wow, Diana, what an obscure way to say talking about Islam.

Obscurantism, the hallmark of the idiotlogue.

Islam (given its insistence on it alone as the definitive word of God) isn’t really interested in dialogue…interfaith or any other kind.

Besides lying through taqiyaa, what is there to talk about ? Hasn’t Diana read the Koran ?

Also, Swamy clearly states that “Islamic terrorism is India’s number one national security problem….and already the successor to Osama bin Laden as the al-Qaeda leader has declared that India is the priority target for that terrorist organization and not the USA.”

India is a much closer target of opportunity, more accessible, to AQ morons.

To me it seems like Harvard is now following the 21st century version Spanish inquisition or the procedures used in dealing with Galileo….The rise of appeasement of unacceptable Islamic militant interests in return for endowments in U.S. academia is quite alarming.

Oil money buying chairs at American universities (how ironic) and grateful recipients bending over and spreading ‘em, propagating lies about Islam.

I don’t think Swamy should wait for an apology from Harvard.

I’d say he’s lucky to be out of that nest of vipers.

January 5, 2012 - 9:08 am Link to this Comment | Reply

26. aa2643
I am very concerned about the lack of longterm clarity shown by individuals like Eck. They do not perceive that by condemning Swamy’s article as “Hate Speech” and by successfully removing him from Harvard they are in fact perpetrating the same crimes that they are supposedly trying to police. Her acute sense of paranoia over appearing Islamaphobic has made this decision a very biased one. This story illustrates that it is okay to criticize religions-just not fundamental Islam.

January 5, 2012 - 9:27 am Link to this Comment | Reply

27. RebeccaH
Diana Eck is yet another in a very large crowd of fellow travelers and useful fools, blind to the damage she causes while she goes about her goody-two-shoes business.

January 5, 2012 - 9:29 am Link to this Comment | Reply

28. Chris
So sad to see almost the entire world putting its collective head in its arse and hiding from creeping sharia. The problem will engulf everyone and we will have one religion by 2040, unless we act with intelligence and courage, unfettered by the greed for petrodollars. When the Islamists take over

January 5, 2012 - 9:58 am Link to this Comment | Reply

29. sri
Swami is an Indian he gave his opinion to eliminate Muslim terrorism FROM INDIA whether it is hate speech or not it is entirely related to India only did any Indian student irrespective of religion complained about swami article NO it is only foreign cunning students who want to bend india complained we dont need saudi or pakistani students opinion on india related issues and this ekk reacted only to make the money donors happy

January 5, 2012 - 10:06 am Link to this Comment | Reply

30. Sankar
In the guise of left liberalism and pandering to Islamic terror,American Universities are committing a crime which History would not pardon.
Dr Swamy is also fighting world’s biggest scam worth USD 35 Billion dollars and taking on mighty politicians. He is also a lone voice in a compromised society fighting against Islamic terror.But he has been receiving overwhelming support from the silent majority.
Harvard deserved Dr Swami and not Dr Swami deserved Harvard
Saudi funding is okay and Diana Eck is the torchbearer of what Harvard stands for today- muzzling of free speech and blatant surrender to Islamic fundamentalism. Americans have short memory.9/11 is history now.
If Harvard has any respect to be regained it must restore Dr Swamy to place of honor and explore ways of getting rid of Islamic supporters spreading their virus of condescending attitude to Islamic terror

January 5, 2012 - 10:27 am Link to this Comment | Reply

31. Sister Hawk
Pathetic, liberal white guilt is what motivates Eck and all the pc left these days. I marvel at the tradition these folks have of fighting for church state separation, while islamofascism is so baldly hateful toward anything even remotely sensible. Eck and all the hypocrites make the religious right look like a study in reason.

January 5, 2012 - 10:34 am Link to this Comment | Reply

32. Carl Bankston
As I point out in the blog below, the most astonishing thing about the Harvard faculty’s censure of Professor Swamy is that the members of a faculty of a university in Massachusetts are so arrogant that they believe they should ostracize a citizen of another nation for what he writes about his country’s internal politics in a publication in that country.

http://cantheseboneslive.blogspot.com/2011/12/harvard-cosmopolitans-gone-wild.html

January 5, 2012 - 10:54 am Link to this Comment | Reply

33. Johan Fellstef
You left out this part:

“The Muslims of India can join us if they genuinely feel for the Hindu. That they do I will not believe unless they acknowledge with pride that though they may be Muslims, their ancestors were Hindus. If any Muslim acknowledges his or her Hindu legacy, then we Hindus can accept him or her as a part of the Brihad Hindu Samaj (greater Hindu society) which is Hindustan. India that is Bharat that is Hindustan is a nation of Hindus and others whose ancestors were Hindus. Others, who refuse to acknowledge this, or those foreigners who become Indian citizens by registration, can remain in India but should not have voting rights (which means they cannot be elected representatives).”

Add his call to remove 300 mosques and it is over the top. Perhaps one should choose one’s allies and battles a little more carefully than this.

January 5, 2012 - 11:40 am Link to this Comment | Reply

Sam Fallnow
People cry that Muslims don’t want churches built in their countries but when a Hindu calls for the destruction of 300 mosques it’s not a problem. Is this really the free speech you want to defend? If so one is not using reason to define a side but simply the side to define the side.

January 5, 2012 - 2:11 pm Link to this Comment | Reply

34. Mike H.
follow the money-how much $ has Harvard received and from whom

January 5, 2012 - 12:01 pm Link to this Comment | Reply

Gopal
We may get to know the ‘price’ when the Harvard president visits India in Jan.

January 5, 2012 - 12:05 pm Link to this Comment | Reply

35. SusanHW
Dr. Chesler,
This is an outstanding piece! Thank you for researching and writing it. Shame on Harvard and every PC knucklehead employed there.
I don’t think most Americans are aware of the Hindu genocide. I’ll share this with my circle.

January 5, 2012 - 2:30 pm Link to this Comment | Reply



http://pjmedia.com/blog/tariq-ramadan-supporter-diana-eck-leads-the-charge-against-fired-islamophobic-professor/