How badly did you disgrace your University this week? If your name is Marty Peretz (’59), the answer is “very badly”.
Here’s what he recently had to say:
“Frankly, Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims. And among those Muslims led by the Imam Rauf there is hardly one who has raised a fuss about the routine and random bloodshed that defines their brotherhood. So, yes, I wonder whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse.”
We awarded Peretz the alumni achievement award in 2009. He’s frequently listed as a notable alum by Admissions. We have both the obligation and the opportunity to publicly call for him to apologize.
Sign our open letter to Marty Peretz, demanding an apology for his un-Brandeisian editorial: http://fromBrandeistoMarty.com
We’ve written an open letter that clearly states that Peretz’s remarks are not okay, and that Brandeis doesn’t appreciate those hateful words.
If an honored Brandeis alum speaks appallingly it reflects on our university and on us. Join us in calling for our University to make it clear that bigotry is not a value we honor.
If 500 community members sign this open letter, we’ll mail the letter – and the signatures – to the New Republic as a University response to his comments. The public pressure might force Peretz to apologize for his remarks – and if it doesn’t, we’ll ask President Jehuda to strip him of his alumni achievement award.
Thank you for standing with us in support of Brandeis – and universal – values.
I sent a version of this as an email to some people earlier today. I figured I’d share it with you all as well
I am going to offer a bit of counterpoint. It’s not that what Marty said is right-it isn’t; it’s that the point in the first sentence holds true. Or, rather, that some evidently believe it so.
Many of the terrorist acts in Afghanistan and Iraq were perpetrated no where near US/foreign forces. They targeted either indigenous civilians, law makers, police forces, etc.
To this end, what Marty is saying isn’t false-many radical terrorists do not mind destroying their own country members to intimidate the foreign presence/world.
Of course, all life, be it Muslim, Jewish, or of any identification at all is valuable. Marty wasn’t right to say what he said, but the point he makes is poignant as a statement regarding Islamic motivated terrorism.