Arab-American leaders met today with Wayne State University officials, asking them to reverse its decision last week to pull a journalism award named after journalist Helen Thomas after she made controversial remarks. And they defended Helen Thomas against those who say she made anti-Semitic comments Thursday in Dearborn.
“Helen Thomas is not now and never has been anti-Semitic,” Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said tonight. “She has worked her entire career, 60 years, to bring truth to the American public and she is simply continuing to do that.”
Hamad added: “Wayne State is a friend and we were shocked. This has to be rectified.”
Robert Cohen, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit, told the Free Press that it’s “ludicrous to say that her comments were anything but anti-Semitic. When they’re saying Zionists, they’re really saying, Jews. These are stereotypes that have been used for hundreds of years.”
Three Arab-American leaders, including Hamad, met with senior Wayne State officials, including a vice-president and interim dean, Hamad said.
As reported first on Freep.com, Thomas, 90, made her controversial remarks during an interview and a speech during a workshop for Arab Detroit.
“Congress, the White House, and Hollywood, Wall Street, are owned by the Zionists,” Thomas told an audience of about 300. “No question in my opinion. They put their money where their mouth is.”
Local and national Jewish groups slammed Thomas’ remarks. The national director of the Anti-Defamation League said it was anti-Semitic. Wayne State officials also said the remarks were wrong and ended the annual Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity in the Media award.
On Sunday night, Thomas told the Free Press: “The leaders of Wayne State University have made a mockery of the First Amendment and disgraced their understanding of its inherent freedom of speech and the press.”
Osama Siblani, publisher of the Dearborn-based Arab American News and spokesman for the Congress of Arab-American Organizations, defended Thomas today. He was part of the group who met with Wayne State and has received the Helen Thomas award.
“We do not understand why a remark against a political group — the Zionists — would be interpreted as being anti-Semitic,” Siblani said. “We categorically reject equating Zionism with Judaism. We believe the real problem here is that some in the pro-Israeli community donor base are doing what they do whenever they can, which is silencing debate on the subject of Israel. But for an academic institution to silence debate is unconscionable. Universities are where debate should begin.” Hamad said that “anyone who dares to cross the line of criticizing Israel, they are called anti-Semitic.”
Others have praised Wayne State for its decision. And they said Thomas’ remarks were clearly bigoted.
“When she said… that Congress, the White House, Hollywood and Wall Street are owned by Zionists, Ms. Thomas repeated the anti-Semitic stereotypes that have been used for more than a century to incite hatred of Jews. Her comments should be condemned by all people who oppose bigotry in any form,” Cohen said.
The Arab-American group said in a statement that unless the situation “is properly addressed and corrected, this hastily-made decision will negatively impact relations between the university and the Arab American community for many years.” But Cohen and others have supported Wayne State’s decision, saying that Thomas’ remarks make her name unsuitable for the the idea of diversity.
