{"id":2085802,"date":"2023-10-31T18:46:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T22:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-of-colorado-ethnic-studies-dept-scrubs-statement-saying-hamas-did-not-commit-terrorism\/"},"modified":"2023-10-31T18:48:38","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T22:48:38","slug":"university-of-colorado-ethnic-studies-dept-scrubs-statement-saying-hamas-did-not-commit-terrorism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-of-colorado-ethnic-studies-dept-scrubs-statement-saying-hamas-did-not-commit-terrorism\/","title":{"rendered":"CU Ethnic Studies Dept retracts statement denying Hamas&#8217; involvement in terrorism."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Funiversity-of-colorado-ethnic-studies-dept-scrubs-statement-saying-hamas-did-not-commit-terrorism%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2085802&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>We\u2062 vehemently reject the language of &#8220;terrorism&#8221; \u200bused by the US and Israel to\u200c justify the Israeli state <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-atf-nominee-has-long-history-of-anti-gun-statements\/\" title=\"Biden ATF Nominee Has Long History of Anti-Gun Statements\">killing machine<\/a>, say faculty members<\/h2>\n<figure><figcaption>(Ronen Zvulun\/Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>The University\u200d of Colorado Department of\u2064 Ethnic Studies has stirred controversy by removing \u2063a statement\u2063 from its website that argued Hamas&#8217;s recent attack on Israel should not be labeled as &#8220;terrorism.&#8221; The department \u2062believes that the United States employs this term to rationalize the Israeli \u200dstate&#8217;s violent actions.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2062 statement, released \u2064on October 23, expressed the\u200d department&#8217;s condemnation of \u2063the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-of-colorado-ethnic-studies-dept-scrubs-statement-saying-hamas-did-not-commit-terrorism\/\" title=\"CU Ethnic Studies Dept retracts statement denying Hamas' involvement in terrorism.\">ongoing\u2062 settler violence perpetuated<\/a> by the Israeli \u200cstate occupation.\u200b It \u200dfirmly stated that the violence inflicted by\u200d the state \u2062of Israel upon Palestinians in Gaza and other occupied territories cannot be considered a \u200bbalanced &#8220;conflict&#8221; between two equally violent sides. Furthermore, the department firmly \u2063rejects the use of the term &#8220;terrorism&#8221; by \u2063the\u2062 US \u2064and\u200b Israel to justify the Israeli\u200d state&#8217;s killing machine.<\/p>\n<p>Although the department removed\u2063 the statement from its website a \u2064week \u200clater,\u200b it did not\u2062 distance\u200c itself from its anti-Semitic \u200brhetoric. Instead, the\u2063 department explained \u2064that \u200dit \u2064took down the statement due\u2062 to concerns about the safety of its faculty and students,\u200c citing &#8220;intersectional oppression and attacks&#8221; \u200bas the reason.<\/p>\n<p>In \u2064an update\u200d on\u200d October 30, \u2064the\u2062 department stated, &#8220;Because the\u2062 Department of Ethnic Studies and \u2064our faculty, \u200dstaff, and students find ourselves under attack for the statement \u200dwe \u2064had previously shared on our website, \u2063we \u200bare removing\u2062 the statement because we do not\u2063 wish anyone in our community to feel unsafe.&#8221; The department condemned\u200b the intersectional oppression and attacks faced by \u2062its community for exercising \u200btheir academic freedom.<\/p>\n<p>This decision\u200d by\u200b the\u2064 department comes at a time when \u200cfaculty members at prestigious universities\u2064 across the country are defending Hamas&#8217;s assault \u200bon Israel. For\u200b instance,\u200b over\u200d 100 professors at Columbia University signed an \u200copen letter \u2064characterizing the attack as a &#8220;military response&#8221; and expressing support\u2063 for\u200b students \u200bwho labeled the\u2064 Israeli government \u2062as &#8220;fascist, racist,\u200b and colonial.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While Columbia University\u200d has remained silent \u200don the matter, the University of Colorado has denounced the Department of Ethnic Studies statement. Chancellor\u200b Philip DiStefano clarified that the statement &#8220;is not an official \u200dCU Boulder position on the Israel-Hamas War.&#8221; Former GOP senator Cory Gardner also criticized the department, calling its statement a &#8220;shameful expression from academics who clearly have no \u200cbusiness teaching.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Despite these developments, University\u2062 of Colorado professor Arturo Aldama, chair of the Department\u2064 of Ethnic Studies, and Daryl \u200dJoji Maeda, the department&#8217;s dean and vice provost of\u200b undergraduate education, have not provided any comments on \u2062the issue.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Ethnic Studies, as stated in its mission statement, aims to advance the knowledge, history, and experiences\u200c of marginalized communities of\u2063 color and Indigenous nations. It \u2064seeks to challenge and\u2064 critique \u2062all forms of oppression\u2062 and work towards \u2064emancipatory futures for \u2062all\u200d people. \u2064In addition\u200b to arguing against labeling Hamas&#8217;s\u200d actions as \u2064&#8221;terrorism,&#8221;\u2062 the department&#8217;s October 23 statement \u200calso framed the Israel-Hamas\u200b conflict as a feminist issue.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As a department that embraces intersectional, anti-racist, and \u2062decolonial feminist, \u200dqueer,\u200b and trans\u200c scholarship and activism, we\u200b stand\u200c in solidarity with the\u2064 Palestinian Feminist Collective in \u2064affirming\u2062 Palestine\u2063 as\u200c a feminist issue,&#8221; the statement declared. &#8220;Building upon our commitment to antiracist feminist perspectives in\u2063 our scholarship and activism, we amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, Arab, Muslim, and Jewish feminist and queer\u2063 scholars and activists, in support of the long-standing Palestinian struggle for liberation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are \u200bsome arguments made \u2063by\u200d academics and \u2064activists against the use of the term &#8220;terrorism&#8221; to describe Hamas&#8217;s actions?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Essors from\u200b Princeton University signed a letter expressing their support for Palestinian\u2063 rights \u2062and condemning Israeli aggression.\u200d This letter\u200d argued that Hamas&#8217;s actions should not be labeled as &#8220;terrorism&#8221; but rather as resistance against occupation and\u2063 oppression.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy \u2063surrounding the University of\u200b Colorado Department of Ethnic Studies reflects a larger debate over the language used to describe the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The use of\u2062 the term &#8220;terrorism&#8221; by\u200d the United States and Israel has been called into question by\u200d academics \u200cand activists who argue that it is a political tool used to legitimize\u2063 Israeli violence and dehumanize Palestinians.<\/p>\n<p>The department&#8217;s \u200dstatement emphasizes\u2062 the power dynamics at play in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\u200b It \u200cargues that the violence inflicted by the\u2063 Israeli\u200c state upon Palestinians cannot be equated with\u200b the\u200b actions of Hamas, which is often portrayed as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-refuses-to-denounce-antifa-despite-group-continuing-to-wreak-havoc-across-u-s\/\" title=\"White House refuses to denounce Antifa despite group continuing to wreak havoc across U.S.\">violent extremist group<\/a>.\u200d Instead, it calls for a recognition of the structural violence and oppression faced\u2063 by Palestinians under\u200c Israeli occupation.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2064decision\u2064 to remove the\u200d statement from\u200c the department&#8217;s website is a contentious one. While some argue\u2063 that it\u200c was a necessary step to ensure the safety of faculty and students, others see\u2062 it as an infringement\u2064 on academic \u2062freedom and \u200ca capitulation to pressure from pro-Israel \u2062groups.<\/p>\n<p>By\u200c removing the statement, the department may \u2062have avoided further backlash \u200cand \u200dpotential harm to its members. However, it also \u200dopens the door for criticism, as some believe that the department should have stood firmly behind its initial statement and defended its position.<\/p>\n<p>This incident\u200d highlights the\u200d challenges\u2063 faced by academics and institutions \u2064when engaging with \u2063issues \u200brelated\u200d to Israel\u2062 and Palestine. The Israeli state has consistently labeled its actions as self-defense against \u2064terrorism, while Palestinian activists and their\u2062 supporters \u2063argue that it is a form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/google-backs-diversity-team-member-who-smeared-israel\/\" title=\"Google Backs Diversity Team Member Who Smeared Israel\">state-sponsored violence<\/a> and oppression.<\/p>\n<p>As discussions around the conflict continue, it is crucial\u2062 to critically examine the language\u2063 used to describe the actions of both sides. By reframing the conversation \u200dand moving away from the use of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-bill-would-require-books-on-all-gender-expressions-in-every-elementary-school\/\" title=\"California Bill Would Require Books on \u2018All Gender Expressions\u2019 in Every Elementary School\">politically charged terms<\/a> like\u2064 &#8220;terrorism,&#8221; we can foster a\u2063 more nuanced understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian\u200c conflict and\u200c work towards\u2063 a just and lasting \u200cpeace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The University of Colorado Department of Ethnic Studies has removed a statement from its website, which criticized the US and Israel for labeling Hamas&#8217;s attack on Israel as &#8220;terrorism.&#8221; Faculty members reject this language and question the justification for Israel&#8217;s actions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2020,"featured_media":2085803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2085802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2085802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2085802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2085802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2085803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2085802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2085802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2085802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}