Inviting Mahathir Mohamad to Speak at Columbia University is a Validation of Antisemitism

These days, it’s not that difficult to see the divisions in our world. College is supposed to heal these divisions and teach our young people that diversity is not only acceptable, but it is beautiful.

The message at Columbia University is the opposite.

Malaysian politician Mahathir Mohamad has been invited to speak at the university. The problem with this invitation is that Mr. Mohamad is not only an avowed anti-Semite, he takes pleasure in openly spewing the poison that comes out of his lips.

In defending the invitation, University President Lee Bollinger, stated the following:

“This form of open engagement can sometimes be difficult, even painful. But to abandon this activity would be to limit severely our capacity to understand and confront the world as it is, which is a central and utterly serious mission for any academic institution,” 

Mr. Bollinger claims that the ” invitation is neither a “validation” or “endorsement” of the speaker’s views.”

As I see it, the problem with the invite is that it validates antisemitism. It validates the BDS movement and other organizations that regularly harass Jewish college students, especially those who support Israel.

Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe in free speech and a college student’s opportunity to expand their world and their perspective. However, given the current political and cultural climate that we live in, a clear line in the sand must be drawn. That line is hate speech. The question is if university administrations have the balls to draw that line.

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Will the Phone Call With the Ukrainian President Be the Straw That Breaks the Camel’s Back?

For nearly three years, many Americans (myself included), have been angered, stressed and generally not happy with the actions of the man we unfortunately refer to as the President of the United States.

At every turn, we ask is this enough? When will we reach the breaking point to finally get this man out of office?

That breaking point may have arrived. During a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, you know who may have threatened to pull back promised financial assistance if Mr. Zelensky did not investigate the business interests of Presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.

It appears that the this phone call may be the straw that finally breaks the camel’s back.

As of earlier this afternoon, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) announced that a formal inquiry has been launched. If the results of the inquiry go in a certain direction, impeachment becomes a serious possibility.

While impeachment does not mean that he will be forced out of office, it is certainly a step in the right direction (at least from my perspective). It says that no one, not even the President is above the law.

Perhaps being impeached will finally teach him that.