Posted on 02/01/2010 5:14:28 AM PST by SJackson
A lecture last week at the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies (CNES) offered a mixture of intellectually deficient material mixed with a dash of bigotry. It was delivered by Joseph Massad, associate professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history at Columbia University.
The topic of Massad’s lecture was “Pre-Positional Conjunctions: Sexuality and/in Islam.” While past CNES lectures resulted in Israel-bashing and anti-Semitism, UCLA finally decided to honor its commitment to diversity by attacking another minority group. This time, homosexuals had their turn in the multicultural bile wheel.
From inception to completion, Massad’s lecture was nothing more than gay-bashing. This was on par with the thesis of Massad’s 2007 book, Desiring Arabs, which posits that gay sexuality among Muslims does not exist. Rather, it is a Western plot designed to undermine the Muslim world.
Massad echoed many of these bigoted themes in his lecture. He explained that “Queer is about resistance to Islam.” Similarly, he said that “There is no Arabic transliteration of queer. It is a judgmental notice of deviance.” In a particularly striking claim, Massad insisted that, for Muslims, concepts like “hate and sexuality are only translatable to English-speaking people.” Muslim honor killings, presumably, are only a figment of non-Muslims imagination.
Massad also used the occasion to present a novel – and decidedly homophobic – conspiracy theory. “Queer is an imperialist term,” he announced. “It is part of the Anglo-American gay agenda.” Indeed, according to Massad, “queer is an example of cultural imperialism.” It followed, by his perverse logic, that the “use of ‘gay’ in Iran is imperial politics.” The claim called to mind Mahmoud Ahmadinejad notorious speech at Columbia University, in which he assured the audience that there are no gay people in his country. It’s notable that the views of a theocratic despot should find such staunch backing in the hear of supposedly progressive academia.
Most bizarrely, Massad admitted he was “very interested in talking to people about their sexual experiences if they want to tell me.” Ostensibly, Arabs and Muslims would have been excluded from that discussion, since Massad also claimed that “there is no such thing as Iran/Arab/Muslim sexuality. Sexuality is an English notion.”
During a question and answer period, an audience member brought up Massad’s apparent discomfort behind the word “queer.” What word should be used instead, the questioner wanted to know? Challenged on his views, Massad offered up an answer that revealed much about the close-mindedness of modern academia. “I am not sure any discourse is necessary,” he said.
I don’t ascribe to the violence of the Arab against homosexuals, but homosexuality is contrary to nature and I’m not “homophobic”, I’m just real. I’m not “afraid” of homosexuals or afraid of being homosexual, I’m realistic. Homosexuals are not depicted in the modern media for the lifestyle they really live. The “monogamous” gay man is for the most part a fiction.
Imperialist? Plot - yes! HIV/AIDS. Biggest scam in American history aside from Social Security Ponzi Scheme, and theDemonRats Great Society!
“queer is an example of cultural imperialism.”
Well, I don’t necessarily disagree. American culture spreads all over the world; if America is supportive of abortion on demand or the notion that being gay is normal and even positive, then those concepts will also be spread all over the world.
OTOH, if America considers that “gay” is primarily a psychological end result of abusive parents (particularly fathers); and that “gay” people are still “stuck” in childhood, looking for fatherly support, then that explanation will be spread all over the world.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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This differs from the Egyptian and Saudi press in that it's being taught in America, at prestiege institutions which have even trained Presidents.
Well I wonder who the ACLU is going to support in this one?
Sitting back to watch the fur fly.
For me, the more important question is this: if a professor who happens to be a Christian, said only 10% of what he was saying, would UCLA be quiet too?
Most Liberals have no balls when it comes to standing up against Muslims...I’m sure the homosexual community is no different!
Liberals think their appeasing will earn them points with radical Muslims. They don’t realize that they’ll be the first ones to have their heads sawed off! What useful idiots Libs are!
And yet, there is a saying among muslims:
“Women are for children; men are for pleasure.”
Take that however you want to.
Fixed it for you.
Pass the popcorn!
Christians, by definition, are the close-minded remnants of the once prevalent Christendom hegemony, renowned for its patriarchal and exclusivist idealogy. Ergo, any pronouncements they make on such a topic are by definition the products of that debased and archaic philosophy. In contrast, professors who are muslim are part of the great downtrodden, and any statements or beliefs they may put forward that seem to be "non-progressive", are in fact solely the products of the cultural isolation they have endured at the hands of the dominant Judaic-Christian culture.
In next weeks lesson I will show you how warmth is the same as cold, one is the same as two, and love is a form of hate. Double-plus understand?
I got three different kinds for Christmas, have a preference? :)
Columbia Ping.
This is one of the intellectual professors at Columbia nowadays.
Yes, they are! Binary Gender Normative (no one who is anyone says "homophobic" anymore!) Hegemonic. Patriarchal. Colonial. Hierarchical. Imperial. Eurocentric. Capitalistic darwinian. Oppressive. Phallo-dominant, even.
Comrade! Let us work and strive together with our leader Barack Hussein Obama, by making sure these retrogressive attitudes melt in the face of Global Warming and we save Mother Gaia from those who hold them.
Actually, Massad has a point about this. This is two wings of Cultural Marxism in conflict, the Gramsci-Marcusian sexual liberation school vs the Fannon-Focault “Wretched of the Earth” school. Let them kill each other.
I got a sweet tooth! :)
Thanks.
I forgot imperialist and colonialist and capitalist.
Got red, white, blue, and yellow, no sweet. :(
In that case, I’ll have a mix of “red, white and blue” for myself, and some yellow for the libs :)
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