@couplemoreweeks: no, only the Muslim students present taunted/chased the Jewish students out of the building. Or do you really think every single Muslim and Palestinian clubs were present when the divestment resolution passed? Also, I heard that thing about the Sharia law was a joke, and the Senate leader was using it as satire because that’s what Islamophobes use to ridicule Muslims, and so she was poking fun at that.
@3girls3cats: students HAVE spoken out against the students who were being threatening and racist in their actions. Several different clubs, which include about 3 Muslim/Palestinian-related clubs, spoke out against and condemned the drawing of the swastika on the Jewish fraternity house and against any further threatening messages. (on the same note, Muslim students should NOT be targeted just because they are Muslim. There are Muslim students who have said that they were called anti-Semitic, terrorists, etc. just because they are Muslim and that they weren’t even present at the divestment meeting, did not care about the political turmoil between Israel and Palestine, and did not have anything to do with the swastika at all, and they were just trying to study for their midterms and do what normal, hardworking students do).
@sopranokitty, it is reprehensible that Muslim students have been called terrorists simply because of their faith. It is also reassuring to hear that several clubs have spoken out against the threats against Jewish students. I wish it were more publicized and celebrated because it’s a really important step toward dialogue.
Are you a student at UC Davis? Do you know if there are any student organizations that bring Muslims and Jews together? (e.g. Not In My Name?)
@3girls3cats: I graduated last year, so not anymore. However, my sister is currently a senior there at UC Davis, and I still keep up with news regarding UC Davis via Facebook since I’m still a part of the UC Davis group on that website. The only student organizations I can think of where Muslims and Jews can interact with each other without political conflict are professional clubs (i.e. the Pre-Vet Club for pre-veterinary students, the Davis Pre-Dental Society, etc.), the a capella singing groups, and interest clubs like the Davis Anime Club, the Astronomy club, the Ski or Snowboard club, etc. Most non-ethnic or non-political club are generally where people from all different backgrounds can safely interact with each other without fear, from what I’ve seen.
The anti-Semitism in Davis isn’t just about Israel. Davis is progressive on issues of environmentalism, but as a town and school is not very tolerant of minorities. I wouldn’t be surprised if the swastikas were not people who feel strongly about Israel but regular Jew-haters local to Davis who saw this as an opportunity. I’ve had more difficulty being ethnically Jewish dealing with UC Davis staff than any student activist. I was filling out some forms once… all the while the white lady at the desk was toying with her cross necklace. She wasn’t doing that for the student before me. Guess who’s forms mysteriously disappeared/were never filed? I’ve also heard ‘dirty Jew’ and ‘greedy Jew’ from white people who weren’t involved in any protesting (and neither was I). My Christian friends are always like “no big deal” and “isolated incident” but stuff like this really hurts and affects my studies. I don’t feel safe.
At the same time, I fear for the safety of other minority groups – like sopranokitty said, Muslims are being harassed as well. This doesn’t even get into the difficulties of students of color and LGBT students.
There have been lots of swastikas at Davis over the years, see “Incidents of Racism” on this page: https://daviswiki.org/Race_%26_Ethnicity
Only with the AEPi one has Katehi said something. Also note there are plenty of incidents of other targets of racism, and this is only a partial list.
^ I am Southeast Asian American, but even as a minority, I’ve never felt threatened in any of my years here, nor have I been been a target of any slurs. I’m not sure how many racial incidents against Asian Americans there’s been, though, since the link only names an incident in 2012 (an isolated one by a white woman) and in 1999 where they’ve been targeted. The ones that report racial slurs being thrown don’t specify which group was targeted.
“Allah Akbar” is not a term only used by some extremist Muslims, every Muslim says it when they pray or pretty much anything else, so you guys saying that anybody who says it should be in trouble is ignorant and just flat out racist itself. You guys need to check yourself. I’m not saying what happened was OK, but just remember two wrongs don’t make a right?