Yesterday, University of California regents confirmed Sadia Saifuddin, a government leader of Berkeley, as the next student regent despite strong opposition from some Zionist Jews and pro-Israel advocacy groups for having a pro-BDS movement Muslim regent at US Campus. Her confirmation became unanimous after Jewish regent Richard Blum abstained.
Regent Bonnie Reiss, the chair of the committee that nominated her, praised Saifuddin as a student and leader and sought to counter any suspicion that the social welfare major is anti-Semitic. Reiss, who went out of the way to describe herself as a Jew who strongly supports Israel, said she respected the views of those who challenge the appointment. But she emphasized that Saifuddin would not have been named “if we did not believe her commitment to represent and serve all UC students regardless of religion or political point of view.”
At a news conference after her confirmation vote, Sadia said she would not be pressing divestment or other issues involving Israel, calling those “irrelevant” to her position as a student regent.
While she has her own personal views on the matter, she said “those have nothing to do with my work as a regent.” She said she would work to improve financial aid and to improve campus climate for students of all ethnic and religious backgrounds.
A few months ago, UC Berkeley senior Sadia Saifuddin, was picked from a field of 30 applicants to serve on the UC Board of Regents during the 2014-15 academic year. Her nomination irked some pro-Israel Jewish advocacy groups from day one.
A vicious anti-Sadia campaign was lead by Campus Jewish lobby group Hillel. The Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA) called her “anti-Israel student leader”, for being associated with the BDS movement and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim lobby group, which JTA claims promotes radical Islam.
The Israel-Firster Simon Wiesenthal Center, named after the top Zionist con-man Simon Weisenthal, launched a petition against Saifuddin’s nomination. “We think an appropriate Muslim candidate could have been and would be a wonderful student regent. This has nothing to do with religion. It has to do with opportunism and championing things she cares about on the one hand and trampling on things other people care about on the other,” said Aron Hier, the Simon Wisenthal Center’s director of ‘Campus Watch’. He also met with Regents Sherry Lansing and Bonnie Reiss to lobby against Saifuddin.
Other pro-Israel anti-Muslim advocacy groups like Roz Rothstein’s ‘StandWithUS’, David Horowitz’s ‘FrontPage Magazine, and others have called on the UC board to reject Saifuddin’s appointment alleging that her anti-Israel activities as Senator and member of Muslim Students Association (MSA) at Berkeley, disqualify her to represent the UC’s 220,000 students.
California-born Sadia Saifuddin, 21, is a practicing Muslim. Her parents are immigrants from Pakistan. She has become the first Muslim student to hold such high position at a US Campus. She will be a great asset to BDS movement and Muslim interests in United States. Her personal blog can be visited here.
The President of University of California, Dr. Mark Yudof, is a Zionist Jew and an avowed supporter of the Zionist entity. The Jewish students make 3% at the UC compuses.
Naomi Zeveloff wrote in the Jewish Weekly Forward on January 20, 2012: “As the debate about Israel rages on college campuses across America, there is one figure for whom the conversation takes on strikingly personal dimensions: the Jewish college president. About 20 Jewish men and women hold the highest positions at universities across the country, including campuses that have become hotbeds of political activism on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For these individuals, the role of president entails a constant balancing act between encouraging free speech on campus and honoring their personal, often supportive, views of Israel.”
UC Sadia Saifuddin defeats Jewish lobby | Rehmat's World
Regent Bonnie Reiss, the chair of the committee that nominated her, praised Saifuddin as a student and leader and sought to counter any suspicion that the social welfare major is anti-Semitic. Reiss, who went out of the way to describe herself as a Jew who strongly supports Israel, said she respected the views of those who challenge the appointment. But she emphasized that Saifuddin would not have been named “if we did not believe her commitment to represent and serve all UC students regardless of religion or political point of view.”
At a news conference after her confirmation vote, Sadia said she would not be pressing divestment or other issues involving Israel, calling those “irrelevant” to her position as a student regent.
While she has her own personal views on the matter, she said “those have nothing to do with my work as a regent.” She said she would work to improve financial aid and to improve campus climate for students of all ethnic and religious backgrounds.
A few months ago, UC Berkeley senior Sadia Saifuddin, was picked from a field of 30 applicants to serve on the UC Board of Regents during the 2014-15 academic year. Her nomination irked some pro-Israel Jewish advocacy groups from day one.
A vicious anti-Sadia campaign was lead by Campus Jewish lobby group Hillel. The Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA) called her “anti-Israel student leader”, for being associated with the BDS movement and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim lobby group, which JTA claims promotes radical Islam.
The Israel-Firster Simon Wiesenthal Center, named after the top Zionist con-man Simon Weisenthal, launched a petition against Saifuddin’s nomination. “We think an appropriate Muslim candidate could have been and would be a wonderful student regent. This has nothing to do with religion. It has to do with opportunism and championing things she cares about on the one hand and trampling on things other people care about on the other,” said Aron Hier, the Simon Wisenthal Center’s director of ‘Campus Watch’. He also met with Regents Sherry Lansing and Bonnie Reiss to lobby against Saifuddin.
Other pro-Israel anti-Muslim advocacy groups like Roz Rothstein’s ‘StandWithUS’, David Horowitz’s ‘FrontPage Magazine, and others have called on the UC board to reject Saifuddin’s appointment alleging that her anti-Israel activities as Senator and member of Muslim Students Association (MSA) at Berkeley, disqualify her to represent the UC’s 220,000 students.
California-born Sadia Saifuddin, 21, is a practicing Muslim. Her parents are immigrants from Pakistan. She has become the first Muslim student to hold such high position at a US Campus. She will be a great asset to BDS movement and Muslim interests in United States. Her personal blog can be visited here.
The President of University of California, Dr. Mark Yudof, is a Zionist Jew and an avowed supporter of the Zionist entity. The Jewish students make 3% at the UC compuses.
Naomi Zeveloff wrote in the Jewish Weekly Forward on January 20, 2012: “As the debate about Israel rages on college campuses across America, there is one figure for whom the conversation takes on strikingly personal dimensions: the Jewish college president. About 20 Jewish men and women hold the highest positions at universities across the country, including campuses that have become hotbeds of political activism on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For these individuals, the role of president entails a constant balancing act between encouraging free speech on campus and honoring their personal, often supportive, views of Israel.”
UC Sadia Saifuddin defeats Jewish lobby | Rehmat's World