So much of what gets passed off as ‘progressive’ thought and activism is essentially indistinguishable from extreme, West-hating, Islamist-style bigotry. Take the recent example of Salma Hamamy, which has gone largely overlooked. From a recent article:

‘‘This week, Salma Hamamy, president of the main pro-Palestinian student group at the University of Michigan, shared (and then deleted) a social-media message (see pic) stating, “Until my last breath, I will utter death to every single individual who supports the Zionist state. Death and more. Death and worse.”…

While she may be an undergrad, Hamamy is hardly anonymous. She was one of four undergraduates to receive the University of Michigan’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award honoring students “who best exemplify the leadership and extraordinary vision of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” The Michigan Daily endorsed her campaign for student-council president. State, national, and international newspapers have [cited] her as an example of the kind of progressive Democrats have to placate.

Last month, the New York Times jointly profiled her and a pro-Israel activist in a story presenting both as searching for common humanity.’’

I’ve said repeatedly, not all criticism of Israel is illegitimate. I have grave concerns about the nature of Israeli military actions myself. But there is absolutely no doubt that we’ve seen quasi-genocidal, anti-Israeli and at times anti-Jewish/Islamic supremacist fanaticism re-packaged as pacifism. It’s a complete sham.

I’ve addressed this in depth in 4 recent essays - please subscribe and give them a read.