As Roman Catholic protesters picket over the prospect of the American president speaking at a private Catholic university, the Anti-Defamation League is raising Cain over the prospect of an Anglican archbishop speaking at two public universities next month.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu is scheduled to address graduates at Michigan State University and the University of North Carolina—coincidentally both finalists in last week’s NCAA championship.
Citing his long history as a strident critic of Israel and his vocal support for anti-Israel boycotts, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called Tutu a "poor choice" to deliver the commencement addresses.
"Desmond Tutu is a poor choice for commencement speaker," said Abe Foxman, ADL’s national director. "His statements about Israel have time and again conveyed outright bigotry against the Jewish homeland and the Jewish people, and his deepening involvement in the anti-Israel boycott effort should have raised a red flag. This is not someone to be held up as a model or awarded an honorary degree, given his history of bombastic rhetoric and unceasing support for the anti-Israel boycott effort."
Though Tutu has commended the Jewish community for its solidarity in the South African anti-apartheid struggle and has condemned suicide bombings, he also has supported campaigns for divestment from Israeli companies that, in his view, perpetuate the Middle East conflict and has compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to the treatment of blacks in South African under apartheid.
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CHICAGO TRIB:
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2009/04/desmond-tutu-commencement.html
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