In one instance, Al-Talib, the Muslim news magazine at UCLA, published a submission slandering newly-elected Internal Vice President Avinoam Baral as Islamophobic, stemming from his participation in a trip to Israel with Hasbara Fellowships, a pro-Israel campus partnership organization. Since Baral publically denounced Islamophobia during the February divestment meeting—instead of using his allotted time to emphasize the anti-divestment case—the claim that Baral is Islamophobic came off as an attempt to harm his chances in the USAC elections.
This had serious consequences for Baral himself. “I felt personally attacked, singled-out and targeted because of my views on political issues such as divestment,” he said. “Because of the divestment issue, I have lost numerous friends, done poorly in my classes, and overall have never felt so unwelcome at this university.”
While the Al-Talib article was taken down under pressure from the UCLA Student Media administration and replaced with a watered-down version of the original grievances, this instance of slander was not isolated. Baral was attacked in several other media outlets, as were other hopeful candidates and past council members.
In addition, several student groups who support BDS and oppose Zionism authored a “Joint Statement on USAC Ethics,” which called for elected officials to refrain from taking free or sponsored trips with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, or Hasbara Fellowships.
The ethics statement received signatures from the entire LET’S ACT and FIRED UP! political slates running for USAC, which have both advocated for divestment and BDS resolutions. It received none from the Bruins United slate, which historically votes against such resolutions. Those who refrained from signing stated that the specific language of the statement singled out pro-Israel organizations, making it clear that the authors of the statement intended to silence some campus communities instead of merely advocating for USAC to remain untethered to outside lobbying organizations.
Gabriel Levine, SJP member and founder of the group Jewish Voice for Peace at UCLA, as well as one of the co-authors of the joint ethics statement, declined to comment on the issue. However, on May 28, Levine explained on KPCC’s AirTalk public radio program,
The main motivation behind the statement was from the Armenian Student Administration. Armenian students were very concerned that a member of the UCLA council this year had accepted a free trip to the AIPAC conference, a conference that has hosted anti-Armenian speakers repeatedly for the past three years. Muslim students were also concerned that certain council members had gone on trips with organizations that had promoted Islamophobic rhetoric, or also through their actions and materials that they have spread around.
Although Levine champions his cause as one that protects Muslim and Armenian people, the negative effects caused by pro-Israel organizations on these communities are tangential at best. Some Armenian students claim that the Anti-Defamation League denies the Armenian genocide. However, the ADL’s stance is better described as wary of endangering Turkish Jews, as the Armenian genocide issue is a violent and controversial one in Turkey.
Students also claim that Hasbara Fellowships perpetuate anti-Muslim sentiments, since it is connected to Aish International, which Muslim students define as Islamophobic based on various projects it funds. Since none of the targeted trips actively deny the Armenian genocide or promote Islamophobia—preferring instead to focus on educating students about Israel—many see the ethics statement as simply an attack on pro-Israel and Jewish groups.
In response to the joint ethics statement, BFI authored its own statement calling for “accountability and a respectful, positive campus climate.”
The statement asks for,
1. The 2014-2015 UCLA Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC) to denounce all forms of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism perpetuated at the divestment hearing and work toward ensuring civility and respect in future discourse about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 2. The 2014-2015 UCLA Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC) to denounce the biased “ethics” statement and draft a new statement that works toward building understanding between communities rather than destroying the campus climate. 3. The UCLA Administration to take tangible steps to prioritize a positive campus climate and inclusive academic discourse for all. The statement has received 2,239 signatures by the time this article was written.