Leader of anti-Condoleezza Rice protest at Rutgers celebrates victory over U.S. 'imperialism' on Kremlin propaganda channel

BY CHARLES HOSKINSON | MAY 6, 2014 AT 5:13 PM





Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gestures while speaking at the California Republican...A Rutgers University professor and frequent critic of U.S. "empire" said Tuesday during an interview with the Russian government-supported propaganda channel Russia Today that a campaign against former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's appearance as a commencement speaker was "a stand on principle" because of Rice's support for the Iraq War and the "torture" of detained terrorism suspects.

Professor Deepa Kumar, who teaches journalism and media studies at the university's New Brunswick, N.J., campus, apparently missed the irony of celebrating her victory over "imperialism" with an appearance on the propaganda outlet of a government that recently invaded and seizedthe territory of a neighboring country which had formerly been part of its empire, in violation of awritten agreement not to do so.

Kumar had previously tweeted her joy at Rice's withdrawal Saturday as commencement speaker for the Class of 2014 after vocal protests by students and faculty.

Judging from her willingness to appear on RT, Kumar's frequent criticism of U.S. media methods does not extend to those of government-sponsored propaganda outlets. But that's not the only problem with her alleged "principles." They pointedly exclude the rights of those who criticize Islamist extremism.

She has written extensively on the "Islamophobia" she says is inherent in the U.S-led war on Islamist extremism, referring to it as "anti-Muslim racism" -- a phrase which ignores the basic fact that Islam, as a global faith, encompasses people of all races. Her most recent book, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, blames anti-Islamic sentiments in the West on imperialism, beginning the tale with the Crusades. This is a convenient starting point for her theory, since it avoids an important context: Up until the time of the Crusades, parts of Europe, including Spain, Portugal, southern France and Sicily, had been under Islamic colonial domination for centuries, and nearby states were threatened with the same fate by expansionist Islamic regimes.

Her defense of Islamist extremism is so extreme that in 2006, she angrily criticized leftists who decried militant violence designed to suppress publication of cartoons satirizing the Muslim prophet Muhammad, then doubled down on the criticism in another essay which referred to Muslim reformers such as Wafa Sultan as "indigenous collaborators with empire."

She went after liberals again in her RT appearance, saying she would also question the invitation of a Democratic former secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

Both examples show Kumar is just another tenured radical whose tedious, unimaginative writings betray her hypocrisy.

I pity her students.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/leader...rticle/2548146

Looks like she had a personal agenda.
Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire Paperback

by Deepa Kumar

5 customer reviews



In response to the events of 9/11, the Bush administration launched a “war on terror,” ushering in an era of anti-Muslim racism, or Islamophobia. However, 9/11 did not create the image of the "Muslim enemy." This book examines the historic relationship between anti-Muslim racism and the agenda of empire building.

Beginning in the eleventh century and the context of the Crusades, Deepa Kumar offers a sweeping historical analysis of the changing views of Islam and Muslims in the West, examining the ways that ruling elites throughout history have used the specter of a “Muslim enemy” to justify their imperial projects.

The language of Islamophobia that was developed in the context of the European colonization of the Middle East continues to thrive today in the United States. Kumar expertly exposes and debunks various myths about Muslims and Islam that have become widely accepted in the US.

She goes on to analyze the US's checkered attitude towards the parties of political Islam, outlining how it has treated Islamists as both allies and enemies. By examining local conditions that have allowed for the growth of Islamists, Kumar shows that these parties are not inevitable in Muslim-majority countries but are rather a contemporary phenomenon similar to the rise of Christian, Jewish, and Hindu fundamentalisms.

The final section of the book sheds light on how the use of Islamophobia in justifying foreign policy necessitates and facilitates political repression at home. Attacks on Muslim Americans have spread to attacks on dissent in general. Kumar concludes by making a powerful case for a grassroots movement that challenges anti-Muslim racism and the projects of empire.


Deepa Kumar is an associate professor of media studies and Middle East studies at Rutgers University and the author of Outside the Box: Corporate Media, Globalization and the UPS Strike. Kumar has contributed to numerous outlets including the BBC, USA Today, and thePhiladelphia Inquirer.
http://www.amazon.com/Islamophobia-P.../dp/1608462110