As many of you know, a major issue this week is the controversy and concern caused by the University inviting Dr. Azzam Tamimi to speak on campus.

Dr. Tamimi was invited by ISoc as an academic and political activist to give a speech on their event, "In Pursuit of Justice: Remembering Gaza". The event aims to raise awareness of the atrocities committed by the Israeli military during the 2008 Israel/Gaza conflict and will take place today - Wednesday, 20th January, 2010 - at 5PM in the Avon Room, Staff House.

My involvement

Last week I was contacted by a member of JSoc who expressed strong concerns over Dr. Tamimi speaking on campus. Since then I have been subsequently contacted by another four other JSoc members and LGBTQ students who shared similar concerns. The general consensus was simple; the students concerned wanted to have the event pulled.

I must admit that I was caught unawares and was severely lacking in prior knowledge of the matter; had to play catchup and really get the research in.

Background of the issue

As biographies across the Internet will attest to, Dr. Tamimi is the director of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought in London, a prominent member of the Muslim Association of Britain and the Stop the War coalition, makes regular TV appearances and is a columnist for the Guardian.

Dr. Tamimi often speaks up for Hamas - which is still officially recognised in the UK as a terrorist organisation - and he is regarded by many as "the Hamas envoy to the UK" (see here). He has, on many occasions, affirmed his strong belief that giving one's life for a just cause is a noble cause (see this BBC hardtalk article for more information). Naturally, the right wing media has taken to twisting these opinions into arbitrarily praising suicide bombers, having seen the opportunity to incite more Islamiphobia in the UK.

However, one thing is clear: Dr. Tamimi is clearly a passionate believer in the cause of Hamas and has in fact stated that suicide bombing is necessary given the oppression faced by the Palestinian people. That alone is a very extremist opinion and a very dangerous thing to have on campus.

Reaction and Response

Many people have asked me why exactly the University would invite an extremist to campus. It's simple; the University and the Guild are in a difficult position. This event does not clash with the Guild's no-platform policy, although the exec certainly aren't comfortable with it. It's a no-win situation wherein the Jewish community feel threatened by this talk going ahead, but the Islamic community would feel unrepresented and discriminated against by any attempt to cancel it.

The JSoc members I spoke to are deeply concerned that allowing this kind of extremism on campus can encourage anti-Jewish attitudes and even hate crimes at the University of Birmingham. As I've said, it's too easy for people who are looking for an excuse to twist the matter, read the Facebook event and replace every instance of "Israel" with "Jews".

The concerns of myself and the LGBTQ community are of Dr. Tamimi's affiliation with Hamas, a known persecutor of LGBTQ individuals. Obviously it's not something we can afford to ignore, especially if Dr. Tamimi sings Hamas praises.

Later last week I had the chance to confer with ARAF Officer Anna Lawton on the matter and discuss what was going on. Anna has been fantastic in how she's handled this situation fairly and with great respect to JSoc and ISoc. For her trouble, however, Anna has been slandered by one or two spineless cowards - who shall remain nameless; they know who they are - who made their slanderous opinions public just long enough for people to see...then deleted them. Frankly, that does not bode well for the outcome of this event. :/

Personally, I strongly disagreed with attempts to prevent Dr. Tamimi from speaking altogether. One of the greatest freedoms we enjoy is the right to free speech and freedom of expression and this man is certainly entitled to his opinion. However, the entire student body at the University of Birmingham have a right to a hate-free environment and elected representatives must see that this happens. On that note, join this group!

The plan

I have asked that a number of Jewish and LGBTQ activists - as well as members of the Officer Team - join me in attending the event. If Dr. Tamimi is there to speak as an enlightened academic, I'm sure he'll be willing to answer our questions about life for Jews and LGBTQ people under Hamas rule impartially and fairly. If anything controversial comes up - either from speakers or guests - we'll be a position to challenge any such views. I'll also be bringing my camera to record the event.

I urge any other LGBTQ activists - with emphasis to same sex couples - to come with us to this event and freely express ourselves; ask questions and hear what has to be said.

The protest and the petition

JSoc have put together a petition for the University to withdraw Dr. Tamimi's permission to speak. While it's clear that nothing can be done at this point to implement this, JSoc maintain it's important to show just how many people are in support of their stance. While JSoc and the Jewish Community on campus have had my full support on this issue, I did not sign the petition on the basis that I don't believe stiffling a speaker is the answer; the right to free speech - although certainly not perfect - is not arbitrary, but it does entail the responsibility of allowing others to express themselves freely.

There will also be a protest organised by members of Student Rights outside the event.