Is Malia Bouattia an anti-Semite

If that's what she meant then she could have worded it differently.

Anti-Semitism is still a major problem which is on the rise, so making statements that perpetuate stereotypes which dehumanise Jews is dangerous, especially when you're a public figure.

She referred to media outlets as Zionist-led, which sounds like a statement that Anti-Semites would make about Jews, except that they would replace the word "Zionist" with "Jew". At best it was carelessly worded, which isn't OK in today's climate. At worst it was bigotry.

I used to run the Palestine Society at uni and while I do recognise that there have been unwarranted accusations of Anti-Semitism by those who wish to shut down criticism of Israeli government policy, I had to constantly keep a sharp eye on my own society and make sure that debates and criticism didn't stray into the unacceptable territory of bigotry against Jews and Israelis. Sometimes people either don't know the difference and had to be corrected or didn't want to bother learn it. Taking the old arguments against the Jewish people and replacing it with "Zionist" is both harmful and lazy.

Yes. And it's odd because I thought that kind of comedy, militant-left posturing had gone out of fashion with students. Perhaps it's making a comeback, or at least with the ones who can be arsed to vote in NUS elections (which is about 10% iirc)

The sentence in question said: "The University of Birmingham is something of a Zionist outpost in British Higher Education." I really struggle to see how you interpret that as "Jews are running the world from behind the scenes", your previous wording. Again, is it purely the term "Zionist" you object to? Would it be OK with you if she'd said the same sentence, but "pro-Israel" instead of "Zionist"?

Do you belive she is an anti Semite and do you support what she says.

http://thetab.com/uk/2016/10/16/nus-president-malia-bcxvbbs-not-take-anti-semitism-campus-seriously-22696

Calling it an "outpost" suggests a form of militancy, as though they have "taken over" the university, which is far from true.

If I'm going to be completely honest: no, I don't like the term "Zionist". I used to use it myself at times but after hearing it being used for the purpose of veiling bigotry towards Israelis and Jews, I became less comfortable with the term. It's like the Pepe Frog meme, which started off harmless and ended up being used extensively by neo-Nazis, which is why I am now suspicious of people who use it. I also don't like how it's used as a blanket statement, as you can't compare Zionists who believe in a homeland for Jews but also support a two-state solution in which the land is divided as fairly as possible to Jewish extremists who believe that God gave them the land, therefore they are entitled to all is it as per his word. Had she said that Birmingham uni tends to be more pro-Israel in comparison to other unis, that would have been fine.

You go to great lengths to defend anyone accused of islamaphobia/ anti muslim bigotry yet you think that criticising Zionism, (a political ideology) is somehow anti-semitic?

You do specialise in double standards though to be fair.

Anyone who opposes Israeli government policy/illegal settlements/the political ideology of Zionism is smeared as anti-Semitic nowadays.

A good way for the pro-Israeli bunch to shut down any debate on its history of murder and occupation.

Incorrect. There is no excuse for anti-Muslim bigotry. Or anti-semitism.
Criticising the religious ideology of Islam or Judaism, or political Zionism is perfectly acceptable.

I really don't get what part of that is difficult to understand.

The OED definition of Islamophobia includes "dislike of Islam, especially as a political ideology". I am therefore a proud Islamophobe and would defend anyone who dislikes Islam, especially as a political ideology. Again, what is there to object to there?

Obviously there are some people (like yourself, it would appear) who seem unable to distinguish between prejudice against an entire group because of their beliefs, and criticising those beliefs (which includes challenging individuals who promote those beliefs). They are not the same thing.

What you assume to be double standards is actually your inability to rationally and objectively analyse an issue, and to separate different positions, and while I have some sympathy for you on this, it isn't really my problem.

While I accept your point, I still see a couple of problems:
i) "Pro-Israel" would also cover more or less everyone from the most liberal to the theocrats and ultranationalists.
ii) While I do agree that "Zionism" has become too widely used, including disturbingly by blatant anti-semites and Holocaust deniers, I still think it retains a certain level of nuance and conceptual usefulness than something as simple as "pro-Israel" lacks. Zionism is a specific political movement with theoretical and conceptual bases that can be analysed. "Pro-Israel" is just a stance. Also:
- "Pro-Israel" restricts discourse to an adversarial, two-sided, 'Israel vs Palestine' approach, which is unhelpful for various reasons.
- It's anachronistic to describe anything that happened before May 1948. It seems a bit silly to refer to people like Herzl and Jabotinsky, who died before Israel existed, as "pro-Israel" rather than "Zionist".

Incorrect. There is no excuse for anti-Muslim bigotry. Or anti-semitism.
Criticising the religious ideology of Islam or Judaism, or political Zionism is perfectly acceptable.

I really don't get what part of that is difficult to understand.

The OED definition of Islamophobia includes "dislike of Islam, especially as a political ideology". I am therefore a proud Islamophobe and would defend anyone who dislikes Islam, especially as a political ideology. Again, what is there to object to there?

Obviously there are some people (like yourself, it would appear) who seem unable to distinguish between prejudice against an entire group because of their beliefs, and criticising those beliefs (which includes challenging individuals who promote those beliefs). They are not the same thing.

What you assume to be double standards is actually your inability to rationally and objectively analyse an issue, and to separate different positions, and while I have some sympathy for you on this, it isn't really my problem.

Again, I haven't provided any definition of Zionism. The only argument you've raised on this is that a minor semantic dispute over whether it can be called an 'ideology', because you prefer the term 'movement'.

He actually has a point; I agree with what others have said about Bouattia's anti-Semitism but it's interesting that you would call her an anti-Semite when what she said about Zionists is not as bad as what people you have defended (such as Douglas Murray) have said about Muslims.

Except of course her comments were about Zionism, not Jewish people.
Yet you hold that to be anti Semitic?

The question was about her, not about that statement. I may be wrong, but I think that she is an anti-semite. I don't think her statement about B'ham uni was particularly anti-semitic. Also remember that "Zionist" often seems to be used to avoid using the more sensitive "Jewish", and if she has said "Jewish outpost" or "Jewish controlled media", people would not be defending her - well, not so many anyway.

Also worth remembering that as a Muslim, her views on Jews is very likely coloured by Islam's attitude to them (and by the essential fact that the ability to follow a religion means that you capable of holding insupportable positions). I am always reminded of the sahih hadith where Muhammad says “You will fight against the Jews and you will kill them until even a stone would say: come here, O Muslim, there is a Jew, so kill him.”
Obviously, most Muslims are probably both unaware of this hadith, and if they were would reject it in some way. However, I get the impression that she is a little more erm, "fervent" in her beliefs and positions (on most things) than most people.

You simply don't hold the same standards for different groups in very similar situations.

If I was to say 'I believe Israel should be a secular democracy open to all people of all religions without distinction' then that would be anti Zionist but it would not be anti Semitic..

Except of course her comments were about Zionism, not Jewish people.
Yet you hold that to be anti Semitic?

Incorrect. I hold the same standards for all. I have never defended anyone who is guilty of anti-Muslim bigotry, I always condemn it. I think that Bouattia is probably antisemitic because of the combination of religion and militant-leftism and the nature of statements made. I may be wrong. If someone was a far-right Holocaust-denier and claimed that the media was controlled by Zionists I would also assume that they were anti-semitic. Again, I could be wrong.
See, no double standards. If it looks like a duck, etc - but likewise, if it looks like a chicken, etc...

I don't form opinions because of what I think I should feel, but because of evidence and reason. That is all.

Israelis are democratic enough to avoid teaching other nations what their countries should be.

I don't like Malia, she's silly and unprofessional but an anti Semite she is not.