College and University Monitor

...In September, Columbia University invited Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad of Malaysia to speak as part of its World Leaders Forum, despite Mahathir’s proudly self-proclaimed antisemitism which has included repeating age-old stereotypes about Jews and money, questioning historical facts about the Holocaust and blaming economic downturns on George Soros.
Three pro-Israel groups on campus – Students Supporting Israel, Aryeh and J Street U – voiced their concerns about Mahathir’s visit to university president Lee Bollinger in a letter. The organizations said they did not expect the university to cancel the address but that “it ought to show its Jewish students that it cares about their safety.”
In many ways, the students’ approach was admirable: They let their views be known, and the event itself went on without disruption. However, the effect of their letter was to telegraph that Columbia would be on safe ground while hosting the antisemitic leader. This is a peace of mind the university would not have enjoyed when sponsoring virtually any other bigot....