debray@sbcs.UUCP (Saumya Debray) (09/13/83)
A professor here at Stony Brook recently started a big controversy when he suggested that Zionism is a form of racism comparable to Nazism in Germany and apartheid in South Africa. I remember seeing similar views advanced on the net a few months ago. I myself don't know enough to have an opinion on the matter, but I'm curious and would like to learn more: (i) What *exactly* is meant by the term "Zionism"? (ii) Does the state of Israel have laws that discriminate on the basis of race? (Please give details and references.) I realize that this is probably a sensitive issue for many people, so would like to add the following disclaimer: I neither support nor oppose the thesis that Zionism is a form of racism; I seek merely to gather information, so as to be able to decide for myself. If you have information, I would be more than glad to hear it and discuss the question further. Please try to avoid the impassioned and asinine vituperation that often seems to pass for intelligent debate on the net. Send responses by mail to: Saumya Debray SUNY at Stony Brook ...philabs!sbcs!debray P.S.: The debate here at Stony Brook continues ... this seems to be a great opportunity for our politicians to make political capital: now, the Governor of New York has jumped into the fray, with statements whose logic seems bizarre and twisted even to my impartial mind. It makes one wonder ...