In a letter to Brandeis President Frederick M. Lawrence, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad wrote in part:
“We believe offering such an award to a promoter of religious prejudice such as Ali is equivalent to promoting the work of white supremacists and anti-Semites. Granting her an honorary degree is unworthy of the American tradition of civil liberty and religious freedom represented by Justice Louis Brandeis and the great university that carries his name.
“While Ali is free to spew anti-Muslim hate — including her call for violence against the entire Muslim world — in any venue she chooses, she does not have a similar right to be honored for that hate by a prestigious university.
“Whatever Ali has done in the area of human rights has been irreparably tarnished by her anti-Muslim and anti-constitutional rhetoric.
“For example, in her acceptance speech for the Axel Springer Award, Ali seemed to express sympathy for mass murderer Anders Breivik, who included her writings in his manifesto. …
“During the course of a single 2007 interview with Reason Magazine Ali said, ‘I think that we are at war with Islam,’ called for the closing of ‘all Muslim schools’ in America and urged that Islam be ‘defeated.’
“Also in that interview, Ali claimed ‘there is no moderate Islam’ and suggested that the U.S. Constitution should be amended to allow for discrimination against Muslims saying, ‘There were no Muslim schools when the constitution was written. There were no jihadists.’. …
“Would you, as head of a university named after the first Jewish justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, remain silent if a similar honor was offered to an individual who said ‘we are at war with Judaism,’ that all Jewish schools in America should be closed and that the Constitution should be changed to deny rights to members of the Jewish community?
“I hope that after reviewing her intolerant, inflammatory and unconstitutional views, you will agree with us that Ayaan Hirsi Ali is unworthy of the great honor Brandeis University plans to bestow on her.”
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
