Editor, Gazette-Journal:
As we see the blatant anti-Semitism on college campuses today, many of us wonder how this can be happening. We learned the history of the Jewish people—the Holocaust, and the establishment of a Jewish state—and we were taught to respect all religions. Education today is quite different.
My late husband and I were both professors at Virginia Commonwealth University, so I draw on personal knowledge. As long as 25 years ago, VCU began receiving millions of dollars from Qatar which were used to hire Arab professors to teach at VCU; generally, in the Humanities. Some funds were used to send American graduate students to teach in Qatar. The new art building on campus was built. Today, a minor in Middle Eastern studies is offered, there is a chaired position in Middle Eastern art, and a biennial symposium on Islamic Art is held at VCU.
A quick look at the faculty listings shows there are Arab professors in Painting, Fashion Design, the History Department, and in Relig...