Matthew HamiltonJuly 31, 2012
Sgt. Benjamin Anthony was born in England but immigrated to Israel after being severely injured in a harrowing attack by a gang of anti-Semitic thugs who nearly killed his older brother, and traumatized his two younger brothers. He was only fourteen at the time. Like many Jews for the better part of a century, Anthony moved to Israel for the protection it offered against violent anti-Semites like those that assaulted his family in England, but far more important than that, he moved there because it is home. Sgt. Anthony currently serves as a heavy machine-gunner in the IDF reserves. He has fought two wars in uniform to defend the state of Israel, but he has also fought hundreds of wars for the hearts and minds of college students across the English speaking world. Anthony speaks at college campuses to tell Israel’s side of the Arab-Israeli conflict and to fight against the libels and misconceptions that so often infect college classrooms. Despite often facing enormous opposition and hatred from his audiences, Anthony dutifully continues his campaign to protect the state that he loves. What is the importance of fighting for the minds of college students? They will be the policy makers and legislators of tomorrow.
According to Sgt. Anthony, the growing number of students on American campuses that desire the destruction of Israel constitute the greatest threat to the existence of the Jewish state. Finding rampant anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli sentiments on campuses across America is by no means accidental. Universities have become breeding grounds for such sentiments as a result of deliberately calculated Islamist effort to radicalize American students. Funding to American academic institutions has become one avenue by which Islamists hope to gain influence over current and future policy makers. Such funding is usually spent on Middle East or Islamic Studies programs. Saudi Arabia, for example, has given over $20 million to both Georgetown and Harvard University, two of the most prestigious educational institutions and which are most likely to produce future American policy makers. Saudi Arabia is not the only Islamic state to be donating generous amounts to American universities; Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and UAE are also on the list of donors. Harvard and Georgetown are by no means the only universities to be receiving money for Middle East and Islamic Studies programs. Others include (but are not limited to) George Washington, Cornell, University of Arkansas, and MIT. This funding campaign constitutes a deliberate effort to expand the political influence of Islamists in America and destroy America’s relationship with Israel. The Middle East and Islamic Studies programs that are expanded with such funding most commonly espouse the world view and anti-Israeli sentiments of their Gulf State patrons. States like Saudi Arabia have a certain degree of leverage on American universities for them to teach their subjects with a pro-Arab or pro-Islamic slant. A short trip to a university near you could easily confirm that this tactic is highly effective in eroding the support for Israel among America’s future leaders.
The battles Sgt. Anthony’s fights out of uniform may be far more important than the battles that he fights in uniform. If Israel were to lose the support of America, the strategic consequences for both Israel and the US could be disastrous, which is no doubt the reason why American students are being specially targeted by Islamists. The radicalization of American university students by anti-Israeli and pro-Islamist curriculums has farther reaching consequences than first meets the eye and deserves far more scrutiny than it has received. Thankfully however, Benjamin Anthony is doing his part; hopefully Americans will begin to do theirs. Related Articles