The International Legal Forum (ILF) has demanded that Princeton University remove an anti-Israel book from its upcoming fall semester class titled “The Healing Humanities: Decolonizing Trauma Studies from the Global South.” The book in question, “Right To Maim” by Jasbir Puar, a Gender and Women’s Studies Professor at Rutgers University, accuses the Jewish state of purposefully maiming Palestinians, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
In the letter, ILF expressed concerns over the book’s “blind racism” and lack of educational value. The organization warned that including the material in the class could create a “hostile” environment on campus, which Title VI of the Civil Rights Act would prohibit. Furthermore, ILF called on Princeton University to condemn antisemitism.
The ILF emphasized that the book’s accusations are a “modern-day antisemitic blood libel” and contain “very serious and defamatory accusations.” Puar’s book argues that Israel’s military enforces the “right to maim” Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, alleging that the Jewish state deliberately seeks to debilitate Palestinian bodies to protect its “racialized capital.”
The letter also referenced Puar’s defense of comments she made during a 2016 speech at Vassar College, where she claimed that Palestinians she spoke with believed Israel was harvesting organs from the bodies of their deceased children involved in confrontations with the Israeli military.
The ILF expressed its belief in open debate on campus but highlighted that the book in question lacks educational merit and perpetuates dangerous conspiracies and age-old antisemitic tropes. The request to remove the book is not about limiting free speech but rather a testament to its potential for incitement to racial hatred and violence against the Jewish community.
The book’s content also appears to violate the recently rolled out National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism, which targets anti-Jewish hatred and the singling out of Israel. ILF’s call for the book’s removal aims to prevent the spread of harmful and defamatory ideas and ensure a respectful and inclusive learning environment at Princeton University.