President Davis and Chancellor Zerwas,

 My name is David E. Linton, and I am a lecturer at the UT Austin McCombs School of Business.  As a lecturer I have neither the experience nor the authority to determine who speaks on campus.  But, as a member of the Jewish community, I believe I have both the moral obligation and communal responsibility to write to you on behalf of Jewish students at UT Austin.

As I’m sure you are aware: on September 30, Hasan Piker is scheduled to speak on campus.  The significance of this event cannot be overstated.  It is a litmus test that will display for all Americans the degree to which UT Austin represents the pinnacle of Western education, ethics, and moral clarity, or the degree to which another great educational institution has fallen to an insidious and bigoted philosophy that wishes undermine our great nation.

Harvard, UPenn, and MITs moral decay

As a Jewish American, author, and educator, on December 5, 2023, I watched with horror the US House congressional testimony given by Harvard President Claudine Gay, UPenn President Liz Magill, and MIT President Sally Kornbluth.  When asked if calling for genocide of the world’s Jewish population – which by definition includes the murder of Jewish students that these institutions – violated the school’s code of conduct, the before mentioned presidents stated it was not a violation.  Rather, calling for the mass murder of Jews is context dependent.

No doubt, calling for the criminalization of homosexuality, deportation of Muslims, revoking women’s right to vote, or reinstitution of slavery, would violate these institutions’ code of conduct – and it should!  But, at the institutions once believed to be a beacon of Western thought, research, and morality, some groups would receive protection from harassment.  But not Jews.  Students could pitch tents, block Jewish students from entering class, harass, bully, and even assault Jewish students.  Jews would henceforth know their classmates want them dead the university administrators will condone this “context dependent” hatred.

Today, if you were asked if calling for the genocide of Jews violated UT Austin’s code of conduct, what would you say?  Is it okay for people on campus to call for the murder of my students, their families, or me?  I imagine no.  But apparently that’s a “context dependent” question at Harvard, UPenn, and MIT.

Paradox of Tolerance

In 1945, Austrian–British Philosopher Sir Karl Raimund Popper published The Open Society and Its Enemies.  In chapter 4, he described what later become known as the Paradox of Tolerance. Specifically, he wrote:

“Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.”

This observation is as true today as it was during the rise of Nazi Germany.  We must tolerate speech we hate, but we must not tolerate hate speech.  We must be open to a variety of opinions, but if such opinions are antithetical to our foundational ethical principles, we are under no obligation to offer a platform to such opinions.  We should debate policy, philosophy, economics, religion, and further our knowledge in as many fields as possible.  But, we must never – never – fool ourselves into thinking tolerating those who would undermine the very fabric of our national identity and ethical foundations, is a righteous stance.

Hasan Piker

There is no sugar coating this:  Hasan Piker’s speech is as outrageous, morally reprehensible, and dangerous, as any public figure in the last 100 years.  He has calls for the violence against American Jews,  the destruction of Israel, praised the genocidal terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, and excuses the use of sexual violence against Jewish women.

But his hatred doesn’t stop at just Jews or Israel, he hates America and law enforcement as well.  He believes American deserved the 9/11 terror attack, he incites violence against landlords, and he promotes the rape of White women as a form of ethnic cleansing.  I could go on.

Both Hasan Piker’s supports, and Hasan himself, regularly make outrageous statements and then walk them back.  This is a linguistic trick designed to normalize bigotry, hatred, and calls to violence, while simultaneously ensuring he remains platformed.  I trust the collective wisdom of the UT leadership can see through this farce.

Do what is right

This past week was the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, a day of repentance and introspection.  While at Temple Beth Shalom in Austin, the Rabbi gave a sermon and discussed how Jews should navigate an increasingly dangerous world.  She explained students who attend UT Austin asked the Rabbi if they should display a mezuzah, a traditional small decorative case hung outside their door.  Such a display would highlight to others that a Jew lives there – thereby making them a target.

This is a valid concern.  Since the Oct 7, 2023 terror attack, Jews have experienced an explosion of antisemitic hate crimes not witnessed since the 1930s.  While only 2.4% of the US population, last year Jews were the targets of 63% of hate crimes in the US.  No doubt the normalization of the speech by Hasan Piker and other like him, have contributed to this tragedy.

Martin Luther King Jr. said “The time is always right, to do what is right.”   I implore you to do what is right.  You have Jewish students who are afraid to speak, afraid to debate, afraid to let others know they’re Jewish.  Next week, unless you act, you will invite a person who openly lauds and supports the violent terrorists that assault, rape, and murder Jews.  Every Jewish UT student who lives in fear while on campus, will live in even greater fear should Hasan Piker be allowed on campus.

In conclusion

So, what is an appropriate response to vehement hateful speech?  Do we tolerate calling for the murder of Jewish students and their families, should they happen to reside between an unnamed river and sea?  Should we tolerate calls for violence against other ethic groups – Blacks, Gays Hispanics, Asians - pending an ambiguous “context dependent,” caveat as they do at Harvard?

No – we must not tolerate such speech, neither from our students, guests, nor faculty.  Like Sr. Karl Popper noted, if we hope to maintain our identity as a tolerant and forward-thinking institution, we must tolerate all but the most intolerant. 

I implore you to do the right thing.  Do not allow Hasan Piker on our great campus, and by doing so, demonstrate to liberal thinkers around the world that we will not tolerate hate speech, calls to violence, or exaltation of mass murders. 

Here, we draw a line.  This line protects tolerance by excluding only the most of intolerant.  We will do what Harvard, Upen, and MIT failed to do.  At UT Austin, we will protect our (Jewish) students, our values, our reputation, and our nation.

I pray, and trust, you have the courage and moral clarity to do what is right.

Thank you,

David