The College Fix

The University of Southern California’s Alireza Tabatabaeenejad, a professor in the school’s Electrical Engineering Department, reacted this past week to an article in the Wall Street Journal questioning Iran’s Holocaust denial cartoon contest.

“Holocaust denial or recognition is not a measure of moderation,” Tabatabaeenejad tweeted.

Tabatabaeenejad later clarified that tweet by asking why such denial is not just a measure of ignorance instead of extremism (or moderation). OK, that is valid point; however, riddle me this: How is it that one so educated that he is now a professor at a major university asks this:

@NoahPollak I really don’t know. I should read about it. Why? — Alireza Taba (@alirezat) April 8, 2015

With that tweet, Tabatabaeenejad causes one to ponder his apparent ignorance of the subject (again, the guy’s a freakin’ university professor and he “really doesn’t know” if one million — or six million — Jews were exterminated in the Holocaust?) … but it’s probably more likely he’s playing silly semantical games.

So be it.

Interestingly, Truth Revolt’s Brian Lilley says that Tabatabaeenejad appears to violate USC’s rules regarding “anti-discrimination and harassment” put forth in its Faculty Handbook:

No faculty or staff member may take actions that are harassing, abusive, or intimidating against anyone based on any protected characteristic, as defined in Section 6-A (5), or commit actions that adversely affect another because of a protected characteristic. Such conduct may include, but is not limited to, the following examples, if a reasonable person would have perceived them as objectively offensive, and with due respect for the protection of academic freedom as discussed in Section 6-A (3):

• Disparaging and unwelcome racial or ethnic remarks, or disparaging and unwelcome racial or ethnic slurs, jokes, or epithets;

This is a bad course to follow.

The first reason is that there is really nothing in Tabatabaeenejad’s tweets that rise to harassment or “disparaging/unwelcome racial/ethnic remarks.” He’s just being puerile, probably on purpose.

Second, Tabatabaeenejad doesn’t teach a subject (electrical engineering) that touches on the Holocaust. As such, he’s entitled to his opinion about the topic, as moronic as it is.

Third, while I’ll always understand, and agree with, the need to battle the radical Left using many of their own tactics, Tabatabaeenejad’s actions in this case don’t warrant such. He should indeed be called out for his noxious comments and be challenged at every opportunity. But don’t try to get the guy canned.

(Not to mention, USC should rightly be laughed at for its comment defending Tabatabaeenejad — that “professors can say whatever they want.” Uh huh. Imagine if the professor had disparaged, say, women, gays, or African-Americans. Give me a break.)

Unlike someone like Steven Salaita who actually — explicitly — wrote extremely vile and disgusting things about Jews and Israel, and whose position wasn’t officially yet approved by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Tabatabaeenejad’s protections via professorial academic freedom are valid.

Dave Huber is an assistant editor of  The College Fix. (@ColossusRhodey)

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