From: perlman@qso.Colorado.EDU (Eric S. Perlman)
Subject: Re: Martin Luther King Quotes
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 21:51:59 GMT

In article <1993Jan21.201350.12953@cs.ucla.edu> steven@maui.cs.ucla.edu (Steve Berson) writes:
>jhf@dbrus.Unify.Com (Jeff Fields) writes:
>
>>In article <1jh6jtINNgvm@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu> friedenb@silver.egr.msu.edu (Gedaliah Friedenberg) writes:
>>>
>>>Being the day after Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday, I felt that it
>>>might be nice to post a few of his quotes.  There are many more like
>>>these, but I don't have time to look up more at this time.
>>>
>>>"When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews; you're taking anti-Semitism"
>
>>Although I am an advocate of M.L.K., I believe that what he said here is
>>both a generalization and a promulgation of a term that lacks meaning. I
>>know that there are some Jews who do not support Zionism, i.e. not all
>>Jews are Zionists nor are all who criticize Zionists anti-Jewish.
>
>>Also not all Semites are Jews. Anti-Semitism was a term invented in the
>>Zionist movement of the 19th century. It should have disappeared from
>>the world vocabulary then. The Semites are a geographical class of people
>>who have traditionally inhabited the area in and adjacent to the modern
>>nation of Israel. There are many tribal and religious divisions in the
>>Semitic peoples, which include Muslims, Jews, and Christians.
>>Jeffery H. Fields               email: jhf@dbrus.unify.com
>
>Someone sent me a more complete version of this quote which I 
>include here in which Martin Luther King explains in more detail
>what he means about Zionism and anti-Semitism.
>Steve
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From ucla-cs!usc!apple!agate!shelby!lindy!news Fri Jul 20 11:36:32 PDT 1990
>Article: 23074 of talk.politics.mideast
>Path: ucla-cs!usc!apple!agate!shelby!lindy!news
>From: AR.VXF@forsythe.stanford.edu (Victor Filler)
>Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
>Subject: Re: WHY IS ARENS AFRAID TO ANSWER
>Message-ID: <10522@lindy.Stanford.EDU>
>Date: 19 Jul 90 23:53:21 GMT
>Sender: news@lindy.Stanford.EDU (News Service)
>Distribution: usa
>Lines: 83
>
>
>OK, here's the complete text of King's remark, along with some
>material that puts it in context:
>
>".  .  .  You declare, my friend, that you do not hate the Jews, you
>are merely 'anti-Zionist.' And I say, let the truth ring forth
>from the high mountain tops, let it echo through the valleys of
>God's green earth:  When people criticize Zionism, they mean
>Jews--this is God's own truth.
>
>"Antisemitism, the hatred of the Jewish people, has been and remains
>a blot on the soul of mankind.  In this we are in full agreement.
>So know also this:  anti-Zionism is inherently antisemitic, and ever
>will be so.
>
>"Why is this?  You know that Zionism is nothing less than the dream
>and ideal of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land.
>The Jewish people, the Scriptures tell us, once enjoyed a
>flourishing Commonwealth in the Holy Land.  From this they were
>expelled by the Roman tyrant, the same Romans who cruelly murdered
>Our Lord.  Driven from their homeland, their nation in ashes, forced
>to wander the globe, the Jewish people time and again suffered the
>lash of whichever tyrant happened to rule over them.
>
>"The Negro people, my friend, know what it is to suffer the torment
>of tyranny under rulers not of our choosing.  Our brothers in Africa
>have begged, pleaded, requested--DEMANDED the recognition and
>realization of our inborn right to live in peace under our own
>sovereignty in our own country.
>
>"How easy it should be, for anyone who holds dear this inalienable
>right of all mankind, to understand and support the right of the
>Jewish People to live in their ancient Land of Israel.  All men of
>good will exult in the fulfilment of God's promise, that his People
>should return in joy to rebuild their plundered land.  This is
>Zionism, nothing more, nothing less.
>
>"And what is anti-Zionism?  It is the denial to the Jewish people of
>a fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa
>and freely accord all other nations of the Globe.  It is
>discrimination against Jews, my friend, because they are Jews.  In
>short, it is antisemitism.
>
>"The antisemite rejoices at any opportunity to vent his malice.  The
>times have made it unpopular, in the West, to proclaim openly a
>hatred of the Jews.  This being the case, the antisemite must
>constantly seek new forms and forums for his poison.  How he must
>revel in the new masquerade!  He does not hate the Jews, he is just
>'anti-Zionist'!
>
>"My friend, I do not accuse you of deliberate antisemitism.  I know
>you feel, as I do, a deep love of truth and justice and a revulsion
>for racism, prejudice, and discrimination.  But I know you have
>been misled--as others have been--into thinking you can be
>'anti-Zionist' and yet remain true to these heartfelt principles
>that you and I share.  Let my words echo in the depths of your soul:
>When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews--make no mistake about
>it."
>
> (From M.L. King Jr., "Letter to an Anti-Zionist Friend," _Saturday
>Review_XLVII (Aug.  1967), p. 76.  Reprinted in M.L. King Jr.,
>_This I Believe:  Selections from the Writings of Dr. Martin Luther
>King Jr._ (New York, 1971), pp. 234-235.)

Thanks both to Steve Berson and Victor Filler for typing this in.  When
the relevant passage is usually quoted, it's usually just that
two-sentence snippet and the credit is given to a speech he gave before
a rabbinical conference in '63.  I have heard it said in response that
this was a response 100% geared to its audience.  Obviously that is not so. 

-- 
"How sad to see/A model of decorum and tranquillity/become like any other sport
A battleground for rival ideologies to slug it out with glee." -Tim Rice,"Chess"
     Eric S. Perlman 				 <perlman@qso.colorado.edu> 
  Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy, University of Colorado, Boulder
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish