Winking at suicide bombers

Remember a few years back the worldwide outrage when one of Britain's princes appeared at a party wearing a Nazi uniform – complete with Swastika armband?

That the Third Reich had been put to death nearly 60 years before in no way diminished this royal outrage.

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The fact that Islamic terrorism is still very much alive – and one of our world's most serious problems – explains why the Zionist Organization of America was understandably outraged by the behavior of Dr. Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania.

President Gutmann allowed entrance to her Halloween party of Saad Saadi, a student guest dressed as an Arab suicide bomber.

Dr. Gutmann not only allowed entrance but posed for a photograph with him – she with a broad smile.

Saadi and Gutmann

This photograph – which was mounted on Saadi's website and has from there been featured all over the Internet – shows him wearing a Palestinian Arab keffiyat (headdress), a plastic dynamite belt strapped to his chest and a toy machine gun. Saadi is shown in other photos carrying out a mock killing of a hostage while supposedly reading from the Quran, and posing with a young child pointing a toy gun, entitled "Influencing a future Mujahedeen."

In a letter to Gutmann, ZOA President Morton A. Klein, chairman of the ZOA Board, Dr. Michael Goldblatt, chairman of the Executive Committee, Dr. Alan Mazurek, and Treasurer Henry Schwartz wrote: "We are frankly shocked and appalled by your gross error of judgment. How is it possible that you tolerated the presence at your party of someone dressed as a suicide bomber and lend credibility to this symbol of the radical Islamic terror war against the West by happily posing with him? Would you have done the same if he had come dressed as the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan?

"Dr. Gutmann, your posing with him only lends some legitimacy while minimizing and trivializing the horrors of these vicious, heartless suicide killers of thousands of men, women and children in Israel, Iraq, Turkey, Morocco, Spain, England and elsewhere.

"In this day and age, when we are involved in an international war against radical Islamic terrorism, we should never make light of this threat against the civilized nations of the world. This episode also has wider ramifications. It may indicate that in some university circles, dressing up as a Muslim suicide bomber is acceptable, presumably because of the uncritical and warped sympathy and support many in the academy are giving to the Palestinian Arabs. The sympathy of these people would be better directed to the Israeli victims of suicide bombers, not the Palestinian society that produces, praises, promotes and honors them in their media, mosques, schools and youth camps.

"Dr. Gutmann, in your inaugural address as UPenn president, you said that 'Ignorance and hatred create murderous schisms that show no sign of narrowing.' It is hatred that creates suicide bombers and it is ignorance, among other things, that allows people to attend costume parties dressed as suicide bombers. We call upon you to take a stand against hatred and ignorance by publicly apologizing for permitting someone dressed as a suicide bomber to appear at your party and for posing for a photograph with that person."

The student-edited Daily Pennsylvanian reported:

"A student says it was just a joke, but his Halloween costume has resulted in serious criticism for University President Amy Gutmann.

"Engineering senior Saad Saadi dressed as a suicide bomber for Gutmann's annual Halloween party Tuesday night, and photos were taken of him with Gutmann and other school officials.

"Now, the pictures are popping up on the Web and alumni and others around the country are contacting the University to voice their distaste.

"Saadi told The Daily Pennsylvanian that Gutmann did not seem to take his costume too seriously. He said when he approached her for the photo, she joked, 'How did they let you through security?'

"Gutmann released a statement yesterday, saying that she did not realize what Saadi was dressed up as until after she had taken the photo. She said that after she realized he was dressed as a suicide bomber, she refused to take any more pictures with him.

"'The costume is clearly offensive and I was offended by it,' she said.

"However, she acknowledged that 'the student had the right to wear the costume just as I, and others, have a right to criticize his wearing of it.'"

Think about that.

And wonder with me how on earth Dr. Gutmann, president of an Ivy League university, could fail to recognize that this senior student was wearing the uniform and equipment of an Arab terrorist suicide bomber – until after that photograph was taken of her so broadly smiling at him?

Did the flash bulb somehow startle her into reality?

The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that Saadi posted the photograph of him in this terrorist uniform with President Gutmann and her broad smile. This was soon posted on a number of additional websites. And the Daily Pennsylvanian reported:

"Saadi added that while some party guests expressed disapproval at the costume, more people were complimentary."

At the White House, whose best-known resident signs legislation sending millions of dollars to the University of Pennsylvania, and who is further involved in the many speeches he makes at this nation's colleges and universities, I asked presidential press secretary Tony Snow:

Q: All over the Internet is a photograph of U.S. college student Saad Saadi. He's wearing a plastic dynamite belt, a Palestinian Arab headdress and a toy machine gun, as he's standing right next to President Amy Gutmann, of the Ivy League's University of Pennsylvania, and she is smiling.

And my question, surely, the president, who earned two Ivy League degrees, is appalled by this behavior by President Guttman and believes it's worse than anything done by Harvard's fired President Summers, doesn't he?

SNOW: Les, sometimes you ask questions that are just unworthy of answering because a president does not engage in –

Q: He went to two Ivy League colleges.

SNOW: I'm aware of that.

Terry?

Q: Thank you.

SNOW: Thank you.

Q: She poses with this terrorist.

SNOW: She posed with a student dressed as a terrorist.

And with that response, the daily White House news briefing ended.

Tuesday's election resulted in Congress' largest number of Jewish members, increasing from 10 to 13 in the Senate, and 24 to 30 in the House.

Since they are all well aware of how many thousands of their fellow Jews in Israel have been murdered by Arab terrorists, I expect that there will be much more concern about this Ivy League president's smiling at Arab terrorist paraphernalia than was expressed by the Bush White House.

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