72 blog reactions to http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2008/03/gone_by_the_bard.html

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2008/03/jewish_book_week.html http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2008/03/salt_in_the_wounds.html http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2008/03/gone_by_the_bard.html http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2008/03/love_the_sinner_hate_the_sin_1.html http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2008/02/reading_the_tea_leaves.html

A group of British students have refused to sit for an exam on Romeo and Juliet because of the anti-Semitism that Shakespeare displays in Merchant of Venice. Not a late April Fool's Day Joke. Story here. Some secularist commentary here. Not mentioned: what the girls think of My Name Is Rachel Corrie. All snark aside, this is obviously one of the dangerous endgames we get into when a work (or artist's) politics are the only grounds used for evaluating their work, and the only scale

students at a Jewish school in north London to answer an exam question on The Merchant of Venice as a protest against antisemitism may open a can of proverbial worms. But Seth Freedman, writing at Comment is free, beat me to it noting: [T]here could be similar boycotts of TS Eliot, Wagner, Ezra Pound, and any number of other artists whose personal ethics are called into question by students. Similarly, the precedent has now been set for his pupils to opt out of studying any texts After all, all forms of prejudices, bigotry and discrimination can be found in almost all kinds of writing. So, where do we stop? What if religious students decide some aspects of biology (i.e. evolution), are against their moral and personal beliefs

The Crisis of Perception (The Cutting Edge) Hooters comes to Sheffield (The F Word) ‘Don’t build this mosque’ (Islamophobia Watch) Obama says Islam smear offensive to Muslims (Islamophobia Watch) Gone by the Bard (Seth Freedman, Guardian CiF) Praying in fear (Koonj the Crane) Ed Husain justifies UK visa denial to Qaradawi (Islamophobia Watch) Sunday March 02 2008 Religious schools ’show bias for rich’

The Crisis of Perception (The Cutting Edge) Hooters comes to Sheffield (The F Word) ‘Don’t build this mosque’ (Islamophobia Watch) Obama says Islam smear offensive to Muslims (Islamophobia Watch) Gone by the Bard (Seth Freedman, Guardian CiF) Praying in fear (Koonj the Crane) Ed Husain justifies UK visa denial to Qaradawi (Islamophobia Watch) Sunday March 02 2008 Religious schools ’show bias for rich’

Most active Love the sinner, hate the sin (245) commentsColonial realities (231) commentsHow Britain turned its back on the white working class (221) commentsThe awful squeal of fundamentalism (206) commentsGone by the Bard (204) commentsJackboots and Whole Foods (171) commentsIsrael's only option (140) commentsTruce or bloodbath (139) commentsGive it up, guys (124) commentsThe cowgirl will see you now (120) comments

Most active Love the sinner, hate the sin (245) commentsColonial realities (231) commentsHow Britain turned its back on the white working class (221) commentsThe awful squeal of fundamentalism (206) commentsGone by the Bard (204) commentsJackboots and Whole Foods (171) commentsIsrael's only option (140) commentsTruce or bloodbath (139) commentsGive it up, guys (124) commentsThe cowgirl will see you now (120) comments

Most active Love the sinner, hate the sin (245) commentsColonial realities (231) commentsHow Britain turned its back on the white working class (221) commentsThe awful squeal of fundamentalism (206) commentsGone by the Bard (204) commentsJackboots and Whole Foods (171) commentsIsrael's only option (140) commentsTruce or bloodbath (139) commentsGive it up, guys (124) commentsThe cowgirl will see you now (120) comments

Most active Love the sinner, hate the sin (245) commentsColonial realities (231) commentsHow Britain turned its back on the white working class (221) commentsThe awful squeal of fundamentalism (206) commentsGone by the Bard (204) commentsJackboots and Whole Foods (171) commentsIsrael's only option (140) commentsTruce or bloodbath (139) commentsGive it up, guys (124) commentsThe cowgirl will see you now (120) comments

Most active Love the sinner, hate the sin (245) commentsColonial realities (231) commentsHow Britain turned its back on the white working class (221) commentsThe awful squeal of fundamentalism (206) commentsGone by the Bard (204) commentsJackboots and Whole Foods (171) commentsIsrael's only option (140) commentsTruce or bloodbath (139) commentsGive it up, guys (124) commentsThe cowgirl will see you now (120) comments