Now UVa Has a Religious Diversity Task Force

As tensions escalate between Muslims and Jews across the United States, the Ryan administration has announced the creation of a Task Force on Religious Diversity and Belonging at the University of Virginia."The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has affected all of us," Provost Ian Baucom told the Board of Visitors Thursday. The goal is to support free speech at UVa while ensuring that "religious minorities" -- he pointedly specified Muslims and Jews -- feel like they belong, he said.Referring to UVa's "unwavering commitment to be a diverse and inclusive university," Baucom said "that work began this week and will continue this year."Kevin McDonald, UVa's vice president for diversity, equity & inclusion, and interim senior associate vice president of student affairs Cedric Rucker are "meeting with and breaking bread with our Jewish and Muslim students," Baucom said.The announcement follows two large rallies at UVa by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in support of the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel. Pro-Palestinian students have chanted, "Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea," which Israel sympathizers interpret as demanding the dissolution of the Israeli state.President Jim Ryan denounced the Hamas terror attacks, but he has declined to criticize pro-Palestinian groups for advocating what many Jews regard as a call for genocide. Supporters of Israel have deluged President Jim Ryan and the Board of Visitors with calls to exercise moral clarity and denounce SJP as well. By contrast, more than 80 faculty members signed a letter in support of the Palestinians, and pro-Palestinians put on a heavily slanted, livestreamed "teach-in." Nationally, the conflict between Muslims and Jews came to a head Tuesday as presidents of three Ivy League universities addressed a Congressional hearing about their support for the Palestinians, and outraged Jewish alumni said they would withhold their donations.The Jefferson Council has been in touch with several people active in UVa's Jewish community. Most Jewish students are laying low, afraid to speak out and draw attention to themselves. Counter-demonstrations have been feeble. Our sources tell us that Jewish students have been subjected to hostility and insults, mostly from Arab or Muslim students at UVa, not native-born Americans. Our sources do not extend to the Muslim community, but we have seen no reports of Muslim students feeling afraid to express themselves.By portraying Muslim and Jews alike as victims of the Hamas/Israel war, Baucom positioned the administration as morally agnostic.According to University of Virginia enrollment data, UVa has the following number of students from Middle Eastern and Northern African countries:Israel -- 13Iran -- 84Pakistan -- 70Turkey -- 55Egypt -- 53Afghanistan -- 24Morocco -- 18Lebanon -- 18Saudi Arabia -- 17Sudan -- 15Jordan -- 10Algeria -- 8Iraq -- 8Tunisia -- 5Syria -- 5Libya -- 3Kuwait -- 2United Arab Emirates -- 2Qatar -- 1-- JAB