Harvard put on a conference that was so controversial that it lost its corporate sponsorship.
The Free Beacon reports that Harvard Universitys annual Arab conference lost its corporate sponsor after it was revealed that the controversial speaker Linda Sarsour had also been invited to speak at the conference. Sarsour is seen as being anti-Semitic in the eyes of many people.
Despite the controversy, Democrat representative Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and a Biden State Department appointee also spoke at the event. This has drawn the ire of those who believe the entire event can be painted as anti-Semitic, given the kind of speakers invited to speak there.
Tlaib and State Department special adviser Sara Minkara spoke at the event with speakers calling for an end to U.S. support of Israel. Even McKinsey & Company, a primary sponsor of the event, pulled its support after learning about the kind of speakers and what they had been speaking about while they were there. Despite this, it doesnt appear to have been enough of a warning to get Tlaib and Biden Administration officials from participating in the event anyway.
The website for this gathering says its the largest pan-Arab conference in North America and draws over 1,000 attendees to discuss key issues with the regions most prominent politicians, business people, and civil society leaders.
Jewish Insider reported that speakers at the event supported the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. American Muslims for Palestine director of development Mohamad Habehh, a speaker at the event, even called Zionism a very stupid idea.
McKinseys decision to back out of the event is particularly notable given that the firm is not typically bashful about sponsoring potentially controversial events. They have backed events held in China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. However, this specific event was too much even for a firm that typically isnt that concerned with dealing with controversial clients. That should tell you something about just how extreme they viewed this event.
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