Fresno State addresses professor's Barbara Bush comments
College holds community forum to discuss professor Randa Jarrar's controversial remarks. Campusreform.org correspondent Bernadette Tasy weighs in on 'Fox & Friends First.'
The contentious California professor who bashed former first lady Barbara Bush after her death shared a slew of hate mail she received in the months following the inflammatory remarks -- and blamed “biased” journalists for her “inhumane” treatment, a report said Wednesday.
Randa Jarrar, an English professor at California State University, Fresno (aka Fresno State), declined an interview with the Fresno Bee, but not before telling the paper she forwarded the 54 email messages to show how its “unethical” reporting instigated “violent” public reaction against her.
“I want you to see how your paper’s unethical and biased reporting feeds into inhumane and cruel treatment towards the people you write about,” Jarrar wrote. “It is violent and inhumane.”
The Bee said that while it was unable to confirm the original senders of the forwarded emails, the content of many of the messages appeared threatening and harsh. They included derogatory remarks about Jarrar's Palestinian and Egyptian heritage.
Some samples of the reader responses to Jarrar:
“Barbara Bush was a woman of Grace and compassion you on the other hand are fat Arab Pig you may not think you’re going to get fired but I wouldn’t bet that you won’t wind up Underground you’re a disgrace and should be punished appropriately,” one email read, according to the Bee.
“I want you to see how your paper’s unethical and biased reporting feeds into inhumane and cruel treatment towards the people you write about. It is violent and inhumane.”
Another read: “You belong in a cage as a sex-slave for ISIS & other Sunni jihadis. And if you ever want to return to your native slum, setup a ‘go fund me’ account for a 1-way ticket to Cairo & i’ll give you $200.”
A third read: “You’re an embarrassment to the university and contribute nothing at all to creating a better peaceful world. Here’s hoping nothing but the worst for you fatty.”
But not everyone disagreed with Jarrar’s views.
“I support your honest statements on Bush,” one email stated. “Both her husband and son are war criminals. If I can be of help please let me know. It makes me sick that she is being hailed as some kind of kind funny hero.”
In April, Jarrar drew public backlash for calling Barbara Bush an “amazing racist” who raised a “war criminal” – a reference to her son, President George W. Bush -- only an hour after the news of the former first lady's death was made public.
“[E]ither you are against these pieces of s--- and their genocidal ways or you’re part of the problem,” Jarrar said in a follow-up tweet. “I’m happy the witch is dead. can’t wait for the rest of her family to fall to their demise the way 1.5 million iraqis have.”
Jarrar’s Twitter had been set to private since April’s comments, but last week Campus Reform captured a screenshot of a tweet demanding “white editors” resign from positions of power.
“We don’t have to wait for them to f--- up,” Jarrar allegedly wrote. “The fact that they hold these positions is f--- up enough.”
According to the Bee, Jarrar is scheduled to resume teaching at the university in the fall. In April, Fresno State's president decided that Jarrar's views were protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
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