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Stephen Hawking & the Making of an Immoral Decision
Ari Lieberman
May 15, 2013 @ 12:30 am
Daily Mailer,FrontPage | 4 Comments
I recently wrote an article where I suggested the possibility that
latent anti-Semitism, of the kind that has recently manifested itself
throughout Europe, may have played a role in influencing Stephen
Hawking’s recent odious decision to boycott a conference scheduled to
take place in Israel. The conclusion is a logical one. There are 22
Arab countries and according to Freedom House, none can be considered
wholly free. Moreover, a recent report conducted by the bipartisan
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom highlighted
egregious abuses throughout the Muslim world where suppression of
religious freedom and persecution of non-Muslims is the norm. Iran was
criticized for “State sponsored anti-Semitism” while Egypt was faulted
for doing little to protect its Coptic Christian minority as well as
systemic and widespread anti-Semitism in Egypt’s media. In the
Palestinian Territories, Christians in Gaza fear for their lives while
in Bethlehem, Muslim intimidation of the Christian minority continues
unabated. By contrast, Israel, though not without fault, was the only
state ranked free in the Middle East region. The contrasts between
Israel and its Muslim neighbors in every metric of freedom, progress
and enlightenment could not be starker, and that raises the question,
why would Hawking single out the only democracy in the Middle East for
special treatment while ignoring the loathsome transgressions of her
Islamic neighbors?
While discussing the article with a colleague and what role if any,
anti-Semitism played, he offered another explanation, one having
nothing to do with anti-Semitism. He suggested, somewhat half-
jokingly, that Hawking displays some of the telltale signs of being an
Idiot Savant. Savants typically lack normal social communication
skills, but possess an abnormally high skill in such isolated
disciplines as mathematics and art. This type of personality is very
easily manipulated. Quite obviously, Hawking is not a savant but the
suggestion did enlighten me as to other possibilities for his
seemingly irrational and amoral decision.
It is quite obvious that the progression of Hawking’s degenerative
disease has taken its toll on his frail body. It is also probable that
his disease and the cocktail of medications that he’s required to
imbibe rendered him susceptible to undue influence and that the
Palestinian “academics” and “activists” who pressured him were keenly
aware of this frail man’s vulnerabilities.
Palestinian manipulation of the weak and frail is nothing new and is
in fact standard practice. During the second intifada, Palestinians
routinely utilized women and children, some of whom were
developmentally delayed, to carry out suicide bombings. In one
particular egregious incident, Palestinian terrorists persuaded a
disfigured woman, seeking medical treatment in Israel, to blow herself
up in the midst of those very medical personal treating her.
Fortunately, the scheme was detected before coming to fruition and the
terror attack, which would have likely produced horrendous casualties
on par with those witnessed in the Boston atrocity, was thwarted.
But the incident does provide some insight into the mindset of
Palestinian terrorists and “activists” and their insidious efforts to
exploit human frailties. In this regard, the depravity of some
Palestinians and the depths to which they will stoop to accomplish
their nefarious aims, knows no bounds. If they are thus capable of
exploiting vulnerabilities for the purpose of causing mass murder, it
goes without saying that they would employ similar tactics to
influence political thinking.
A third, more simplistic explanation for Hawking’s inanity can be
found in the ancient Jewish prayer of Amidah, where one petitions God
to grant intelligence, wisdom and understanding. I never fully
comprehended and appreciated the depth of this passage until the
Hawking fiasco. Here we are confronted with a man blessed with an
abundance of intelligence but sorely lacking in basic scruples causing
him to succumb to the depths of stupidity.
A confluence of the above three noted elements likely played a role in
Hawking’s decision to mimic the Nazi Brown Shirts of 1933. New anti-
Semitism of the type described by human rights activist Natan
Sharansky permeates British academia and higher learning institutions
from the top down. But the manipulative role played by Palestinian
activists in shaping the views of a sickly, frail man can not be
overlooked. Lastly, basic common sense and understanding of the issues
currently underlining the Arab-Israel dispute should have facilitated
a more sympathetic view and appreciation of Israel’s position vis-à-
vis the Arabs irrespective of Palestinian undue influence. Hawking
clearly and utterly failed the test of wisdom.
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