- “After some consideration, the Goethe-Institut decided that Mohammed el-Kurd was not an appropriate speaker for this forum: in previous posts on social media, he had made several comments about Israel in a way the Goethe-Institut does not find acceptable.”
This is how the Goethe Institut, a German state-funded cultural association, justified its decision to disinvite prominent Palestinian writer and journalist Mohammed el-Kurd from speaking at its conference “Beyond the Lone Offender”.
“Appropriate” and “acceptable” are not random here – they reflect a deeply enshrined approach in Germany towards the Palestinian cause. It’s patronising: “We, the Germans, can teach you, the victims, from our comfort zone, what should or should not be said about your oppressor.”
But it also shows how Germans are subject to a ministry of thought when it comes to Israel. The “appropriate” and “acceptable” is not according to German criteria, it’s what Israel considers appropriate and acceptable.
Being haunted by their past, Germans are trying to export their feelings of guilt onto the shoulders of Palestinians. Antisemitism is not their problem anymore – it is the Palestinians’. Palestinians who are not going to bear this responsibility and apologise are not appropriate and acceptable voices.
What the Goethe Institut did is delegitimise Kurd’s voice and everything he represents. It will be hard from now on for any German institution to invite Kurd. The standard has been set. His voice is not acceptable and appropriate for Germans.
This disinvite was accompanied by almost complete silence in German society. Except for a few Germans who dared cancel their attendance in protest, not a single institution, politician or public figure dared utter a word.
The German media that covered the Goethe Institut story dealt with it as news, repeating the Institut statement. Kurd was not asked to comment. This is the way Germany deals with us: talking about us, without us.”
