Playing the racism card

"In these contentious times, debate about the Middle East and Islam is easily stifled. All it takes is for some disgruntled Arabs, preferably Palestinians, or a handful of western leftists to level a charge of 'racism'. Then the alleged offender, whether he is a Jewish author, a Christian professor, or a Muslim dissident, is silenced and shunned."

Phyllis Chesler at Front Page Magazine, 22 December 2005

This from a leading advocate of the "new anti-semitism" thesis, which basically involves labelling any critic of the Israeli government as a racist.