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Christopher Hitchens’ UCLA Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture stands as one of his most wide-ranging and disciplined discussions of religion, politics, and the Middle East, delivered within the framework of journalism, moral responsibility, and free inquiry. Speaking in honor of Daniel Pearl, Hitchens grounded the lecture in the principles Pearl represented: intellectual courage, secular values, and resistance to ideological intimidation.
In addressing Israel and Palestine, Hitchens rejected slogans and tribal loyalties in favor of historical context, political realism, and moral clarity. He distinguished between legitimate criticism of Israeli policy and forms of argument rooted in religious absolutism, conspiracy, or ethnic essentialism. Central to his analysis was the role of religion, particularly religious nationalism and political theology, in hardening conflict and foreclosing compromise. Hitchens argued that appeals to divine mandate undermine both justice and diplomacy by placing claims beyond evidence or negotiation.
Hitchens also examined the broader influence of religion in Middle Eastern politics, treating religious belief as a political force rather than a private conviction. He criticized movements that sacralize territory, violence, or identity, and warned against granting religious claims immunity from scrutiny in international affairs. Throughout the lecture, he emphasized secularism as a necessary condition for coexistence, accountability, and genuine pluralism.
Consistent with his work as a journalist and polemicist, Hitchens approached the subject without deference to orthodoxy, whether religious or political. He defended free speech, open inquiry, and the right to criticize all belief systems, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, without exception. The lecture reflected his broader opposition to the use of religion as a shield for power or a justification for coercion.
The Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture captures Hitchens at his most analytical and unsentimental, applying the same standards of evidence and moral reasoning to geopolitics that he applied to religion itself. It remains a significant contribution to discussions on Israel and Palestine, secularism, journalism, and the intersection of belief and power in modern politics.
Keywords: Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture, UCLA, Israel Palestine, Middle East politics, religion and politics, secularism, journalism, free speech, atheism, political theology, religious nationalism, skepticism, critical thinking
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