Gandhi forced to resign

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Arun Gandhi, the grandson of pacifist Mahatma Gandhi, was forced to resign as president of the institute he founded in 1991, the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence at the University of Rochester, for saying that Israel and Jews are "the biggest players" in a global culture of violence.

Gandhi joined a panel of scholars, writers and clergy in a discussion for the "On Faith" page of The Washington Post. His Jan. 7 comments drew a torrent of complaints.

"My intention was to generate a healthy discussion on the proliferation of violence," Gandhi told the Associated Press Jan. 25, a day after he resigned. "Instead, unintentionally, my words have resulted in pain, anger, confusion and embarrassment. I deeply regret these consequences."

Gandhi's resignation "was appropriate" because his remarks "did not reflect the core values" of either the university or the institute, said the school's president, Joel Seligman. A forum will be held later this year to allow Gandhi to discuss issues he raised with Jewish community leaders and other speakers, Seligman said.

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