 In 1985 , Said suffered personal consequences for his political activism when the Jewish Defense League ( JDL ) traduced Said 's public statements about the state and nature of Arab – Israeli relations , and officially said that Said was a Nazi , because of his anti – Zionism statements , which the JDL viewed as anti @-@ Semitism ; an arsonist set fire to his office at Columbia University , and he and his family were continually subjected to <unk> and " innumerable death threats " . 
