The Racist views of Moses Maimonides.
This quote was sent in by a reader:
“Those who are incapable of attaining to supreme religious values include the black coloured people and those who resemble them in their climates. Their nature is like the mute animals. Their level among existing things is below that of a man and above that of a monkey.” (Maimonides, Guide To The Perplexed, Translation from the Hebrew Version)
In defense of Maimonides, he lived at a time (circa 1200 CE) when such views were common among "civilized" people, and he is not quoting the Torah to back up his claim, meaning his opinion is his own and is not rooted in any Jewish tradition.
Still, it is disturbing that a sage of his caliber would fall prey to such stupidity – stupidity that appears to be anti-Torah.