Anteaters for Israel, the UC Irvine pro-Israel student organization, posted these three clips of yesterday's Amir Abdel Malik Ali speech at the Anteater Plaza Flagpoles.
Tags:
Amir Abdel Malik Ali,
MSU,
Video
I've decided to try out the new Blogger Beta for one key reason: tags. As I find time, I will update the older blog posts with tags to make searching easier. So please pardon the dust...
Ramadan: Truly Grounded in Prayer
By Brian Walker
Muslims believe that the angel Gabriel spoke to the prophet Muhammad, telling him that he was chosen to receive the word of Allah. During the month of Ramadan, Muhammad began speaking the verses which would later be transcribed into the Quran.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This year, Ramadan began on Sept. 23 in some parts of the world, and Sept. 24 in others.
During the holy month, Muslims pray, fast and give charity. At mosques around the world, Muslims read and recite the Quran daily, often finishing the entire book by Eid al-Fitr, the celebration which marks the end of Ramadan.
Many students of the Muslim faith at UC Irvine devote their lives spiritually, mentally and physically during this month.
Mariam Moustafa, a second-year biological sciences major, began her yearly fasting at the age of five and plans to continue for the rest of her life.
Moustafa admitted that during the first days of the fasting, it can be tough to concentrate in class because of thirst and hunger. However, she believes that the difficulties involved are minuscule compared to the benefits of attaining peace and a closer relationship to Allah.
“Ramadan is not just about fasting,” Moustafa said. “Fasting is only a part of Ramadan, which is truly grounded in prayer.”
Many Muslims gather in the quieter parts of campus during Ramadan and pray with fellow students.
“I often exchange a smile with fellow students who are sharing in the holy month,” Moustafa said. “It brings people closer to Allah, and closer to each other.”
Moustafa believes that this month chastens her, since she often finds herself taking things for granted. During this month, she gains a greater understanding of her blessings.
Muslims also strive to purify their actions during the month of Ramadan. Moustafa explained that the month is very important to her because she feels a heightened sense of self-awareness.
“You often don’t realize your actions,” Moustafa said. “During Ramadan, you pay more attention.”
Muslims refrain from cursing during this holy month, and also from any form of overindulgence.
Muslims donate the money that is saved on food during Ramadan to charity. More importantly, participants devote their time to charity work. In past years, Moustafa has devoted her time to the hungry on the infamous Skid Row in Los Angeles.
With excitement similar to that of Moustafa’s, other Ramadan students’ expressions, when I interviewed them, suggested that they genuinely enjoy devoting themselves during the holy month.
Many Muslim students carry their prayer rugs with them throughout the month and enjoy praying in Aldrich Park.
MSU offers a daily meal in the evenings at the Phoenix Grill where students gather, pray and break their daily fast.
During this meal, which is called Iftar, a date is usually the first food consumed in breaking the daily fast.
“Ramadan is not a penitentiary month, but a month to bring yourself closer to Allah,” Moustafa said. “It is not a punishment, but a privilege.”
The NewU did this puff piece on the annual MSU charity event "Fast-a-thon" and - as can be expected - not a word on their history of anti-Semitism.
Link to article
MSU Fast-a-thon
By Madelyne Oliver
Hungry students drifted into the Bren Events Center. During the ensuing banquet, hijabs were common and casual conversation between Muslim students flowed throughout the room.
These students were breaking fast at sunset for the Ramadan, the holiest and most significant month in the Muslim calendar.
The Fast-a-thon, a month of fasting supported by monetary pledges, began officially on the morning of Sept. 23. The period of fasting will last until sunset on Oct. 25.
It is a time when all Muslims sacrifice food as a reminder to observe their faith in God and to think of those who are starving daily.
Muslims believe that for every day they fast, food is being given to another person to eat. The notion is that homeless and needy people live without food, and those who have the luxury of food take it for granted.
Rhonda Ragab, a second-year psychology and social behavior major, explained that the Fast-a-thon is also intended to promote tolerance and understanding among those who are not aware of Muslim beliefs and customs.
For Muslims, this is a time to better their relationship with God. They display their faith by giving back to the community and different charities, thus avoiding self-indulgence.
This successful event erupted as a national campaign 60 years ago, reaching universities and eventually UC Irvine, which has held the event for the last five years.
Marya Bangee, a third-year sociology and English double major and Active External Publication Relations board member of MSU, reported that an estimated 200 Muslims and 100 non-Muslims attended and participated in the Fast-a-thon banquet last year.
The Fast-a-thon will give to charity by donating the proceeds collected from pledges and donations at the banquet.
Last year, MSU made $1,500 and donated it to relief organizations aiding the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Pakistan. This year the proceeds will go to Dignity Coalition for the Homeless, which provides medical aid for homeless people in Los Angeles.
As dark purples and bright pinks sauntered across the sky at sunset, members of MSU ate a date to end the fast and then washed their hands and face, showing their thanks for food and God.
After prayer, the feast delicious foods began. Eating is permitted until the shreds of daylight return.
Sunrise breaks with the first prayer (Fajr). The next prayers are at mid-afternoon (Dhuhr), afternoon (Asr), sunset (Maghrib) and night (Isha). Prayer plays an important role in the Muslim religion.
Some who are unaware of the traditions of Ramadan might think that sunset is a time to “pig out.” This, however, is not the idea.
While most of us enjoy three meals a day, there are people in the world who starve. Muslims believe that it is the command of God to fast, and they observe this by eating only when their religion allows them to.
“Being Muslim intermixed with others—lots of stereotypes are working against you, and here at UCI we stick together,” Bangee said. “I see it as an opportunity to reach out, because we are all human.”
Even though colorful hijabs are commonplace and prayer is expected, non-Muslims need not be intimidated when participating in this tradition with MSU.
A friendly greeting of “As-Salamu Alaykum” (peace of God be upon you) may softly sound in your ear as you pop a date in your mouth. Join the conversation and remember that we are all humans who are eating for those who can’t.
For more information about the Ramadan, Fast-a-thon and the Muslim Student Union, please visit http;//msu-uci.com.
History Lesson on Churchill
By Emilie Doolittle
Staff Writer
Historian and biographer Sir Martin Gilbert defines Churchill's role in history during his speech last week.
If the leaders of the United States could have heard Sir Martin Gilbert’s talk about Britain’s lessons regarding Winston Churchill’s forewarnings of danger, perhaps they would have been more inclined to take all threats to U.S. safety seriously.
Hypotheticals aside, what were Britain’s mistakes before World War II and how has the United States made similar mistakes in recent years?
On Sept. 28, historian and biographer Gilbert, who has written 75 books, including 12 biographies on Churchill, spoke on the years of Churchill’s life when he was unable to convince the leaders of Britain about the dangers of the Nazi regime.
Including firsthand accounts of Churchill’s life, Gilbert gave a much more detailed narrative than most historical text books. However, his speech did not stretch to connect the historical events to patterns of current affairs. His talk was simply a history lecture.
Nevertheless Gilbert mentioned difficult questions that Britain had to face during the late 1930s which are pertinent to many governments today. “How does one identify evil intentions in a government?” said Gilbert. “Does one seek an accommodation with an evil regime?”
Overall, Gilbert said that Churchill was a political outsider when Britain was in denial though they needed him as an insider. Despite Churchill’s informative speeches about the dangers lurking ahead, many political leaders at the time did not want to listen.
Would some leaders rather live in denial than have to protect themselves from every forewarned threat?
During the mid-1930s many leaders in Britain were slow to realize the threat of Hitler’s regime to their nation.
While Hitler’s power increased, so did Churchill’s disagreement with the British parliament. After the appeasement of Germany with Czechoslovakia, Churchill became upset and derided parliament leaders when he said, “Apparently you always have a disaster before anything sensible can be done to prevent it.”
British Parliament was on holiday when Hitler’s regime was growing in power.
Only 10 members of parliament supported Churchill in his view that Britain should not go on vacation and instead prepare for war with Germany.
Gilbert said that at this period Churchill turned to the front bench of Parliament and mocked them, saying, “Can I really believe that these honorable gentlemen, so full of experience, so wise and knowledgeable are saying, ‘Be gone. Run off and play. Take your gas masks with you. Don’t worry about public affairs. Leave them to us. We are gifted and experienced ministers and ... after all, we are the ones who landed us where we were left last September and at this point in time had not created any alliances against aggression’?”
According to Gilbert, “Churchill was preparing all his life for every eventuality.”
Gilbert said little about current events in his speech. However, during the question-and-answer session, he mentioned how the British Parliament debate over whether Britain should join the United States in Iraq had “a very Churchillean atmosphere.” The House of Commons was overflowing and tensions were high. Just like Churchill, many of the speakers at the debate had to speak about the hard truths they were facing.
Gilbert was introduced to the audience by history professor Douglas Haynes. Commenting on Gilbert’s speech Haynes said, “He provided a lucid chronology and provided insight into some of the political costs of a specific leader who’s out of power and yet recognizes the dangers looming.”
Humanities alumni Barry and Janet Shreiar sponsored the lecture. Referring to Gilbert’s speech, Barry said, “It makes one realize that leadership makes the hard decisions.”
Gilbert reminded the audience about what to expect from a national leader. He said that during World War II, Churchill was belittled for not knowing what he was talking about in regard to being an expert on the army. In response to his critics, Churchill said, “Of course I don’t pose as an expert on these matters, but one that judges the opinions of experts.”
No time now for comments. Link to Op-Ed.
Israeli Speaker Invites Discussion
By Reut R. Cohen
On Sept. 25, Ehud Danoch, Consul General of Israel, spoke at UC Irvine regarding current issues affecting Israel. The Anteaters for Israel-sponsored event attracted 350 individuals, including students, faculty and community.
Danoch described the many facets of Israel’s relations with its Arab neighbors.
“Soldiers gave eviction notices to families who have lived there for 35 years ... 35 years gone in one day,” Danoch said in regards to the August 2005 Gaza disengagement.
Danoch went on to explain that for the sake of peace, Israel will be willing to participate in peace talks when the situation improves.
“Israel is willing to negotiate,” Danoch said. “We are willing to do a lot. But now we don’t see any negotiation, unfortunately.”
The majority of Israelis are willing to sacrifice land if it means the end of suicide and homicide bombing, and if it produces a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The Israeli cabinet, in fact, acted in the interest of granting Palestinians their own state when it disengaged from Gaza.
Considering that Gaza today is a base for fundamentalists to launch Qassam missile attacks into cities recognized as part of Israel, I cannot fault the Israelis for refusing to negotiate with Hamas leaders. The fact of the matter is, as with Iran, Israel cannot negotiate with people who call for their annihilation.
The killing and kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by Palestinian radicals was also a hot topic.
“On June 25 of this year, a terror organization infiltrated Israel, killed two soldiers and kidnapped Gilad Shalit,” Danoch said.
Hamas and other radical groups have been hindering peace talks, and many Palestinians who would rather live in peace and work to support their families are placed in a precarious situation.
While Hamas might occasionally support Palestinians by building a school or clinic, they also represent a corrupt group of individuals who are responsible for dozens of attacks against Jewish, Christian and Muslim Israelis. The current Palestinian government, which receives millions in aid from Israel every month, is certainly not known for seeking peace.
Perhaps the most controversial topic discussed, however, was Israel’s recent war against Hezbollah. Danoch pointed out that the war was not against Lebanese civilians but against Hezbollah and its supporters.
“The Hezbollah infiltrated Israel and killed eight soldiers and kidnapped two,” Danoch said. “The population of Israel is seven million. ... Approximately one million Israelis were displaced, about one-seventh of the population.”
Israel and Lebanon should not have been in any conflict because the borders between the two countries are clearly recognized. Because of Hezbollah’s unwarranted attack on Israel, Israeli and Lebanese citizens suffered tremendous loss of life. The events this summer in Lebanon and Israel were tragic in the extreme.
In respect to Lebanon, I do, however, place much of the blame on Hezbollah, whose supporters surrounded themselves with innocent civilians and refused to let them leave Beirut.
Although I do not agree with the manner in which the war was fought and find that I cannot wholeheartedly support the current Israeli administration, I can observe, with pride, that the Israeli army is in fact very moral. The Israeli Defense Forces minimize damage to infrastructure and warn civilians of impending attacks, minimizing civilian casualties in wars.
In light of the many anti-Israel activities that occur on campuses around the country, Danoch urged the UCI campus to talk about tolerance.
“Freedom of speech is important,” Danoch said. “But when incitement begins, that’s a problem.”
Emily Shaaya, president of AFI, said that the group is working to promote tolerance on campus.
“It is a part of AFI’s mission to educate our campus,” Shaaya said. “It is important to bring someone to campus who is a scholar to come speak to students, faculty and community. ... I think this was a great presentation and opportunity to have the community come out to show its support for UCI students, not only Jewish students but students from all political affiliations and backgrounds. AFI is working to build coalitions with different groups on campus this year, to welcome them and to educate them.”
AFI has been a great way for many pro-Israel students like me to explore political avenues and gain some semblance of acceptance at a university which has become extremely anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and even anti-American.
Reut Cohen is a third-year English major. She can be reached at rrcohen@uci.edu.
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Reut R. Cohen
I was tipped off to this by a friend. Here's one where we need to listen to the message, not the messenger. The messenger himself, Rabbi Meir Kahane, was a racist (Wikipedia article in case anybody's interested). The message, though, is priceless.
Click here for the text of the above open letter to the world.
From: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/msu-uci/message/1388
THURSDAY:
Israeli Invasion of Lebanon –
Speaker: Amir Abdel Malik
12-1pm at the Flagpoles ( Anteater Plaza )
Ramadan Discussion –
The First 10 Days of Ramadan – Seek MERCY; The next 10 days – Seek FORGIVENESS
Speaker: Amir Abdel Malik
5-6pm in the Cross Cultural Center Conference Room
Quran Recitation –
6pm-Maghrib at the Cross Cultural Center
Tags:
Amir Abdel Malik Ali,
MSU
From: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/msu-uci/message/1388
MSU Fall Week 2
TUESDAY
Themes of the Quran –
Speaker: Sheikh Sadullah Khan
5-6pm at the Cross Cultural Center Conference Room
FrontPage Magazine covered Sheikh Khan on June 27, 2006:
On June 5th, the Los Angeles chapter of CAIR sponsored a community town hall meeting at the Islamic Center of Irvine (ICOI), a mosque that propagates venomously anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric. In a Khutbah (sermon) given at the ICOI last month, entitled ‘The Abuse of a Religion to sustain a Racist State,’ the ICOI’s Director of Religious Affairs, Sadullah Khan, stated, “Jews who came [to Israel] brought with them a Western arrogance…” In the sermon, which is found on the ICOI website, Khan liberally quoted alleged neo-Nazi William Baker and described Zionism as “racist,” “diabolical” and “sinister.”
Tags:
MSU,
Sheik Sadullah Khan
Chancellor works to ease tensions
UCI’s Drake working to lessen hostilities between Muslim, Jewish students
BY JORGE BARRIENTOS THE IRVINE WORLD NEWS
September 14, 2006
After years of debate between Jewish and Muslim students on the UC Irvine campus, the student groups and university officials hope to start the school year by peaceably talking about differences.
From the showing of a representation of the Prophet Mohammed on campus, to false rumors of Muslim students wearing Hamas armbands to graduation commencement, to speeches deemed hateful toward Jews, campus events throughout the years have made for heated debate among Jewish and Muslim student organizations.
Most recently, the Muslim Student Union sponsored a week of events in May titled “Holocaust in the Holy Land,” which featured speakers that Jewish students on campus deemed as anti-Semitic.
Jewish students said the speeches justified suicide bombings, cheered Hamas and Hezbollah and called for an end to the Jewish state. The Jewish community was outraged, said Jeffrey Rips, executive director of Hillel of Orange County, a Jewish campus organization.
“There was a lot of hatred,” he said.
Chancellor Michael V. Drake and administrators received complaints of hate speech against the union. The university ultimately said it was a freedom of speech issue – speech that could not be suppressed.
The university has since taken a more proactive approach to the situation, said Manuel Gomez, vice chancellor of student affairs.
Gomez and Drake have recently released statements addressing free speech and highlighting the importance of peaceful conversation. Drake said: “This
winter and spring there have been incidents testing the bounds of the First
Amendment at many campuses across the country, including ours … Make no mistake: I find hate speech abhorrent.”
The university plans on sponsoring cultural events to help spark peaceful dialogue to address the issues.
In December 2005, the uni- versity was one of 27 in the nation that received $100,000 in grants for projects to address intolerance and help create dialogue about contentious political and cultural issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The projects include courses, seminars and events that facilitate dialogue.
About two weeks ago, Drake met with Orange County Jewish leaders and students to discuss the conflicts at UC Irvine and on campuses throughout California, said Jewish Federation President Jodie Greenbaum. His approach to resolving the challenges on campus have been beneficial, she said.
“He took the chance to talk with each person,” she said. “We came out feeling very optimistic. We feel (the university is) stepping forward.”
He has also met with Muslims on a regular basis. Drake and the university have developed a good relationship with the union, and Drake understands them, Bangee said.
“He probably doesn’t agree with our political views,” she said. “He agrees with our right to say them.”
Drake was not available for comment, but Gomez said the chancellor and the university have emphasized that students should follow a set of values that include respect, appreciation and empathy.
“He has been very, very involved in trying to resolve the concerns,” Gomez said. “I think (students) have been responsive to that.”
Bangee said she is hopeful that the groups will be able to build some bridges. The Muslim union is open to work with the Jewish groups to hold events and start friendly dialogue, she said. Gomez said he hopes the new school year, which begins Monday, will bring forward an understanding on all sides.
Tags:
Chancellor Drake,
MSU,
UCI administration
To be discussed later as time permits. For now:
Link to Op-Ed
Benedict’s Speech Misinterprets Islam
By Huda Shaka’
At a speech in Germany last week, Pope Benedict XVI quoted from a theological dialogue between a 14th-century Byzantine Emperor and a Persian Muslim scholar. Statements from the pope’s speech greatly offended and disappointed millions of Muslims worldwide, and rightly so.
First, several of the pope’s comments about Islam were completely erroneous. The pope referred to the beginning of verse 256 in the second chapter of the Quran (“There is no compulsion in religion...”) as a verse that had been revealed in the earlier part of Prophet Muhammad’s life when he was powerless. He went on to suggest that this verse was followed by statements about “holy war” that sanctioned the spread of Islam by the sword.
Based on authentic narrations, the above-mentioned verse of the Holy Quran was actually revealed toward the latter part of Prophet Muhammad’s mission after he had established the first Islamic state in Madinah. More importantly, this verse is as applicable today as it was 1400 years ago: conversion by force is absolutely forbidden in Islam.
Furthermore, the concept of “holy war” to which the pope referred to is nonexistent in Islam. Muslims were given permission to bear arms only in self-defense or in their struggle for justice: “Permission to fight is given to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged and God indeed has the power to help them; for they are those who are driven from their homes unjustly due to their faith” [22:39-40]. At no point in the life of Prophet Muhammad or his righteous followers was Islam spread or imposed on anyone by the sword.
After his comments on violent conversions, Pope Benedict XVI considered the relationship between faith and reason, especially with regard to the Islamic and Christian faiths. He suggested that the relationship in the Islamic faith is different than that in the Christian one because Muslims view God as “absolutely transcendent,” God’s will being unbound by any human category, “even that of rationality.” This statement is misleading.
It is true that Muslims believe that God is beyond all worldly standards and that “there is nothing like unto Him” [42:11]. However, this only implies that God’s attributes, including God’s wisdom, are above and beyond our comprehension. Thus we as humans may be unable to see the reasons behind some of God’s judgments, but that does not make those judgments irrational. This is an important distinction that is absolutely necessary for a correct understanding of Islamic law and theology.
To truly understand the relationship between Islam and reason, one must start by examining the verses of Holy Quran. Over and over again, the Quran urges its readers to analyze, think, reflect and ponder with open minds and hearts.
The statement that angered most Muslims was the quote from Emperor Paleologos: “Show me just what Muhammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” It is true that this statement was not the pope’s own, and he did later clarify that he did not mean it as an expression of his personal opinion.
Nevertheless, I would expect any knowledgeable religious leader to refute this statement, based on its gross misrepresentation of Islam and the contempt and hatred it displays towards Muslims. Suffice it to quote Prophet Muhammad: “Do not kill the elderly, the women, the children, nor destroy any innocent life (whether plant or animal) and always try to improve things, reform matters, act kindly towards others; for God loves those who act with compassion.”
Huda Shaka’ is a graduate student in the department of chemistry. She can be reached at hshaka@gmail.com.
Tags:
Huda Shaka,
MSU,
NewU,
op-ed
To be discussed later as time permits. For now:
Link To Op-Ed
Pope Benedict’s Comments Reinforce Black/White Views
Commentary
By Marya Bangee
Samuel Huntington’s theory that there is an imminent, and bloody, clash of civilizations between Islam and the West; the Danish cartoons that portrayed the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a terrorist; George Bush's recently-coined term “Islamo-facists”; and now the Pope quoting the old Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologos from the time of the Crusades, all point to the growing trend of using absolute, religious rhetoric to define the relationship between Muslims and Western civilization.
Words such as “evil-doers” and “crusade” clearly evoke strong historical allusions, attempting to draw a parallel between a past of religious conflict and the present. It seems as if there is a concentrated agenda from some of the most powerful leaders of today to frame the current international conflict as a religious war. As a society that trumpets the values of speech and rational thinking, the dialogue that is framing our “war on terror” is surprisingly simplistic, erroneous, misleading and provocative.
What is wrong with these incidents? To start with, Huntington’s idea that there is an imminent clash between two vastly different civilizations fails to take into account a history where people of different faiths have lived in harmony for hundreds of years throughout the Middle East and in the West.
The Danish cartoons were drawn to provoke a reaction to an extremely sensitive issue for Muslims, to show that Muslims are not reasonable human beings; the media then used the extreme reactions of a few hundred to categorize the reactions of over one billion followers.
The president has repeatedly referenced religion when referring to the war on terror, calling it a “crusade” and appointing heads like General Boykin who believe Muslims worship Satan. All of these things help enforce what I would term “apocalyptic talk”—a showdown between two of the largest religions in the world.
Let’s consider Pope Benedict’s remarks. What I find most worrisome about his statements is that they reverse a long-standing policy of the Catholic Church to promote interfaith understanding between Muslims and Christians, as put down in the landmark “Nostra Aetate,” the Second Vatican Council’s document on the Church’s relations with non-Christians. It urges Muslims and Catholics to re-double their efforts to work more closely together on moral, social and civil rights issues.
This had led to an extremely beneficial relationship between the Catholic Church and Muslims all around the world, especially in the United States. With Pope Benedict’s words, this historical relationship is ignored in favor of an “us vs. them” outlook.
Talk of a clash is inherently dangerous because it simplifies both groups, making it much easier to see the other side as inhuman. Muslims cannot be seen as extremists burning churches—something the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) forbade.
Islam is a rich faith, with a proud history of accomplishment that encompasses a diverse group of ethnicities and practices. In the thousands of years of co-existence between Muslims and those of other faiths, Muslim-initiated terror has been extremely low when compared to terror by other religions. Even today, there is universal condemnation from mainstream Muslims of terrorism like that of Osama Bin Laden.
There is an underlying humanity and commonality that is forgotten when a culture of fear is introduced and manipulated, as is being done today. It is easy to fear what you do not understand; it is harder to reach out and try to understand it.
Cardinal Mahony of the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in Los Angeles calls the controversy surrounding Pope Benedict’s remarks a “teachable moment” which should be used to reaffirm our bonds of faith and friendship towards each other. Others will use this moment to further the idea of a religious war. As citizens of the human race, it is our duty to understand each other or else this moment will be exploited to unleash more murder and chaos.
Marya Bangee is a third-year sociology and English double-major.
Tags:
Marya Bangee,
MSU,
NewU
To be discussed later as time permits. For now:
Link To Op-Ed
Radical Muslims Overreacting
By Reut R. Cohen
On Sept. 12, while visiting Regensburg University in Germany, Pope Benedict XVI quoted a Byzantine emperor during an academic speech and caused an uproar.
The pope quoted Manuel II Paleologos, the 14th-century Byzantine emperor, who said, “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” The Vatican has issued a statement that the pope was giving a speech in an academic setting with the intent to create more open dialogue between different religions.
The following Sunday, the pope issued his own apology. “I hope that this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with great mutual respect,” Benedict said.
The apology was obviously unsuccessful in reducing the anger of many Muslims in countries ranging from Iraq to China, who were insulted that anyone would dare to suggest Islam is not a peaceful religion. To make the point that Islam is not violent, radical Muslims burned down dozens of Christian churches and allegedly shot and killed a 65-year-old nun in Somalia.
It was only a few short months ago that a Danish newspaper printed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims all over the world became incensed, suggesting in many cases, “to hell with freedom of speech.”
The reactions to the cartoons led to more than 100 killings so that radical Muslims could drive home the point that Islam is a peaceful religion.
Therefore, should we really be surprised that the pope’s quotation of Paleologos, initially intended to create more open dialogue between Catholics and Muslims, drove many fanatical Muslims to commit crimes against innocent civilians as they have done over and over again?
The fanatical Arab world is once again looking for yet another excuse to attack Western culture and attract freedom fighters to their morally reprehensible cause. The president of Iran constantly calls for the slaughter of the Jews and the elimination of Israel, suggesting that the Holocaust was nothing but a hoax. Al-Qaeda repeatedly declares its hatred for America and the West, recruiting more terrorists for the sake of holy war. It seems to me that radical Muslims can criticize, spurn and attack, but we must be wary of uttering a single thought about Islam for fear of being insulting.
Any other religion, race and culture can be attacked without fear of fundamental revolt.
The “New York Times” even went as far as to recommend that we ought to never insult Islam, but proposed that a picture of Jesus in a tank of urine is “art.” We should compare the reactions of Christians to such depictions of Jesus to the reactions of the Muslim world to the pope’s speech.
Much of the Arab world bestows virtually no rights to their people. In Saudi Arabia it is illegal to practice any religion besides Islam and completely legal for a husband to murder his wife if he suspects she is cheating. In many respects, the education afforded to citizens of the Arab world is one of brainwashing from infancy.
Although we may believe that every individual is entitled to his religion so long as it does not interfere with another’s ability to live, radical Muslims will not abide by other religions and will continue to perceive non-Muslims as infidels.
Radical Islam is not Islam.
Moderate Muslims have a duty to speak out against such violence, as it is the moderates who practice the most peaceful and purest form of Islam. It is the moderate Muslims who are educated and entitled to free thinking while the Arab world continues to place deadly restrictions on its citizens.
I can fully understand and sympathize with Muslims when they suggest that the pope should have been more respectful in his discussion of religion. I cannot, however, abide by violent uprisings which, sadly, are seen frequently in the Muslim world. Instead of burning down churches, Muslims should participate in creative dialogue so that non-Muslims can understand their culture and empathize with their hurt.
Reut Cohen is a third-year English major. She can be reached at rrcohen@uci.edu
Tags:
NewU,
Reut R. Cohen
A friend reminded me that Vice Chancellor Gomez doesn't believe that UCI is required to protect Jewish students from harassment and intimidation under Title VI. Isn't it ironic then that he's now on a study group on university diversity?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2006
Ricardo Vázquez (510) 287-3301
ricardo.vazquez@ucop.edu
MEDIA ADVISORY: MEMBERS OF UC'S STUDY GROUP ON UNIVERSITY DIVERSITY APPOINTED
University of California Board of Regents Chairman Gerald L. Parsky and UC Provost and Executive Vice President Rory Hume will co-chair UC's Study Group on University Diversity and have appointed 18 members to the study group.
The members are:
- Regents Joanne C. Kozberg (study group vice chair), Eddie Island, Maria C. Ledesma, John J. Moores and Frederick Ruiz
- Regent-designate Eleanor V. Brewer
- Faculty Representatives John B. Oakley and Michael T. Brown
- Chancellors Robert J. Birgeneau (UC Berkeley), France A. Córdova (UC Riverside) and Henry T.Yang (UC Santa Barbara), and Acting Chancellor George Blumenthal (UC Santa Cruz)
- Executive Vice President for University Affairs Bruce B. Darling
- Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Manuel N. Gomez (UC Irvine)
- Former Faculty Representative Lawrence Pitts
- Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Judy Sakaki (UC Davis)
- UC Student Association President Bill Shiebler
- Former regent and past-president of the UCLA Alumni Association Peter Taylor
The appointment of the study group comes after the Board of Regents agreed at their July 19 meeting to sponsor a study of the current status of the University of California's efforts to continue to increase diversity and foster a climate of inclusiveness.
The Study Group on University Diversity has been charged with the following objectives:
- Review and report on recent trends with respect to diversity within UC's undergraduate, graduate and faculty populations;
- Survey campus climate on diversity and inclusion;
- Study the interactions among undergraduate, graduate and faculty diversity and campus climate;
- Identify "best practices" in student preparation, recruitment, and admissions; faculty hiring and retention; and efforts to create a welcoming and inclusive campus climate; and
- Recommend actions that the university and its individual campuses can take, respecting federal and state laws, to increase diversity and inclusiveness at UC.
The study group objectives and scope will be discussed in greater detail at the regents' upcoming meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
For more information about diversity at UC: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/diversity
Tags:
Vice Chancellor Gomez
The MSU just released their Fall Week 1 calendar.
Amir Abdel Malik Ali will be doing the Ramadan speech on Thursday at 5 pm as part of their Maghrib prayer - the prayer to break the daily Ramadan fast.
Tags:
Amir Abdel Malik Ali,
MSU
By Joe Example, the Concerned UCI Student
(Published originally in the first StandWithUs Orange County Newsletter, September 7, 2006)
Before I came to UC Irvine, I had only heard stories of in-your-face anti-Semitism from my family: while in the US army, my father was asked where his hooves and horns were. While visiting Germany during the 1930’s, my grand aunt – who happened to have blond hair and blue eyes – came across a bunch of brown shirts beating a Jew; she told them in perfect German to go you-know-what themselves.
But me – I had never seen it up close. That is, until I came to UCI.
UCI - in the top 12 American public universities according to a recent issue of US News and World Report. With enough smarts, time, and drive, just about anyone can earn a bachelor’s degree for less than $40,000 in tuition.
Don’t waste your time buying books and supplies, though, because the first person you’ll meet the moment you arrive on campus is the guy shown in the above photo.
This is Amir Abdel Malik Ali, frequently invited guest speaker for the UCI Muslim Student Union (“MSU”), and blatant anti-Semite. He loves to dish the ancient canards: the Jews control the government, the economy, and the media. He unequivocally supports HAMAS, Hezbollah, and the other terrorist organizations; he also supports Iran, Syria, and other state sponsors of terrorists. To him, Zionism is just a reincarnation of Nazism. And here’s one of his most recent messages to the Jews at UCI: “Your days are numbered.”
He’s not the only source of unchecked hatred on campus. The MSU itself publishes articles in the campus weekly newspaper, New University, as well as their own quarterly magazine, Alkalima. These articles have included discussions on how Jews might be genetically separate from the rest of the human race; Israel has been falsely accused of genocide and ethnic cleansing; quotations are fabricated and plastered everywhere with the sole goal of inciting hatred against Jews; and, scariest of all, calls are made for violent jihad against anyone who stands in their way.
In the face of similar anti-Semitism at Harvard, Georgetown, and Rutgers (to name a few), those university administrations made their condemnations of the bigotry of Jew-hatred very clear. Even the President of UC Berkeley was a signatory to a public statement decrying intimidation of Jews on college campuses in 2002.
The UCI administration, however, instead of educating their students by demonstrating true leadership, considers such unequivocal statements to be beneath them.
One event in particular speaks volumes: instead of standing up to the anti-Semitism on campus, Vice Chancellor Gomez was invited to speak at an anti- hate rally organized by the MSU and their partners-in-crime, the Society of Arab Students (“SAS”), where the only student organizations specifically dis-invited were – you guessed it – Jews. Even Jewish fraternities and sororities were banned from participating in any formal way. Vice Chancellor Gomez, well aware of this deliberate exclusion at an event that was supposed to stand for unity, chose to speak anyway. He has yet to publicly apologize for turning a blind eye.
UCI refuses to enforce any of its own rules when the violators are the MSU or SAS. For instance, as part of their annual registration as official UCI student organizations, the leaders of all student organizations, including the MSU and SAS, must each sign a pledge to uphold UCI’s Principles of Community – see page 4 of the linked PDF – a document which waxes and wanes about tolerance and respect, and states in particular “acts of bigotry and abusive behavior will not go unchallenged within the University”.
There are rules at UCI prohibiting fabrication of information both inside and outside the classroom (look at sections 102.01 and 102.02) as well as rules against harassing and threatening students, and serious violations of these rules are grounds for expulsion from the university. Yet the MSU and SAS are still in business and – you should sit down for this one – the former VP of the SAS was the student commencement speaker for the School of Social Sciences this past June.
With this in mind, I went to our community organizations and basically said “do something!” They stated that they could only privately write “stern” letters to the Chancellor or hold private meetings with the administration (ooh, I’m sure UCI was just quaking in its boots, getting chills up its spine, as it ran the letters through the shredder). Even though I pointed out that those actions had proven to be useless, they refused my request to take the appropriate next step – namely, bringing in the lawyers.
Luckily, an outside organization had the cojones to do what’s right: in October 2004, the Zionist Organization of America (“ZOA”) filed a civil rights complaint on the behalf of the Jewish students of UCI with the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”). After its investigation concludes, if OCR finds that UCI is violating the civil rights of Jewish students on campus, and should UCI not change its tune thoroughly or quickly enough, OCR has the option of pulling all US Federal funding of the university, which would in effect shut the university down (not that we want that). The OCR investigation continues even today and that pressure has affected the university’s conduct when dealing with sensitive subjects.
At the same time, a similar Federal body, the US Commission on Civil Rights (“USCCR”), separately investigated the situation on campus and – vindicating the ZOA’s complaint – found that things on campus had to change: UCI must protect Jewish students from anti-Semitic harassment and intimidation. While the USCCR does not have enforcement powers, its findings and recommendations do carry great weight and I would be shocked if the OCR completely ignored them.
While working with the ZOA, I also learned of StandWithUs. Their representatives are out there at the anti-Semitic events holding signs up challenging the espoused anti-Semitism. They help gather and distribute the information needed to debunk the falsehoods and propaganda that the anti-Israel activists use to poison the next generation’s minds, as well as train our local Pro-Israel students in conferences and leadership sessions. Alongside StandWithUs is the American Jewish Congress, both protesting the events here and working with our state and federal legislatures to make sure the future generation of American leadership is being taught the facts about the Middle East and Judaism and not the lies of the MSU and SAS.
Now I do have to admit that UCI has tried to deal with the situation through dialogue. They first attempted to reduce the level of persistent hostility against Jews on campus by holding a series of inter- religious forums in Fall Quarter 2004. When that failed to have any effect, they organized a year-long series of lectures and discussions called “Difficult Dialogues”, funded by a $100,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. If the level of hatred of the MSU and SAS wasn’t so intense, perhaps these steps would have done the trick.
Unfortunately, the MSU’s and SAS’s response has been to increase the intensity of their hatred. This past year, practically every week an anti-Israel speaker was a guest of the MSU. During May 2006, the campus was treated to “Holocaust in the Holy Land” week, where speakers called Israel “the Fourth Reich” and Muslim students, dressed in military fatigues, harassed passersby.
This is what I have to put up with every time I step on campus. This is why my grade point average isn’t as high as it should be, because I have to try to ignore the drech while I study for exams or write papers, when in reality it eats me up inside that I’m not out there on the front lines, fighting for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.
Take to heart one thing: this newly-formed group, the Orange County chapter of StandWithUs, is not going to stand by and let it happen. Unlike other organizations, we aren’t going to bury our heads in the sand or hold hands and sing koombya, keeping you in the dark about how bad it is.
We have been and will continue to be there protesting against the anti-Semitism. We have been and will continue to keep you accurately informed as to the real situation on campus (G-d willing, we might even bring you live video over the Internet someday). As you read this, we are organizing events to be held on and around campus to define the problems and then seek solutions to stop this mess once and for all.
So spread the word about StandWithUs Orange County. We can defeat this anti-Semitism - with your help and support, it might even happen before I graduate.
Tags:
Amir Abdel Malik Ali,
MSU,
StandWithUs
Dean of Student's Office Program Promotes Tolerance
There was also a piece of commentary called Governments Should Steer Clear of Religion. The author is a third-year English major and, as far as I can tell, doesn't know how to write. His article takes a swipe at Israel about the bombing of a mosque in Lebanon (no context provided), then meanders his way into a complaint about Bush, and I have yet to figure out what he was blabbing about in his conclusion. I'm just putting this in here for now because this guy - for now - is an unknown, and I'm wondering what else he's going to pull.
May you and yours have a sweet and happy New Year!
For a good laugh, check out this short film on how to ring in the New Year:
Shofar So Good
Anteaters for Israel at the University of California, Irvine present:
ISRAEL
The Current Situation
A Town Hall Forum
at the
University of California, Irvine
With
The Honorable Ehud Danoch
Consul General of Israel
Monday, September 25th, 2006
Social Sciences Lecture Hall 100
8 p.m.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
(Get there earlier than later, because the room can only fit so many people)
Sponsored by Anteaters for Israel
For more information, please email eshaaya@uci.edu
I haven't had time to look at these yet, but given the reaction to the Pope's September 12th speech, I thought it would be good to get the full text out.
Hat tip: Multiple commenters on UserFriendly.org
From the Vatican: The original German version
From MSNBC: An English translation
From BBC: A PDF of an English translation
UPDATE
I found this hillarious, though I should warn those who click on the image that the site itself has a bit of a hateful bent to it:
This was LGF's Flying Pig Moment of the Day
Yahoo coverage
JihadWatch, though, called it "A late, belated, too-late, utterly phony, half-hearted "symmetrical" condemnation"
Hezbollah's reaction
An interesting blog post that tries to answer the question: what is a war crime? (with a quotation of an analysis by Professor Alan Dershowitz of why Israel appears to be inproperly accused)
( copied from Israellycool.com )
"Learn from Israel what human dignity means. Human dignity is a primary value in Israel."
Probably the best way of defining the situation at hand:
As President Bush has said, this nation has defeated tyrants and liberated death camps, raised the lamp of liberty to every captive land. We have no intention of ignoring or appeasing history's latest gang of fanatics trying to murder their way to power.
I will always remember having the radio wake me up as normal at 6 am that morning 5 years ago, and hearing the substitute radio-show host briefly say that a plane had hit the first tower of the World Trade Center and then cutting to the national breaking news. After turning on the television in disbelief, I reached for the phone and woke up a whole bunch of people on this coast.
Cox and Forkum have done a good job illustrating that terrible tragedy:
Anybody speak Danish?
BBC News is reporting that a Danish newspaper by the name of "Information" has reprinted six of the Holocaust cartoons.
The Information newspaper's website: http://www.information.dk
So sayeth Harvard University Rabbi Hirschy Zrachi in response to Harvard's invitation to former Iranian president Khatami. Similar statements can be made about the UCI administration.
By the way, if you're trying to figure out why people are against Khatami coming to the US, let me help you:
Info from Cox and Forkum
Info from Vital Perspective
Susan Tuchman of the ZOA - bless her heart - brought to my attention that the Forward newspaper has been covering UCI. Here are two articles that they've put out in the past six months:
May 26, 2006: College Chief Hit Over Anti-Israel Events
August 11, 2006: ZOA Brings Civil-rights Education to Campus
September 1, 2006 (apparently not yet available on the Forward website):
Salute Irvine Students
Most people would agree that Jewish students should not have to tolerate verbal threats or insults, physical assaults or the destruction of property (“ZOA Brings Civil-rights Education to Campus,” August 11). But it’s important to understand that when Israel is demonized as a brutal, murderous state, when it is obscenely compared to Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa, or when claims are made that the State of Israel has no right to exist – these are also manifestations of antisemitism that can have a devastating impact on Jewish students, and they shouldn’t be tolerated.
As Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews, you are talking antisemitism.” The United States Civil Rights Commission also appreciated that anti-Zionist and anti-Israel actions can amount to antisemitic harassment. This is part of what the ZOA hopes to make clear to college students and administrators alike in our public education initiative, so that they will understand their respective rights and obligations under these new federal guidelines.
Fixing the problem of campus antisemitism requires bringing it out in the open. That’s why Jewish students like those at the University of California , Irvine , deserve our respect and applause. They made repeated efforts to resolve informally the harassment and intimidation they faced on their campus, by seeking the help of college officials and trying to engage in constructive dialogue with the perpetrators of the hate.
When all these efforts failed, the students courageously came forward and provided detailed information to the ZOA about their experiences and the problems they were facing, which formed the basis of our civil rights complaint on their behalf and led to the first-ever investigation of campus antisemitism by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Though they had school, work and many other obligations, these students subjected themselves to time-consuming interviews with federal officials and have never backed down from their ongoing effort to improve the campus environment for Jewish students.
African Americans, women and the disabled are prime examples of aggrieved groups that have effectively used not just education and negotiation, but also the legal system, to secure their civil rights. Our community should likewise support the use of all those tools, which will provide the best chance of redressing antisemitic harassment, in all its forms, on our campuses.
Susan Tuchman
Director, Center for Law and Justice
Zionist Organization of America
New York , NY
Former Canadian Federal Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler wrote a great piece in the Toronto Star:
The notion of being even-handed between terrorist groups sworn to Israel's destruction and a democratic country defending itself from armed attack is a moral absurdity, a "perversion of our traditions" as The Globe and Mail put it.
In fact, the foundational principles of Canadian foreign policy in the Middle East as affirmed by successive governments require us to "take sides," to eschew even-handedness and to raise our voice as a moral interlocutor in a principled way.
The notion of being even-handed between (a) anti-Semitic student groups at UCI sworn to Israel's destruction and the debasement of all Jews, and (b) Jewish students who - according to the USCCR - UCI is required to protect, is a moral absurdity, a "perversion of our traditions" as The Globe and Mail put it.
In fact, the foundational principles of UCI require it to "take sides," to eschew even-handedness and to raise our voice as a moral interlocutor in a principled way.
The two principal “human rights” organizations are in a race to the bottom to see which group can demonize Israel with the most absurd legal arguments and most blatant factual mis-statements. Until last week, Human Rights Watch enjoyed a prodigious lead, having “found” - contrary to what every newspaper in the world had reported and what everyone saw with their own eyes on television - “no cases in which Hizbullah deliberately used civilians as shields to protect them from retaliatory IDF attack.”
Those of us familiar with Amnesty International’s nefarious anti-Israel agenda and notoriously “suggestible” investigative methodology wondered how it could possibly match such a breathtaking lie.
But we didn’t have to wait long for AI to announce that Israel was guilty of a slew of war crimes for “widespread attacks against public civilian infrastructure, including power plants, bridges, main roads, seaports, and Beirut’s international airport.”
There are two problems with the Amnesty report and conclusion. First, Amnesty is wrong about the law. Israel committed no war crimes by attacking parts of the civilian infrastructure in Lebanon.
In fact, through restraint, Israel was able to minimize the number of civilian casualties in Lebanon, despite Hizbullah’s best efforts to embed itself in population centers and to use civilians as human shields. The total number of innocent Muslim civilians killed by Israeli weapons during a month of ferocious defensive warfare was a fraction of the number of innocent Muslims killed by other Muslims during that same period in Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Algeria, and other areas of Muslim-on-Muslim civil strife. Yet the deaths caused by Muslims received a fraction of the attention devoted to alleged Israeli “crimes.”
This lack of concern for Muslims by other Muslims - and the lack of focus by so-called human rights organizations on these deaths - is bigotry, pure and simple.
HatTip: IsraellyCool
Time for a brief bit of humor while we wait for all heck to break loose the moment school begins about two weeks from now.
“If you go to freshers fairs at University College London, the School of Oriental and African Studies and the London School of Economics next month, you will find Hizb ut-Tahrir undercover. Vice-chancellors have been wilfully blind to the problem. Recruitment of students is going on. That is categorical. Universities are not on top of this.”
Disclaimer: This is HUMOR! If you don't like it, to quote Salt-N-Pepa, "Press stop, pick up the needle, or turn the radio off."
A humorous look at how to negotiate with terrorists
Hat tip: The Sanity Inspector on LGF
I caught this op-ed today, written by Jamie Glassman, a writer for The Ali G Show, about anti-Semitic humor at the Edinburgh Arts Festival. The section below was especially of interest. Reading this op-ed made Edinburgh sound exactly like UCI.
One was a left-leaning angry Australian conspiracy theorist, Steve Hughes, whose show The Storm is an assault on all things Western. “I want to bash Condoleezza Rice’s brain to bits and kill that f****** Jew Richard Perle.” Hughes is the one at the Pleasance Courtyard while Perle is an adviser to George W. Bush as he was to Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton on foreign affairs.
The second was a far more charming African-American comic who for much of the show was thoughtful, funny and even quite sweet. But he seemed to have a problem with Jews, too. Reginald D. Hunter is doing sell-out shows in the new E4-sponsored venue, the Udderbelly. Three hundred come along every night to see Hunter’s Pride and Prejudice and Niggas. You should see the poster.
I was laughing along until he announced that he was about to be extremely controversial and break the last taboo of stand-up comedy. Long silent pause. "Jeeeeews" Another long pause with some giggles from the audience. "You see, you’re not allowed to say that."
He went on to say how its illegal to deny the Holocaust in Austria. He has a good mind to go to Austria, stand in the street and say the Holocaust didn’t happen so that he could get arrested and tell the judge he was talking about the Rwandan holocaust. Whether or not he thought there should be a law against going to Rwanda and denying that genocide, he didn’t say.
By claiming that making a joke about Jews is the one last, great comic taboo, he simultaneously provides the moral justification for a crack at the Jews and he silences them from the right to complain, as this would only confirm the unspoken premise: that Jews are overprotected in society or even worse that Jewish media controllers are obsessed with silencing any criticism of their own.
His joke is essentially one about freedom of speech and selective Jewish control of that freedom, but he gives the lie to his true feelings by his choice of example. Of all the possible targets, of all the things he might wish to say, his complaint is that he is not permitted to parrot the greatest anti-Semitic slur of the last hundred years — that the Holocaust never happened. As a believer in free speech, I am not convinced by the criminalisation of Holocaust denial, but that does not mean I am confused about the motives of those who wish to utter it.
So says Avner Shalev, Chairman of Yad Vashem.
UCI's silence - refusing the appropriately label the anti-Semitism that appears almost weekly on campus - only encourages the anti-Semites to increase their intensity with every visit. Perhaps the UCI administration works in this fashion:
In response to the following quote from the Reuters article on the current Holocaust Cartoon Exhibition in Iran (looking for a link to those cartoons if anybody has it):
“We wanted to challenge European taboos. Why should questioning the Holocaust be a taboo?” he said. “Why should anyone who talks about it (the Holocaust) be fined or jailed?”
I have never felt able to describe my emotional reaction when I first came face to face with indisputable evidence of Nazi brutality and ruthless disregard of every shred of decency...I visited every nook and cranny of the camp because I felt it my duty to be in a position from then on to testify at first hand about these things in case there ever grew up at home the belief or assumption that the stories of Nazi brutality were just propaganda.
--General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Forces, Europe, Letter to Chief of Staff George Marshall, April 12, 1945
Chancellor Drake's lack of even a public acknowledgment of the anti-Semitism at UCI as wrong (imitating his predecessor's similar actions) says very clearly that UCI recognizes that attacks on Jews and Judaism are a fully-acceptable form of civil debate at the University.
Please follow Ted Bleiweis's lead and print this Microsoft Word version or Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the following letter, sign, and mail or fax (1-949-824-2087) it to Chancellor Drake.
We need YOU to tell the Chancellor that things need to change.
Thank you for your support.
____________________
Today’s Date
University of California, Irvine
The Chancellor's Office
Irvine, CA 92697-1900
Dear Dr. Drake,
The University of California, Irvine (UCI) has for year’s hosted events on its campus whose participants have utilized inflammatory and hateful speech towards the State of Israel and the Jewish people as a whole.
This year a week-long program, entitled “Holocaust in the Holy land,” had been presented. It featured speakers calling for the destruction of the State of Israel, touting an acknowledged terror organization, Hamas, as the “people’s choice” and called Israel “the Fourth Reich”. Woven into the speeches were age old anti-Semitic themes. The perpetrators constructed an “apartheid” wall, and stationed intimidating guards dressed as Israeli soldiers nearby. The title itself denigrates the Jewish people, and contains an implied denial of the Holocaust during which over six million Jewish people were murdered.
The University’s stated policy has been, and remains that these campus activities are protected speech under the First Amendment. While this may be legally correct, it gives the appearance of official sanction by UCI.
In your May 30, 2006 message you stated “Hate speech is difficult to define precisely. It is largely defined by the individual hearing it…” Make no mistake; the annihilation of over two thirds of Europe’s Jewish population began with hate speech. The University and its leadership must recognize that it has a duty, and an obligation, as educators to denounce anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, and repudiate those whose demonstrations seek incitement against, or call for the destruction of, other human beings.
As a resident and a taxpayer of Orange County, I therefore call upon you as Chancellor of UCI to exercise your first amendment rights: that is, to take immediate and appropriate steps to publicly distance the University from those individuals who spew anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, or any form of hate speech.
Sincerely,
cc: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamonte
In August 2006, OC Jewish Life published Ted Bleiweis's follow-up article to his July 2006 article.
The text and printable versions of letter to UCI referred to below is available here.
Last month, I did little kvetching in this column. Author Michael Wex, wrote a book that said we Jews were Born to Kvetch. I only kvetched a few paragraphs.
I kvetched about three important points: 1. Our community needs to be kept better informed by its leadership. 2. Community organizations must channel more funding for Jewish education on campus, especially in the area of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. 3. “Ordinary” community members must take an active role in challenging anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial in our communities and on our campuses.
You might say, “So, Mr. Monday morning quarterback, it’s easy to give advice. What are you doing about this?” Fair enough! I remember how my grandparents used to yell at the television, when a news report came on that they didn’t like. Then it hits me like a bolt from the blue! I won’t just kvetch! I’ll write a column! I’ll write a letter! I’ll speak to anyone willing to listen. Better yet, I’ll arrange an event or two of my own!
I telephoned Jewish friends to hear what they knew. They didn’t know much at all. (Most were relieved that I wasn’t yet another person soliciting a donation) Next, I phoned various synagogues and organizations that I attend. Finally, I contacted the alphabet soup of Jewish community organizations in Orange and LA counties. I focused on those that were intimately involved in with the UCI situation. My “gripe” was that I had heard about the “Holocaust in the Holy land” farce (sponsored by the UCI Moslem Union) from a radio talk show.
After spending many hours of telephone and face-to-face conversations with key Jewish organizational people, I began to understand the problems more clearly. Everyone comes from a different political, religious, philosophical, you-name-it point f view. It works the same way with Jewish organizations. This one wants to show a movie; that board member says, "No it's too controversial!" This one schedules a meeeting with the chancellor; that group doesn't get invited. This organization says it's protected speech; the other says, "No, it isn't." So it goes. This isn't to say that they're not working earnestly.
I phoned Kevin O’Grady, associate director of ADL; then I called Rabbi Keiffer at Temple Beth Emet. Both were to very eager to participate in a community forum. Rabbi Keiffer suggested June 30, Shabbat evening services. I said “great idea”, never hinting that I feared no one would be in town. It was July fourth weekend. Dr. O’Grady invited Jeffrey Rips, Executive Director of Hillel O.C. Surprisingly, the turnout was wonderful.
Both Speakers gave informative insights into the UCI problems. They noted that the UCI administration has never publicly acknowledged that anti-Semitic activities occurred on campus. A woman who attended classes CSUF said many of her professors were clearly teaching biased and revisionist history about Zionism and Israel. Dr. O’Grady said that was a problem on many campuses across the nation, including UCI.
Before the event a letter adopted by Temple Beth Emet was distributed to all attendees. Both speakers publicly endorsed the letter and encouraged everyone to mail it to Chancellor Drake. The temple president officially sent a copy to UCI, Rabbi Keiffer forwarded copies to his colleagues on the O.C. Board of Rabbis, and Dr O’Grady forwarded it to more than 1,000 people. Several other shuls and organizations have endorsed the letter.
What’s the moral of the story? Don’t be a Monday morning quarterback! Get informed! Get involved! Write letters, talk to your friends. Encourage your shuls and Jewish organizations to be more vocal and proactive in stamping out anti-Semitism. Our schools and universities should be centers of knowledge understanding, not hatred.
Ted Bleiweis, a business owner in Orange County, is a concerned member of the Jewish community.
Thanks to Ted Bleiweis for publishing the following article in the OC Jewish Life in July 2006. I would have linked to it earlier, but the publisher refused to even respond when I emailed him asking him to put this on his website. With the permission of the article's author, here is the text of the article:
In the past, public Holocaust denial was espoused by a relatively few (nevertheless dangerous) bunch of hate-filled "crazies". The situation has changed drastically today. Holocaust denial and trivialization have become ever more acceptable and commonplace in our society. It is one of the vilest forms of anti-Semitism. The president of Iran engages regularly in it. He has also stated that “Israel will be wiped off the map”. Newspapers in “moderate” Moslem nations continually mock and trivialize the Holocaust.
Several weeks ago, a program took place on the UCI Campus sponsored by a well-financed Moslem Student Union. An “apartheid wall” was erected with a “checkpoint” manned by Moslem “students” dressed as Israeli soldiers. Above the “checkpoint” a sign read “Holocaust in the Holy Land,” the title of the week long program.
Similar demonstrations have taken place at UCLA, UCSD, and other tax-supported niversities throughout the state recently and over the past several years. The source of funding for these “events” remains a mystery.
Through out the week passersby were subjected to hate-filled speeches calling for the destruction of Israel. One of the speakers proclaimed Hamas as “the people’s choice,” while another called for an “Islamic” Jerusalem. Also on hand were two well-known traveling anti-Israel, anti-Zionist Jews. Rounding out this three-ring circus of haters was a Moslem speaker whose topic was entitled “Israel: the Fourth Reich.”
A handful of Jewish organizations were on hand to distribute accurate information to students many of whom have no knowledge of the reality of the Holocaust. Jewish demonstrators marched with signs denouncing the lies perpetrated by the organizers of the event.
One of the more troubling aspects of this whole UCI affair was the response issued by UCI Chancellor, Michael V. Drake. It read in part “…the first amendment provides great latitude regarding our freedom of expression. The university has a legal obligation to assure the free exchange of ideas, however infuriating we may perceive particular views with which we disagree…” I believe that it is his obligation, as an educator (and his right under the first amendment) to clearly and unequivocally denounce hate speech of any kind. I believe that it is his public duty as chancellor to distance the university from such reprehensible activities.
Sadly, over the past few weeks, I have spoken with leaders and members of various congregations and men’s clubs. Most knew nothing about these events. I found out, coincidentally, by tuning into The Larry Elders talk show. He was outraged at the events going on at UCI and other California campuses.
People are frightened about this. Friends whose children have been accepted to UCI opted to attend other universities, because this has gone on unchecked for many years. An official of a campus Jewish organization privately told me that he wished that he was attending another university.
Such characterizations of the Holocaust attempt to equate the calculated murder of millions of Jews with the unfortunate casualties of a war not of our making. It is an insult of monumental proportions to the memory of those who perished and a slur on the entire Jewish nation. It attempts to diminish the Jewish people by casting us as the perpetrators rather than the victims.
It is time for each and every member of the Jewish community to act. We need to call or write Chancellor Drake, the UC Board of Regents, and Governor Schwartzenegger and demand that they publicly repudiate hate speech of any kind, particularly on our university campuses. We need to hear more from our community leaders and organizations about how they are effectively dealing with this. Finally, we need to channel more funding from these Jewish agencies towards better education and support for Jewish and non-Jewish students on our campuses in dealing with anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.
We no longer can afford to sit quietly and witness the alarming rise of anti-Semitism around the globe. European nations have reported a dramatic rise in anti-Semitic acts, including violence against Jews and Jewish property. We must not allow those that hate us to erase the memory of the six million, especially in our schools and universities. History has taught us that silence only encourages our enemies.
Ted Bleiweis, a business owner in Orange County, is a concerned member of the Jewish community.
According to the Sunday Telegraph:
Waheed Zaman, 22, a bio-chemistry student and the president of the Islamic Society at London Metropolitan University, was one of 24 people arrested last week. Material found at two portable buildings used by the society includes documents advocating jihad and a pamphlet on how to deal with approaches from the security services.
Prof Anthony Glees, the director of Brunel University's centre for intelligence and security studies, criticised university authorities for ignoring the threat to national security in their midst. "Institutions have not sought to address the problem: they have instead sought to undermine those who have raised the issue," he told this newspaper.
Hat tip: Terp Mole on LGF
Let Kofi Annan condemn Israel. Let ex-State Department officials wring their hands. Let the Security Council issue its condemnations if it must. But at the end of the diplomatic doublespeak and the denunciations of editorial writers here and abroad, let the countries on the frontlines, fighting for their existence, act like any normal country would under attack and save themselves. In so doing, they will save those who also strive to be normal, democratic, and free. For if Iran’s “frontline” succeeds, Israel and the U.S. will cease to exist on the globe below which Hezbollah’s rifle is held. And al Qaeda will cheer the outcome for its newfound ally.
From LGF: Directed by the Green Helmet Guy
Conclusive proof that the photographs from Qana were cynically staged, as “Green Helmet” directs cameramen in a video from German TV (with English subtitles). They actually take the body of a child out of the ambulance, transfer it from the light stretcher used in the ambulance to the heavy duty gurney used in the rescue operation (to create the impression that it has just arrived from the bombed area), uncover it, and pose it for photographs.
A friend of mine tipped me off to this:
HonestReporting.com and Aish.com have put out a 2-minute film about the current conflict. It puts the information out there, plain and simple.
Myths and Facts About The Conflict With Lebanon
(requires Macromedia Shockwave Flash)
On the same topic, HonestReporting's blog tipped me off to a great article in the Baltimore Sun called:
Dump myths to start on a path to a real Mideast peace
I used to read Daniel Pipes on a regular basis until he dropped off the deep end with racial profiling and internment camps.
Today, however, the Jerusalem Post published a column by him on the Naveed Haq, who according to news reports allegedly murdered one person and wounded five others after pushing his way in to the building with a gun to a 14-year-old girl's back. (I have to say "allegedly" since he hasn't been convicted yet)
What concerned me - and what I think everybody needs to read - is the following statement in that column:
sudden jihad syndrome never erupts in isolation, but results from a steady diet of antisemitic, anti-Zionist, anti-Christian, and anti-American incitement fed by Islamist mosques, schools, voluntary associations, and media. Leftist demonizing of Israel further contributes to the problem.
People who know Mr. Haq confirm that this barrage of influences shaped his outlook. "Haq didn't like President Bush," notes one person. Another said Mr. Haq "displayed a streak of anti-Semitism, sometimes making offhand comments about Jews." He complained that "Jews run the media" and believed Jews control the U.S. economy.
Blame for Mr. Haq's evil rampage falls on the executioner himself and on the Islamists and leftists who manipulated his confused mind and susceptible character.
This was brought to my attention by this soldier's mother, whom I happen to know.
Remember one thing while reading this: Zachary Taylor's derriere is on the front lines of this current conflict - at any moment, he could be attacked and killed, or worse, kidnapped and tortured. Keep that in your head when you read his calm review of the situation.
Where is Israel Headed?
Zachary, keep yourself safe. We salute you.
I had bookmarked some LittleGreenFootballs entries and finally got a chance to read a few today (I still have about 100 RSS links from LGF and other sites to go through).
This one stuck out: Egyptian Blogger Asks the Real Questions
I have a hard time believing that an anti-Semite might fall for such a blatant question, but you never know - the anti-Semites who come to campus might just be begging to reveal their true nature. If you get an outlandish response, please find this post in the archives, and post the response you received as a comment. I'm curious how many anti-Semites will take the bait.
GIYUS (Give Israel Your United Support) has linked in a great article summarizing the Reuters mess. I especially love the way the article starts:
Though I am five thousand miles away, I think that I can detect the vibrations emanating from West Norwood Cemetery in London. For surely Paul Julius Reuter, the German rabbi's son who founded the Reuters News Agency a century and a half ago, is spinning in his grave.
A friend of mine turned me onto this one.
Stanley Crouch describes a simple test to see if someone is an overt anti-Semite:
My point is a simple one, which is that no amount of Jewish novelists, mass media entertainers, radio, television and film executives, public school and college teachers, broadcasters, investigative journalists and whatever else have changed the fundamental religious identity of the United States. What the worst Jews have done is whatever the worst of any other ethnic group have done - stolen, murdered, kidnapped and bilked. The essence of anti-Semitic bigotry is the same as any other bigotry in that the souls of the minority among Jews who are criminals are seen as emblematic and an explanation of behavior.
In the mind of the anti-Semite, those bad things were determined by the fact that the perpetrator is a Jew. Next case.
A friend of mine turned me onto this one. I suggest you read Ben Caspit's suggested text for a speech by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert:
We Will Not Capitulate
| Hat Tip: GIYUS.org A home video showing a Hezbollah missile hit a residential neighborhood in Haifa. Note the missile alarm followed by the blast itself. This is gruesome evidence of Hezbollah aiming to threaten civilian life in Israel. moments from the attack on haifa taken by Israel Glaser & Omer Zengut from Bat-Galim Haifa | |
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