California campus riled by student panel discussing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad

[Hazeleyed_Honey]

AP News
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California campus riled by student panel discussing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad
Wednesday March 01, 2006
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press Writer

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) A student panel discussion that included a display of the Prophet Muhammad cartoons descended into chaos, with one speaker calling Islam an ``evil religion'' and audience members nearly coming to blows.

Organizers of Tuesday night's forum at the University of California, Irvine said they showed the cartoons as part of a larger debate on Islamic extremism.

But several hundred protesters, including members of the Muslim Student Union, argued the event was the equivalent of hate speech disguised as freedom of expression.

Although there were numerous heated exchanges, no violence was reported.

The panel, which included one Muslim speaker, was sponsored by the College Republicans and the United American Committee, a group that says it promotes awareness of internal threats facing America.

During the discussion in a nearly packed 424-seat campus auditorium, six cartoons were displayed: three depicting Muhammad and three anti-Semitic cartoons.

The discussion got off to a contentious start with the Council on American-Islamic Relations an invited guest boycotting the event and calling the United American Committee a ``fringe group.''

Tensions quickly escalated when the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, founder of the conservative Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny, said that Islam was an ``evil religion'' and that all Muslims hate America.

People repeatedly interrupted the talk and, at one point, campus police removed two men, one of them a Muslim, after they nearly came to blows.

Later, panelists were cheered when they referred to Muslims as fascists and accused mainstream Muslim-American civil rights groups of being ``cheerleaders for terror.''

``I put out a call to Muslims in America: Put out a fatwa on (Osama) bin Laden, put out a fatwa on (Abu Musab) al-Zarqawi,'' said panelist Lee Kaplan, a UAC spokesman. ``Support America in the war on terror.''

Thousands of Muslims worldwide have protested, sometimes violently, after the cartoons were published in a Danish newspaper and in other European newspapers. Islam widely holds that representations of Muhammad are banned for fear they could lead to idolatry.

Osman Umarji, former president of the Muslim Student Union, equated the decision by the student panel to display the prophet drawings to the debasement of Jews in Germany before the Holocaust.

``The agenda is to spread Islamophobia and create hysteria against Muslims similar to what happened to the Jews in Nazi Germany,'' said Umarji, an electrical engineer who graduated from Irvine last spring. ``Freedom of speech has its limits.''

Brock Hill, vice president of the College Republicans, said his group had a First Amendment right to display the cartoons.

``We're not going against Islam whatsoever,'' he said. ``This is about free speech and the free marketplace of ideas.''

Mohamed Eldessouky, 20, a criminology student who attended the discussion, said he was disappointed because he felt the panel and the audience were biased against Islam.

``I entered it with an open mind, but I thought it was totally biased. I thought the panelists would be more balanced. I think it did more harm than good,'' he said.

Lauren Chramosta, 18, a freshman, said she didn't know much about Islam and attended hoping to learn more.

``It was helpful to listen to different views,'' she said. ``But I think (the Muslim panelist) was shut down so many times that he didn't get a fair shake.''


On the Net:

United American Committee: http://www.unitedamericancommittee.org

Muslim Student Union: http://msu-uci.com

Council on American-Islamic Relations: http://www.cair-net.org

University of California, Irvine: http://www.uci.edu

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

http://www.wbz.com/topic/ap_news.php...wings-Colle-aa

[Elise]

This makes me sad. We had a panal at my school: What is Sacred to You?, where they invited various religious leaders to talk a bout the things which are sacred to them & while I couldn't make it, I'm told (by both Christians & Muslims who made it), that it was very respectful & enlightening.

[Hazeleyed_Honey]

Yeah,it is quite upsetting,where is the professionalism, respect and tolerance? I cannot believe these kind of settings where hate can be preached about others is allowed by college and universities.

And I know some will come on here and tell me that this is freedom of speech or whatever.I surely do not accept freedom of speech allowing to spout off hatred about others which is quite influential to others to start spreading this ignorance and is detrimental to those who are being hated on and their community.

Freedom of speech is a right to be respected but common sense is our duty.

[Grimmlok]

Sorry, I'm all for lampooning religion. It's fair game like everything else. Also, since the Qu'ran doesn't say you can't draw the prophet, there's no big deal to be made.

People are just looking to be pissed off just like the Christofacists like to cancel tv shows.

Religion is far too tempting to the multitude of retards that cause crap like this.

[Elise]

I fault the organizers of this. They should have picked speakers which would have been open minded & respectful of ALL religions--isn't the point of this panal to open minds & increase understanding??

[Grimmlok]

*snort*

That's the point of religion too, and we see how well that turned out..

[Hazeleyed_Honey]

Originally Posted by Grimmlok

Sorry, I'm all for lampooning religion. It's fair game like everything else. Also, since the Qu'ran doesn't say you can't draw the prophet, there's no big deal to be made.

People are just looking to be pissed off just like the Christofacists like to cancel tv shows.

Religion is far too tempting to the multitude of retards that cause crap like this.

Tensions quickly escalated when the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, founder of the conservative Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny, said that Islam was an ``evil religion'' and that all Muslims hate America

You know what, if you are against religion,OK that is respected...But I think when you cross the line and generalize like this man did,then surely prejudice like this should NOT be tolerated.

[serenity]

This does sound like a hate filled speech but I do wonder why we have never heard or seen people of the Muslim faith rallying, chanting and protesting in the streets anywhere, against Osama Bin Laden
or Al Zarqawi or putting out fatwa's on these two leaders of terrorists? These terrorists are doing more harm against the Muslim faith and the prophet than any cartoonist could ever, ever do. That is why the cartoons started in the first place. And why are there so MANY thousand Muslims that don't have the common sense to see WHY people see them as hate filled people.

[Grimmlok]

No, that guy stepped over the line.. but he was clearly over the line any way, given the name of his organization.

I mean.. new destiny? crazy much?

[Sojiita]

Maybe one of us should draw some religious cartoons and post them on here to get the site some more *Activity*???

[Grimmlok]

ooo lets!

[Sojiita]

I honest to God(pun intended) would (of Christ, Mohammed, etc...L.Ron Hubbard.. ) but I would need to go buy a gun first so I could at least have a chance of killing any of the crazies before they assassinated me. Also I think SVZ might not be happy about it and the fatwa issued against him as the guy running the site..hell it might even get me banned!!!

[Hazeleyed_Honey]

Originally Posted by serenity

This does sound like a hate filled speech but I do wonder why we have never heard or seen people of the Muslim faith rallying, chanting and protesting in the streets anywhere, against Osama Bin Laden
or Al Zarqawi or putting out fatwa's on these two leaders of terrorists?

First off, Al-Qaeda and Al-Zarqawi have killed more ARABS and Muslims than they have killed in the West. Al-Qaeda has targeted and killed Muslims in Turkey,Morrocco,Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bali in Indonesia, and Al-Zarqawi has been attaking Muslims in Jordan and Iraq. Muslims have died in bigger numbers by Al-Qaeda and Al-Zarqawi than people have been targeted by them in the West.

There has been a fatwa issued against Osama.

Spanish clerics issue fatwa against bin Laden:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/nation...wa-050311.html

MADRID - Clerics representing the majority of Spain's one million Muslims have issued what they say is the world's first fatwa against Osama bin Laden

These terrorists are doing more harm against the Muslim faith and the prophet than any cartoonist could ever, ever do. That is why the cartoons started in the first place. And why are there so MANY thousand Muslims that don't have the common sense to see WHY people see them as hate filled people.

Actually, the terrorists do not represent all us Muslims...Do you see the media tainting all Westerners as one for the killings and massacres and wars the Western powers do to others. By the way, these Western powers do more damage than these Islamist terrorists do-So right there, in your logic, there should be common sense to see ALL Westeners under these Western powers as hate filled people?

[serenity]

Originally Posted by Hazeleyed_Honey

First off, Al-Qaeda and Al-Zarqawi have killed more ARABS and Muslims than they have killed in the West. Al-Qaeda has targeted and killed Muslims in Turkey,Morrocco,Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bali in Indonesia, and Al-Zarqawi has been attaking Muslims in Jordan and Iraq. Muslims have died in bigger numbers by Al-Qaeda and Al-Zarqawi than people have been targeted by them in the West.

There has been a fatwa issued against Osama.

Spanish clerics issue fatwa against bin Laden:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/nation...wa-050311.html



Actually, the terrorists do not represent all us Muslims...Do you see the media tainting all Westerners as one for the killings and massacres and wars the Western powers do to others. By the way, these Western powers do more damage than these Islamist terrorists do-So right there, in your logic, there should be common sense to see ALL Westeners under these Western powers as hate filled people?

Well good for Spain! I'm glad to hear that people of the Muslim faith THERE are angry and have put out a fatwa for Osama. Actually, I didn't say the terrorists represented ALL Muslims. I said, " the terrorists do more harm to the Muslim faith and the prophet than any cartoons could ever, ever do." These terrorists ARE Muslims and the world see's what they are doing. So many Muslims are so angry about the cartoons they want people dead but these same Muslims have not showed their upset and anger in this way about the terrorist, and its the Muslims that are terrorists, I feel, are the reason the cartoons started in the first place.

[Hazeleyed_Honey]

Originally Posted by serenity

Well good for Spain! I'm glad to hear that people of the Muslim faith THERE are angry and have put out a fatwa for Osama. Actually, I didn't say the terrorists represented ALL Muslims. I said, " the terrorists do more harm to the Muslim faith and the prophet than any cartoons could ever, ever do." These terrorists ARE Muslims and the world see's what they are doing. So many Muslims are so angry about the cartoons they want people dead but these same Muslims have not showed their upset and anger in this way about the terrorist, and its the Muslims that are terrorists, I feel, are the reason the cartoons started in the first place.

Why let a bunch of radical and insane whackjob loonies do harm to the religion?Islam, is a faith just liek Judaism and Christianity, and whoever does ANYTHING violent in the name of these religions will not do harm to the religion because we KNOW these faiths do not advocate these horrendous and abhorrent acts.There is 2 billion Muslims in the world, and instead people will take a sect of radical nutjobs and say they are doing harm to the religion?For the fact there is religious fundamentalists in Churches molesting little boys and raping them while the Vatican is trying to keep them undercover...And the there is Bush, as an evanligelical Christian is against homosexuality and takes away people's freedoms where his government has committed human rights violations of ALL sorts and who believes it is a "crusade" and that God spoke to him has murdered 100,000 Iraqi civilians with his brutal war...So the should we take Bush and all the other powerful wackjob radical Christians and say they are doing harm to Christianity?

So what the heck are they doing to do about these terrorists?How do they have the power to marginalize these terorrists?They live in dictatorship regimes.Like I told you, they are victims of these terrorists too.Their governments are funding these terrorists in which are allies with the Western powers...I can tur around and say why isn't the America public doing aything about Bush?Well, that is because they do not have the power.These people who are mostly improverished will tend to look out for their own self-interests-like worrying about enough money to bring food to their tables. They surely do not care about the terrorists, they say it is not them.Why are you criticizing the Muslim people?Wat can thy do?It is their governments like the Saudi royal kingdom who fund them..And these terorrists are not visible or even seen. Like when Zarqawi attacked Jordan, there were big protests shouting death to Al-Zarqawi.

Another thing, most Muslims in the Middle East do not even believe Al-Qaeda exists, they believe in conspiracies that western governments are behind these attacks to make it look like Muslim radicals are the culprits. That is another factor.