http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2010/02/025587.php February 14, 2010 Posted by Scott at 8:31 AM
The Muslim Student Union at the University of California, Irvine sought to keep Israel's Ambassador Michael Oren from speaking on campus last week. We posted video and wrote about it here. The MSU action followed
The alliance between the hard left and Islamist radicals is a key element of the campus intifada. The group ActLeft has sent out an email to its Israel-Palestine action list requesting "urgent action" supporting the students who sought to prevent Oren from speaking. Here is the message:
You may have heard of the recent event at UC Irvine with Michael Oren, the ambassador of Israel to the US.
While he was invited by a student organization to speak on US-Israeli relations, the UCI Law School and the Political Science Department cosponsored the speech by Oren, a public figure who represents a state that continues to commit more human rights violations. See the MSU's statement regarding his presence on campus for more details...
At the event, 11 students who chose to protest by making clear and organized statements were arrested and held in a room until after the event. The school is also currently threatening to punish the students, aiming to send a political message by selective enforcement of university policies.
Contact UCI Chancellor Michael Drake NOW to declare that it is unjust to arrest these students. Supporters of the arrests are contacting administration in large numbers, and your support is needed desperately!
Ask to speak with Chancellor Drake or leave a message at: (949) 824 - 5011 and email him at:
[email protected].
Speak to the Dean of Students office, who are determining the punishment at: (949) 824-5181 and email them at:
[email protected].
Here are some important points to bring up:
It was unjust to arrest students for simply having the courage to stand up and speak out against a man responsible for propagating the deaths of thousands of innocent people.
Civil disobedience has historically played an instrumental role in the civil rights movement in America the eventually ensured equality and human rights for all minorities.
Michael Oren is a representative of a state that is condemned by more UN Human Rights Council resolutions than all other countries in the world, and he should not be honored at UC Irvine.
As concerned community members, we will not support an educational institution that threatens to punish its' students with suspension and expulsion for standing up for their principles.
The actions of the MSU supporters who disrupted Oren's speech were obviously intended to silence Oren. The ActLeft message cloaks the MSU supporters in the garb of "civil disobedience," but the actions of the MSU are both hateful and tyrannical. The actions are based on the proposition that the defense of Israel in speech is beyond the bounds of civilized discourse just as the defense of Israel in deed is illegitimate because Israel is illegitimate.
This scenario replays the one involving Daniel Pipes's appearance at UCI in January 2008. When Pipes spoke on campus on the threat to Israel's existence, he was interrupted by students who were then removed from the audience like those who disrupted Oren's speech. The students disrupting the Pipes event continued their protest outside, saying things such as "it's just a matter of time before the state of Israel will be wiped off the face of the earth...just keep on doing what we are doing, our weapon, our jihad, our way of struggling. May Allah give them strength."
The MSU is a chapter of the Muslim Student Association, which was itself founded by members of the Muslim Brotherhood. They seek the extinction of Israel. Resistance is required. If the spines of campus administrators need to be stiffened, it is not only supporters of the MSU from whom administrators should hear.
Topic: Arab "students" at UC Irvine disrupt speech by Israeli ambassador to U.S. (Read 1882 times)