Cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed
bring out protesters Tuesday
to a University of California, Irvine forum.
"Free HATE" ?
Posted on 02/28/2006 1:09:24 PM PST by RonDog
This event is TONIGHT!!!
Controversial Cartoons Debut at UC IrvineIRVINE - Security will be increased at UC Irvine tonight when students plan to "unveil" Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that sparked widespread violence in the Middle East and Europe, an official said.A confrontation will be avoided "if our students have anything to do with it," UC Irvine Dean of Students Sally Peterson said. "But who knows who might show up."
Peterson said her concerns are protecting students' safety and security as well as their free speech rights. She declined to reveal the specifics of the increased security. Representatives of College Republicans, who are co-sponsoring the event, met yesterday with members of the Muslim Student Union, which says showing the cartoons will promote fear of Muslims, met yesterday in an exchange that "didn't change anyone's mind," Peterson said.
"The Unveiling of the Cartoons & A Discussion to Confront Terror" is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Crystal Cove Auditorium of the university's Student Union. Initially, just the seminar was planned, but copies of the cartoons became available and someone decided to show them, Peterson said.
Last week, members of the Muslim Student Union called upon College Republicans to revoke their sponsorship.
Another sponsor is the United American Committee, whose Web site describes the protests that have erupted as a result of the cartoons, which were first featured in a Danish newspaper, as "censorship by terrorism."
"Freedom of expression is not a conditional right predicated on the consent of terrorists, supremacists and despots who arrogantly demand that their views and behavior are unassailable by their fellow man," the Web site states.
Osman Umarji, of the Muslim Student Union, said the program promises to incite Islamophobia.
"They're going to discuss Islamic terrorism and how most Muslims are apologists for terror," Umarji said. "Many Republicans we spoke to are not in agreement."
Muslim students and their supporters will demonstrate, but also hold a "teaching" seminar on Muhammad and a news conference, Umarji said. He expects hundreds of supporters, including representative of other religions and local elected officials.
Marya Bangee, a member of the group's board, said Muslims believe that no religious figures should be maligned but that the ratio of violence among people protesting the cartoons is only one in 100.
"We do not believe in any violence. We're in favor of other things, like a boycotting," Bangee said.
"Displaying the cartoons at UC Irvine will only incite hatred against and deeply hurt its Muslim community, and create an atmosphere of animosity and Islamophobia on campus. This is diametrically opposed to the spirit of a university campus, a place for intellectual debate that fosters mutual understanding and respect."
Depictions of Muhammad are prohibited under Islamic law.
Kristen Lucero, 21, president of College Republicans, told the Los Angeles Times that the cartoons of Muhammad will be displayed along with what she called anti-Semitic and anti-Western cartoons published in Muslim nations.
"We are firm believers in the First Amendment," Lucero said. "The public has the right to discuss as well as view the cartoons."
Topics to be discussed include an examination of whether some U.S. Islamic groups are apologists for terror and Islamic militancy on U.S. college campuses.
Originally published Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Updated Wednesday, March 01, 2006UCI Muslims protest panel's cartoon unveiling
By Gillian Flaccus
The Associated PressIRVINE -- Dozens of Muslim students and supporters protested Tuesday at the University of California, Irvine against plans by organizers of a panel discussion on Islamic extremism to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb-laden turban.
Members of the Muslim Student Union gathered outside the auditorium where the panel convened. The Council on American-Islamic Relations -- an invited guest -- planned a boycott.
Two men were escorted out of the auditorium after the panel discussion began. One of them had been heckling panel members. When a second man angrily approached him, police made them leave the meeting.
The protest began when about 200 Muslim students, many wearing green armbands, placed mats on the barricaded street and said a prayer. When it ended, about 15 counterprotesters raised U.S. and Israeli flags, shouted "USA! USA!" and sang "God Bless America."
Thousands of Muslims worldwide have protested, sometimes violently, against the drawings after they were published in a Danish newspaper in September and then in other papers in Europe. The drawings are offensive to Muslims because Islamic tradition bans any depiction of Muhammad.
"Free HATE" ?
California campus riled by student panel discussing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad
ASSOCIATED PRESS
3:53 a.m. March 1, 2006
IRVINE – 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: www.unitedamericancommittee.org
Muslim Student Union: msu-uci.com
Council on American-Islamic Relations: www.cair-net.org
University of California, Irvine: www.uci.eduFind this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20060301-0353-prophetdrawings-college.html
IRVINE – 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...Not hardly.
The guy who finally got tired of the police dithering around about ejecting the REAL disruptor didn't get within THIRTY FEET of the guy before the police jumped him, and escorted him out of the auditorium.He was wrong to get involved, but he made NO threatening comments and NO menacing gestures.
He did nothing that could REMOTELY be described as "nearly coming to blows."
Students protest cartoon display
(UC Irvine event coverage)
Posted by Dark Skies
On News/Activism 03/01/2006 5:59:26 AM PST · 13 replies · 273+ views
The Monterey Herald (CA) ^ | 3/1/2006 | GILLIAN FLACCUS
Plan to Show Danish Prophet Cartoons Riles UC Irvine Campus
(Story of the Day! Thread)
Posted by Dark Skies
On News/Activism 02/28/2006 5:38:54 PM PST · 38 replies · 633+ views
Associated Press (via local ABC TV) ^ | 2/28/2006 | AP Staff
Controversial Cartoons Debut at UC Irvine
[Orange County, CA - TONIGHT! Tuesday, 2/28/06 - 7 pm]
Posted by RonDog
On News/Activism 02/28/2006 1:09:24 PM PST · 43 replies · 801+ views
ABC 7.com ^ | February 28, 2006 | ABC News
Cartoons bring debate to UCI (pics)
Posted by Ladycalif
On News/Activism 03/01/2006 6:11:09 AM PST · 19 replies · 532+ views
Orange County Register ^
A reminder that conservative organizers should always have a video camera or two pointed at audiences when they put these things on.
Showing of cartoons of Muhammad riles Calif. campus
Posted by SmithL
On News/Activism 02/28/2006 9:31:24 PM PST · 44 replies · 1,160+ views
AP ^ | 2/28/6 | GILLIAN FLACCUS
Muhammad Cartoons Rile California College
Posted by NewLand
On News/Activism 03/01/2006 6:07:38 AM PST · 44 replies · 791+ views
AP ^ | March 1, 2006 | GILLIAN FLACCUS
My neighbor just called...saw me on channel 7 news tonight.
This was pretty accurate
AP
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) - Mar. 1, 2006 - The controversy surrounding the Prophet Muhammad cartoons has reached the University of California at Irvine.
A panel discussion on Islamic extremism last night included a display of the cartoons that have sparked worldwide protests. Panelists also showed anti-Semitic cartoons.
The forum descended into chaos as one speaker called Islam an "evil religion." Several hundred people in the audience nearly came to blows.
The event was co-sponsored by U-C-Irvine's College Republicans. The group's vice president Brock Hill says there's a First Amendment right to display the cartoons. He says it's a free-speech issue, not anti-Arab.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserve
Evil finds evil.
The forum descended into chaos as one speaker called Islam an "evil religion."That would be Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson:
From www.BONDinfo.org:
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is BOND?
A: The Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny (BOND) is a nationally recognized 501 (C) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to "Rebuilding the Family By Rebuilding the Man."
Q: How long has BOND been around?
A: Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, the Founder and President of the organization, started BOND in 1990. At that time, the purpose of the organization was to help black men overcome anger and learn to properly guide their families. However, all races and both sexes were drawn to BOND as the problems encountered by black men were and are common to all people. The organization is open to men and women of all races and ages.
Q: Who is Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson?
A: Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson is the author of the books, SCAM: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America (Thomas Nelson Publishers) and his first book FROM RAGE TO RESPONSIBILITY (Paragon House). He is also a much in-demand public speaker, Guest Columnist for World Net Daily, expert counselor, host of a nationally syndicated radio and TV talk show, and successful entrepreneur. After experiencing a personal transformation, he started BOND to help black men to find the truth that had set him free.
Q: What kind of services does BOND provide?
A: At our main Los Angeles location, BOND holds Sunday services and meetings for men and women; we have phone and in-person counseling (call 1-800-411-2663 for more information); a television show (The Jesse Lee Peterson Show); the popular BOND Newsletter; and web site (bondinfo.org). We provide public speakers; host workshops and seminars; and operate programs, including The BOND Home, in which we house young men aged 13-25 and show them how to be responsible, upstanding members of the community. We also operate our BOND After School Character-Building Program and an Entrepreneur Program, where we instruct men and women how to budget, save, invest, and start their own businesses.
Q: Is BOND a Christian Organization?
A: Yes.
Q: What denomination is BOND ?
A: We are nondenominational.
As a committed CHRISTIAN leader, he could have had no OTHER opinion of Islam, right?
Jesse is awesome.
Outside, all they needed were torches, it could have been like Triumph of the Will.
Ted Hayes, an activist for the homeless in Los Angeles and one of four panelists invited to speak at the forum, criticized the Muslim students.Here is a SHORT EXCERPT about Ted from www.opinionjournal.com:"Why don't they protest against terrorism?" he shouted before entering the auditorium.
CROSS COUNTRY
Rasta Republican
Meet Los Angeles's Ted Hayes. He's black, dreadlocked--and belongs to the GOP.
BY JILL STEWART
Thursday, April 28, 2005 12:01 a.m.
LOS ANGELES--Condoleezza Rice and Ward Connerly once epitomized black Republicans in California. But their ilk now also includes Ted Hayes, a social activist and inner-city coach whose billowing robes and dreadlocks don't exactly conjure up an image of the GOP.
More blacks than ever support vouchers and faith-based initiatives, and side with President Bush on gay marriage. Mr. Hayes recently made the transition himself, ending a long journey for this former leftist who founded Dome Village, an outcropping of pod-like homeless shelters along the freeway in downtown Los Angeles.
There are other prominent black Republicans in California, of course, such as syndicated radio host Larry Elder and community relations expert Joe Hicks. But even among these unusual thinkers, Mr. Hayes stands out. He's an intense critic of L.A.'s powerful "black old guard"--Democratic politicians, charity bosses and inner-city preachers who, for a generation, have responded to poverty and illiteracy by demanding government programs and blaming white racism.
Not surprisingly, plenty of people wish pesky black Republicans like Mr. Hayes would just slink away. He has skewered L.A.'s entrenched black leaders as "Negro officials," and he has the street cred to get away with it. As L.A. endured another crisis between black leaders and cops recently, he refused to denounce police for shooting dead a 13-year-old, Devin Brown, after a car chase. Instead, Mr. Hayes's press release faulted black church leaders who, despite their great power, rarely point to the lack of parental responsibility...-- snip --
That would be Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson:
&&
Go, Jesse!
:o)
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