One doesn't want to invoke George Orwell lightly. But there is something positively Orwellian about defending, in the name of freedom of speech, a gang's attempt to shut down a speech.
The facts are these:
Israel's Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, was invited to speak at the University of California Irvine. The invitation came from the Law School and the Political Science Department. Now, UC Irvine has an active--some would say, aggressive (others would say, obnoxious)--chapter of the Muslim Student Union. The UCI MSU has a, shall we say, controversial history, ranging from allegedly fundraising for Hamas to hosting virulently anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic speakers.
Enter the double standard. The MSU feels perfectly free to bring to campus speakers that Jews, friends of Israel, and others consider absolutely repulsive. And it has the right to do so (aside from providing material support to terrorists, which is forbidden by federal law). But when the MSU considers a speaker not to be kosher (as it were), it seeks to disrupt his appearance.
Thus, the MSU reacted to Oren's approaching visit to UC Irvine with a February 8 release:
The members of the Muslim Student Union at the University of California, Irvine, condemn and strongly oppose the presence of Michael Oren on our campus today. We resent that the Law School and the Political Science Department have agreed to cosponsor a public figure who represents a state that continues to commit human rights violations, thereby breaking international law and law of Israeli accord [sic]. We strongly condemn the university for cosponsoring, and therefore, inadvertently supporting the ambassador of a state that is condemned by more UN Human Rights Council resolutions than all other countries in the world combined. . . .
As people of conscience, we oppose Michael Oren’s invitation to our campus. Propagating murder is not a responsible expression of free speech. Oren and his partners should only be granted a speakers platform in the International Criminal Court and should not be honored on our campus.
When Ambassador Oren took the podium that evening, there was what some members of the audience called "a coordinated attack." As reported in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal:
With rumors circulating of students’ plans to disrupt Oren’s speech, university officials spoke to MSU members before the event in an attempt to ensure civil discourse, according to Shalom C. Elcott, Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation Orange County. . . .
Oren, a New Jersey native and best-selling author of two authoritative books on the Middle East, was less than two minutes into his talk when the first heckler jumped up and shouted, ”Propagating murder is not an expression of free speech,” followed by thunderous applause and cheers from protesters seated in groups throughout the audience. Oren continued to talk, only to be interrupted every few minutes by another protester and more cheering and boos. Many audience members also cheered Oren.
By the third interruption, police began escorting individual protesters out of the room.
Oren had to leave the stage for twenty minutes. Police arrested eleven people, including the president of the MSU. UCI Chancellor Michael Drake lamented: "The principles that make us a great university have been violated this evening.”
A grim moment for an institution dedicated to freedom of thought. Now here's the truly scary bit. The Muslim Public Affairs Council wrote a letter to Chancellor Drake. Did the letter deplore the thuggish behavior of the Muslim students? We should be so lucky. No, the letter asks Drake to investigate the arrests, because the hecklers were exercising their First Amendment rights:
Comments
<b>Genocide corrupts thinking and corrupted thinkers have corrupted language and which leads to aggression.</b>
What will have such people to teach young americans in college campus? What does anyone get in having them in campus?
It is better we stay away from trouble and live in harmony.
Dear Paul Kujawsky:
In order to express your view on the protesters, it is not necessary for you to slander these students who are opposed to the Israli attacks upon the people of Gaza, etc. You boast of the rights, I am sure urged on the protesters in Iran, and US students some who protested their leader who spoke to a major US university. As a writer you should not embarass yourself and your faith by using double standards ie:doing the same thing. You do not represent the Zionist and Israelis nor Jewish people very well. You obviously supported the slaughter of people of Gaza.Do not use ther Examiner for your racist views.----gnk
I wonder how these people would feel if we brought 5000 rednecks to voice a protest at their local mosques. Pat Condell warned us all, and apparently it is happening.
MR. Kashif,
Over 2000 Muslims were killed in January alone worldwide by the hands of fellow Muslims in the form of suicide bombings etc. Talk about being hypocritical.
Those idiot Muslims don't even know that their own Quran says that Israel is for Moses and the Israeli people. I guess they don't follow their own "holy" Quran;
Qur'an:
17:104
Abdullah Yusuf Ali And We said thereafter to the Children of Israel, "Dwell securely in the land (of promise)": but when the second of the warnings came to pass, We gathered you together in a mingled crowd.
Mufti Taqi Usmani and thereafter We said to the children of Isra‘il, .Live in the land. So, when the appointed time of the Hereafter will come, We shall bring you all joined together..
Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall And We said unto the Children of Israel after him: Dwell in the land; but when the promise of the Hereafter cometh to pass we shall bring you as a crowd gathered out of various nations.
I watched the video on youtube and the people who organized this immature behavior are nothing but childish thugs throwing a temper tantrum. They place their right to speak above that of others. ALL Americans should be offended at such obnoxious behavior. These kids need a good spanking
14th Century Throwbacks.
Its sad to see this happen and from a UC campus... I remember our club spent 5 months trying to get the Ambassador from Azerbaijan to come and speak at our event. and the organizers here were obviously unprepared. Its a shame because its such a big name and I would have been thrilled to have them at our CSU campus...
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