UC Irvine seeks to suspend Muslim student group

The Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine should be suspended for one year for its involvement in repeated disruptions of a February speech by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, according to a disciplinary report released by the university.

The Muslim Student Union has appealed the recommendation.

The speech about U.S.-Israeli relations was interrupted 10 times by students who got up and yelled out things like, "Michael Oren, propagating murder is not an expression of free speech."

Eleven UC Irvine and UC Riverside students were arrested and cited for disturbing a public event, but none have been charged. The student group maintained that the disruptions were done by individuals and not organized by their group, but the report cited internal Muslim Student Union e-mails and meeting agendas that indicated they planned a disturbance.

The group's attorney Reem Salahi emphasized that a suspension has not yet been implemented but was still disheartened by the report’s recommendations. “It’s collective punishment,” she said. “You have an entire Muslim student body that’s being punished for the actions of a few."

-- Raja Abdulrahim

Photo:UC Irvine Chancellor Michael V. Drake addressed a gathering of more than 600 members of the county's Jewish community, who expressed concern about what they perceived as anti-Semitic activity on campus, much of it involving Muslim students. L.A. Times file photo.

Comments

[Xenu]

Of course, if they had been Tea Party members disrupting political speech, this would not be happening.

[benadonis]

To hell with you guys who think to shut them down is wrong. Not until Jews and Christians are allowed to practice freely their religion in Saudi Arabia can these guys say a word that is credible about free speech. Can you carry the bible or any jewish book into Saudi Arabia? The muslims think that they can shut down Israel because they are small.They forget that God will never let that happen.6 million vs 1 billion. The small shall prevail. Israel for 1000 years.

[Mark]

Some Muslim students stated, "Michael Oren, propagating murder is not an expression of free speech." Were they wrong? Why are they being punished for tellling the truth?

If they were being vulgar or violent, yes, punish them. They were not though. They were simply telling the truth about Isreali war crimes and apartheid. It may be inconvenient news for those who support that agenda, but the truth must be told. And change must come about in a peaceful way. Isreal must be peacefully integrated like South Africa was. We can no longer support Isreal's double standard of racist apartheid and brutal dispossesion of the Palestinian Christians and Muslims.

[Tee]

Free speech has it's limitations . . . just like the minds of those who abuse it.

Way to go UCI. I support you 100%!

[ex-Wyo]

Hallelujah! It is about time these hate-filled racist Islamic groups were turned out and banned. Too long we have tolerated them in our midst out of timidity and fear of being ourselves caled intolerant. Let them call us anything they like - Islamism is not compatible with Western values and has no place in our society.

[Dan]

This is what you get with NO docurum....free speech does not provide for uncouth behavior....send them packing...

[Logical Responder]

Free speech can not be violated by a private individual so please stop misquoting the law and abusing the term. Thomas Jefferson once said "Dissent is the greatest form of patriotism." Michael Oren is an Ambassador for Israel, a foreign nation. Americans have the right to heckle him regarding the $3 Billion of military aid Israel spends to violate US Law and International Law with its treatment of Palestinians. In this economy we should watch every American penny, especially money used to kill others and make people hate America more.

[Kimmie]

This is a step in the right direction for UC Irvine. It is protecting the peaceful free speech of invited guests and speakers. The Muslim students who purposefully disturbed this lecture knew exactly what they were doing. They wanted to interrupt, disrupt, and prevent the peaceful dissemination of information by the speaker (of course, they view the information as propaganda), but they should rebut with a peaceful forum rather than with shouting.

Why is it that the only outspoken Muslims are the violent, aggressive, jihadistic ones?

[dave]

I was not there to witness the confrontation so I only can surmise what happened second and third hand. However, as an observation based on the comments and spelling contained therein, most of you are guests in my country. You would do well to remember that. I say again, guests.

[Richard]

This is horrible.

First of all, since when was peaceful protest a punishable offense?

Second of all, why would you outlaw an entire student organization based on the actions of a few?

Thirdly, why is the UC being hypocritical with this form of protest when it hires employees who engaged in similar protests before?

This reeks of political corruption

[Annie]

I am appalled as American citizen who is a student at a the University of California. If we are not allowed to have freedom of speech on our campus then where?

A question we must all ask ourselves. Why weren't the hecklers at president Obama or Speaker of house Nancy Pelosi speeches punished?

[Ed M.]

Why wasn't Michael Oren's visit made into a roundtable event? In other situations, when a controversial author or speaker comes to a university, the university provides time for all sides to speak. I don't know the details here, but was the problem that UCI was providing a platform for the speaker to give his views but not providing a platform for the opposing side? (Hence the opposing side's tendency to interrupt?)

[Mary King]

Those who applaud UCI for this move should re-read our constitution.

If the students were interrupting ANYONE other than an ambassador from Israel, do you think there would be this type of reaction?

I used to attend a University where anyone who spoke against Israeli policies AGAINST UNARMED CHILDREN AND WOMEN were considered by the Jewish Student Union and the Hilel Jewish group as anti-Semitic and a "threat" to that group of students feeling safe. What about students of Palestinian heritage, who consistently lose family members because of "accidental missiles" from Israel?

What I came to learn from someone who worked closely with both groups is that the administration receives massive funding from individuals who support those groups and thus, the administration often acted according to the wishes of their funders. Is UCI also making this move because they are facing a funding thread?

Michael Oren represents a country which the UN records as having broken more United Nations resolutions than all other countries COMBINED.

Why would any person of conscious, who act upon beliefs which they learn in their universities- to stand up for justice- be attacked for that?

And whether or not you agree with the method of these individual students' approach to the event, the point is that it was done by individual students.

Claiming the entire Muslim Student Union club is responsible for that, even after the club itself repeatedly mentioned those actions were those of individuals, shows clear racism/religionism on the part of UCI.

By the way, many students who are part of the UCI MSU are Arab. Thus, this action should technically be deemed as anti-Semitic in addition to anti American.

[michelle]

Free speech is everyone's right, however, free speech does not involve being disrespectful and constantly interrupting a speaker and calling him a murderer, and many other things. Free speech means being allowed your own time to speak, when its your TURN. And by the way, the Muslim Student Union at UCI an ALL the UC schools, for that matter, get more than their share of free speech through their demonstrations, passing out of flyers calling for the destruction of Israel, calling Israel a terrorist state (wow! what you call the pot calling the kettle black at its ultimate!), etc. So absolutely free speech as long as we act like CIVILIZED human beings!

[Chris]

I belong to no faith---thank God. (Ironic use of language, eh?) Religion is the primary source of far too much anguish in this world, historically and presently. For all of us not so inclined, leave us alone! Muslims, particularly, are a prime source of religious/political hostility. These people do NOT believe in free speech and I view them as idiots. Shut up. Go to school. Get a job. And leave us alone. That's all you have to do.

[Jan Ann]

Regardless of whether I agree with the methods taken by the students, the actions to punish an entire religious community at UCI beause of the acts of 11 is draconian. Religious groups such as the MSU are places where students can meet their peers with similar beliefs, learn about their faith, and practice their faith. The ability to build a Muslim community in which students can relate to one another, learn, and feel safe is taken away unfairly. It is unacceptable that a public university would act in such a way to limit free speech of any group and attempt to cripple the Muslim community at UCI.

[Edward4]

This is an unfortunate incident all around. UCI should realize that it is located in one of the most vibrant centers of Muslim population in the country. The kind of notice that UCI should get is to build one of the strongest Muslim studies programs in the country, instead of cracking down on students who are hell-bent on making trouble to attract exactly this kind of negative attention. A progressive Muslim studies program that is committed to dialogue and critical understanding of the Middle East issues as well as producing new knowledge on the Muslim population that is increasingly global would create a more productive atmosphere on UCI campus and fill the intellectual void that these students are trying to fill. From the way he handled the Chemerinsky hiring to the way he handed the Oren invitation and the disciplining of the Muslim Student Union, Chancellor Drake has provided disappointing leadership--in a teachable moment, he chose to throw his most marginalized and vulnerable students under the bus. UCI deserves better.

[Anteater1997]

As a UCI grad I am ashamed that the university caved in to threats of funding cuts from the very same racists popping up their heads here and made a mockery out of free speech. The very fact that the suspension news was leaked by the jewish federation shows how things went down. Suffice it to say that when the Iranian president's speech at Columbia was disrupted these same folks were all about free speech.
And to clarify, the muslim students at UCI are from here and have the same rights as anyone else from here. If anything its Oren last seen whitewashing the flotilla massacre who is from a different country and his supporters on here who owe their loyalties elsewhere. This is still the US of A !!!! Not the US of I !!

[Steve G]

As opposed to beliefs applauded in the Muslim World, you cannot threaten, intimidate or murder anyone who does not share your beliefs.

That's one lesson this group of college students is learning now.

[Norm Silver]

There are rules and courtesies extended to Campus visitors I don't care where they come from. This group went way beyond the rules and courtesies. I support the UCI decision and applaud them for being so responsive so quickly.

[tomdavis]

Only thugs and bullies believe that shouting people down and preventing them from speaking is a form of "free speech." UCI is doing the right thing.

[John Lewis]

"Free speech" can never be invoked to deny speech to others. I'm guessing that if these students had their way, there would be no speech allowed but what their Mullah sanctioned.

[Andy]

As much as I am for tolerant of other political views and religion (I myself an Asian) and freedom of expression, but what the MSU did was disrespectful. I'm for one very happy to see our campus taking actions against these classless acts. I normally could care less about these beefs between Israel & Muslims, but using freedom of speech as an excuse to suppress another's is a slap in the face of the freedom we all worked so hard to defend on this side of the pond. If these students have done anything, they've pushed my sympathy further away from their cause. I wholeheartedly support UCI on this decision.

[Dana Garcia]

Muslims hate free speech. Anything that doesn't fit with their rather restrictive ideology is shut down by either noise, lawyers or violence.

[yogi]

They don't have the freedom to suspend someone else's freedom of speach. The right move by UCI.