UC Irvine shortens but won't lift campus ban on Muslim group, students say

The suspension of a Muslim student group at UC Irvine was upheld Friday by university officials, but the recommended yearlong ban was cut in half, the Muslim group announced, meaning the group will be able to begin participating in campus activities in December.

The Muslim Student Union was appealing the campus ban that was handed down earlier this summer following a protest by several students during a February speech by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren.

The union has maintained that it did not organize the protest, though many of its officers and members participated.

In maintaining the suspension, the university relied on that participation, which it said made the appearance of the student union's endorsement for the protest difficult to overcome, said Reem Salahi, the group's attorney.

The group will be on probation until December 2012. The university has yet to comment.

During a news conference Friday, Muslim Student Union representatives continued to maintain that the suspension amounts to collective punishment. Incoming union Vice President Hadeer Soliman said members have received hate mail and endured personal attacks as a result of the ban.

Given what she described as a rising tide of anti-Muslim hate in the country, Soliman said the suspension sends "the wrong message at the wrong time."

-- Raja Abdulrahim

 

Comments

[AH]

What's the difference between these students and those "adults" who vehemently protested their representatives during the health care debates? One got their first amendment rights squashed while the other continues to squash debate.

[dug]

all religion's are equal, it's just that muslim's believe that islam is a little more equal than all the others--- hence their feelings of entitlement to anything non-muslim, be it land, property, or the liberties of living in a republic...

[Malby]

The First Amendment applies to all, even an Israeli representative. Sorry, no special rights because you're Muslim; no taking away rights because you're Muslim. How do kids get into college and not know that keeping others from speaking--in a meeting specifically organized for that speaker--violates the First Amendment?

[MKF]

Heckling may be a college tradition, but hopefully that will be when you start to learn not to be a rude jerk.

Student groups are allowed to voice protest, but they still have to obey the rules we all do, even if they don't like them or they are inconvenient. How would it work if a bunch of rowdy Israeli's went into an MSU evening prayer and started heckling the Imam? Should the university ignore that? Gee, what about free speech?

What about the rights of the people in the audience who went there to hear this man speak? I'm quite sure they didn't go there intending to hear the MSUs opinions. Perhaps the MSU should have held a presentation before or after the speaker, or asked to be given time to present their opinion. Or perhaps they should have written an editorial in the Anteater paper. But that's not as satisfying as screaming your anger and hatred, is it?

People who don't like rules when they are inconvenient usually scream the loudest when rule-breakers offend them. And just because you have a right to voice your opinion, you don't have the right to stop someone else from voicing theirs because you want to. The speaker, by all accounts, obeyed the rules, the MSU did not, they reaped what they sowed.

[MKF]

Given what she described as a rising tide of anti-Muslim hate in the country, Soliman said the suspension sends "the wrong message at the wrong time."

Perhaps showing that the MSU was able to voice their opinion in an adult manner, within the rules, would have sent a better message. As it is, all you did was add fuel to the anti-Muslim arguments, don't you think?

[arale]

I am not mad at the Muslim students as much as I am very very very angry at the University management. Being politically correct in this case is supporting misbehavior and encourage breaking the rules which is a huge mistake.

Playing lawyers games and coming up with excuses is just unacceptable!!!

We support the University and trust them to create educated students, loyal citizens, responsible human beings and therefore wild animal-like students just do not fit the standards.

[David Tsal]

I live almost next door to UCI. I used to attend it. Over the past 10 years, the situation there has become unimaginably worse for Jewish students.

Probably all American universities now have "Palestinian awareness week," which is really "Hatred of Israel week." UCI has two weeks. The speechmakers it brings are among the most hateful anywhere. Needless to say, no other country in the world is treated in the same manner.

There is a forced element in this. Since the main events happen in the middle of campus, any students going from class to class in the vicinity have to listen to the loudspeaker screaming about "Jews this" and "Israel that."

Hatred of Israel regularly turns into hatred of Jews. Jewish students on campus have been threatened too many times to remember. A student had a rock thrown at his head. Many times swastikas were painted. Holocaust memorial was vandalized. A movie about Jews of Belarus was sabotaged when someone broke the computer. Hate mail and personal attacks are too many to count.

Just one incident among so many:

A Jewish woman going to her car was followed by an Arab crowd. When she got into her car, the Arabs climbed on the hood and banged on doors and windows. She phoned the campus police, who came and told her it was her own fault because she was Jewish.

Yes, because she was Jewish.

It is becoming increasingly dangerous for any Jew to be on campus. It seems it is only matter of time before someone is killed for being Jewish.

[Verballistic]

@xicanoboy1331:

They were also caught in a lie about their role in organizing the protest, which they denied despite e-mails that proved otherwise.

@HRM:

Good point amigo...if Soliman is serious about reducing the atmosphere of ethnic/religious hatred at UCI, he needs to stop the ridiculous MSU tradition of inviting professional hate-speaker Abdel Malik Ali, who has been creating an atmosphere of hatred & intimidation against Jewish students on campus for years.

[Margsdau]

testing 123 testing

[Margsdau]

I am a UCI graduate, but have never donated to my alma mater because of the dhimmitude of the administration toward Muslim students who belong to MSU. It is horrendous for UCI to be nationally famous because of the MSU hate group. Pleasantly surprised that the UCI admin finally grew a pair. As far as the "rising tide of anti-Muslim hate", what nonsense. There is a rising tide of Americans finally comprehending that MSU and its ilk are trying to establish the United Islamic States, complete with sharia law.

[wish for truth]

bad behavior deserves it's rewards. good going UCI

[ann]

I am so angry that we are walzing around the muslims actions. Get them all out of this country. There is no such thing as a peaceful muslim. They have started causing more and more trouble since Obama got into office. They are pouring into our country. I am sick of you so called christian sympathizers. I am a christian and our God is not the same God as Ali. Our God sent his son to die on a cross for all of us that profess him. Ali commands his followers to kill Jews and christians. FOR OUR LORDS SAKE AS WELL AS YOUR OWN - READ THE QURAN. MUSLIMS ARE GOING TO HELL and SO ARE YOU IF YOU DON'T READ READ READ.

[ann]

IF YOU DON'T POST THIS COMMENT I TAKE IT YOU ARE A MUSLIM SYMPATHIZER ALSO.

[MyPlanet]

OK, after watching the video, I'm surprised they're being let back on campus as a group at all...

BTW - has anybody been to the Spectrum? (a big shopping mall in Irvine). Play a game called "find the non-muslim". No cheating by going to the movie theatre - it's the only IMAX around...