Campus Update: UCI Republicans Fight Back Against MSU Extremism
Posted by: Jonathan Constantine | 05/31/2007 11:39 AM
Wednesday night, the Bren Events Center at UC Irvine was on complete lockdown in response to campus antagonism from the Muslim Student Union. Security detail and Irvine Police swarmed the entrance of the auditorium wanding and frisking students for sharp objects, and seizing all audio and video equipment. The occasion that brought about this airport-type security was a UCI Republican sponsored lecture from 3 ex-terrorists who have denounced their former lives as Islamic terrorists in favor of peace and reconciliation with the Western World.
The three men appeared unassuming but they all have had sordid pasts. The first speaker, Kamal Saleem, a former PLO terrorist, began by railing against America and the West for its weakness in the face of radical Islam, and proceeded to deface the politically correct capitulations which defend its horrors. Defining Islamic hatred has an ideology bred from childhood; he recalled his Muslim youth and Koran education as the basis for his hate against Jews and Christians. At the age of 7, he was recruited by the Muslim brotherhood and took part in terror attacks against citizens of Israel in the Golan Heights. Later in his life, he came to the United States to recruit Americans to his jihadist movement.
The second speaker, former terrorist and Lebanese national Zachariah Anani described his conversion to Christianity and critique of Islam as being met with violent derision from the Muslim Community. He was prosecuted under Sharia law in Canada, and was injured in a church burning by Islamic radicals for simply speaking about his experiences to a Lutheran congregation. Anani makes no distinction between radical Islam and its moderate counterpart. Citing verses from the Koran, he contends that the modern Muslim view of the ancient Koran has no amendments and is the central component to their vision of a moral eternal Islamic order.
Walid Shoebat, the most colorful speaker of the three and also a former PLO terrorist called out members of the Muslim Student Union and presented a contemptuous indictment of their campus activities. Acknowledging their right to promote hate speech, he accused it members of breeding a grassroots effort to recruit jihadists to terrorize Westerners and cultivate their vision of worldwide Islamic domination. He suggested that members of Muslim student associations who have been radicalized on college campuses and in local mosques have fought against and have killed our troops on the battlefields in Afghanistan and in Iraq. A very scary thought!
Unfortunately I was prohibited from obtaining footage, and the few MSU members who were open minded enough to attend did not protest outside. But what was most remarkable about the event, was that the three ex-terrorists were able to relinquish the fear of condemning not just radical Islam, but inspiring the crowd to rally for their critique of the religion and its message delivered from the Koran. When each of them revealed their conversion to Christianity the audience erupted in cheer. The speakers also condemned Americans for being weak and urged their audience to fight this dangerous and ever growing ideology.
Quoting Churchill, Mr. Shoebat told students to “never give in” to the weakness that is perceived by the practitioners of radical Islam, and ignore progressive notions of communicating and developing peaceful understanding with our enemies.
“We will only have peace, when we love our children more than peace.” Shoebat argued. “Muslims will have peace only when they love their children more than they hate the Jews.”
Mr. Ayer registered as a Republican to be electable in an interim election with no incumbents. He did...
Why did the campus police not allow recording devices? I was told by the College Republican organizers that they would welcome recording of the event.
All the best,
Chuck DeVore
State Assemblyman, 70th District
www.ChuckDeVore.com
I was barred from bringing my camera into the event by security outside UCI’s Bren Event Center at last night’s event.
My camera does not record video or audio, but I was then informed that it was against campus rules to have a “professional camera” as well. I protested, explaining that the camera on my cell phone had a longer zoom than the lens I had on my camera at the time. They still refused to let me in saying that the telephoto zoom lens on my camera was “too professional.”
Ten minutes, a trip to the car, and a lens change later I was allowed into the event camera in hand – but not without another round of protesting.
The UCI Administration’s policies do nothing but hinder open and fair debate and dialogue on campus. It almost makes me ashamed to be a UCI alumnus.
The extremism espoused by MSU is nothing new, but I am very glad to see students on campus fighting back. Congratulations to the College Republicans for a great event.
When each of them revealed their conversion to Christianity the audience erupted in cheer.
I would say, based upon this comment that this room full of College Republicans was also a room of Christian evangelists bent on one world religion, Christianity.
I doubt there would have been the same level of applause if the speakers had indicated their conversion to Buddhism.
The sad thing here is that if Christian zealots were to ever win their war to eliminate the Muslim faith from this planet, they would soon turn on the Jews they are using for cover now.
Religious zealots exist in most religions. The stories that you have described as being told by the speakers seem eerily similar to the scenes I saw in the documentary Jesus Camp.
Clprevatt: your premise about Christianity is incorrect. When Christians spread the word, it's not at the point of a sword. The Bible says that some people will hear the word and believe; others will not. If they choose not to believe, Christians are not angry toward the unbelievers; we feel sadness for those individuals. Contrast this to the radical Islamists, who feel it's their duty to KILL non-Muslims. The old phrase "accept the Koran, pay tribute, or die by the sword" is unfortunaltely still an accepted way of life to some.
Not to excuse any violence the Muslim activists may have done or threatened, but was it wise to present the conflict as Islamic versus Christian?
This description doesn't emphasizes not renunciation of violence but conversation to Christianity. You only reinforce the Islamic radical's perception of himself as a Defender of the Faith.
For all the antics of the MSU, reactions like this only encourage more activist buffoonery. UCI's Republicans seem more interested in flattering Christian activists than promoting goodwill in the community.
DU
Not to excuse any violence the Muslim activists may have done or threatened, but was it wise to present the conflict as Islamic versus Christian?
This description doesn't emphasizes not renunciation of violence but conversation to Christianity. You only reinforce the Islamic radical's perception of himself as a Defender of the Faith.
For all the antics of the MSU, reactions like this only encourage more activist buffoonery. UCI's Republicans seem more interested in flattering Christian activists than promoting goodwill in the community.
DU
TME: it isn't Christianity versus Islam. It's radical fanatics vs. Western Civilization. It's about a society that believes in religious freedom, sending women to school, giving a voice to alternative lifestyles, and protecting freedom of speech versus a group that hates these values so much they want to kill us.
"Not to excuse any violence the Muslim activists may have done or threatened, but was it wise to present the conflict as Islamic versus Christian?"
Radical Islam has a already defined it that way. And let's hear from someone who was there whether that was actually the tenor of the talk or merely the emphasis of the writer (yes, reporters are largely liberal, and human, t/4 biased).
I would also suggest UCI students set up a screening of this documentary by Evan Coyne Maloney, for something subversive yet not faith-based. http://www.indoctrinate-u.com/intro/