Thursday, October 25, 2007
CYD Response to Racist Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week
The California Young Democrats call on all Californians to keep on the look out for blatantly racist and insensitive events put on by conservative groups. There’s nothing scarier than California’s College Republican groups thinking that it is OK to alienate and marginalize an entire group of people on our state’s public and private campuses. The College Republicans hosting ‘Islamo-Fascism Awareness’ events this past week should be a wake-up call to all Americans that the seeds of racism and terrorism are being planted in the minds of our young people and we must work tirelessly to educate all Americans on the dangers of hatred.
“‘Islamo-Fascism’ awareness week seeks to portray Islam as an inherently oppressive and violent religion,” said Rashad al-Dabbagh, President of the Middle Eastern American Democratic Project. “The term ‘Islamo-Fascism’ is a false term and war propaganda adopted by some Republican presidential candidates, which is designed to generate fear in order to mislead the American people into supporting the permanent presence of our troops in Iraq and conducting a future war with Iran.”
“The College Republicans seem so proud of their political incorrectness and of this week’s publicity stunt to spread hateful ideas. Our country has already been through struggles for racial integration. We are supposed to be living in a free, enlightened society. It is ludicrous that college students would be the proponents of an awareness week like this,” said Nick Warshaw, President of the California College Democrats.
Nothing is more important than ensuring that California’s young people, our future leaders are not swept up by an irrational wave of fear mongering.
From the Los Angeles Times
Coulter's appearance at USC prompts ovations, protests
By Rebecca Trounson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 25, 2007
As Muslim students and their supporters protested outside, commentator Ann Coulter told a USC audience Wednesday night that Americans should get tough on terrorists and "stop genuflecting before Islam."
Coulter's speech to a supportive audience of about 230 in Annenberg Auditorium was part of a nationwide series of events on college campuses that has been dubbed "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" by its organizer, Los Angeles author and activist David Horowitz. Another 100 or so watched on screens in the auditorium lobby, not far from about 150 protesters from Muslim, Jewish and Christian student and community groups.
Coulter, who spent as much of her hour-long appearance bashing Democrats as discussing Islam, was greeted in the hall with laughter, cheers and several standing ovations."The fact of Islamo-Fascism is indisputable," she said. "I find it tedious to detail the savagery of the enemy . . . I want to kill them. Why don't Democrats?"
To read the article in its entirety, click here.
From the Golden Gate [X]press, San Francisco State University
Memorial week is just hate speechby Nihar Bhatt and Jason Smith October 25, 2007
Hate crimes directed at Muslims in the United States have continued to rise in frequency since the attacks on September 11, 2001, and many of these attacks have been abhorrently violent.
In one horrifying example reported in the New York Times on Sept. 17 a 52-year-old woman entering her workplace was forced inside by two men. The Times reported that the men hit her with a hammer and sliced her with a box cutter before writing “anti-Muslim” language on a mirror.
Closer to home, just last November in Fremont, Alia Ansari, an Afghan-American mother of six, was shot dead at point blank range. She was not carrying a purse or money. These are not isolated incidents; these crimes are part of a national trend. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, in their most recent Civil Rights Report stated that in 2006 they received 167 reports of anti-Muslim hate crimes, a 9.2 percent increase from 2005.
To read the article in its entirety, click here.
From the Daily California, University of California, Berkeley
College Republicans’ Event Kickoff Draws Protest
By Will Kane
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
It was sometimes difficult for listeners to hear Nonie Darwish, the founder of Arabs for Israel, amid the protest at last night’s kickoff event for Islamo-Fascist Awareness Week.
…
“I left the Middle East because there was no freedom of speech and now I am here and there is fascism,” Darwish exclaimed in frustration as a loud debate was taking place in the audience.
To read the article in its entirety, click here. And here for today’s story.
From the Daily Nexus, University of California, Santa Barbara
Conservative Radio Show Host To Lecture on Defeating Islamo-Fascism
By Allison Bailey
October 25, 2007
The College Republicans have invited Prager to campus as part of IFAW, a national week promoted by conservative pundit and occasional Fox News analyst David Horowitz. In addition to Prager’s speech, a screening of the film “Obsession” Tuesday night aroused debate on campus, prompting responses from both sides.
The Muslim Student Association and Campus Democrats held counter-events, including tabling outside of “Obsession” and hosting a post-screening discussion on the peaceful nature of Islam. Additionally, students were encouraged to wear green in solidarity against the week’s events.
According to UCSB Democrats officer Amanda Wallner, the group is uncertain how to respond to Prager’s lecture because, unlike “Obsession,” which the group could pre-screen to prepare a better response, the subject matter of Prager’s speech is vague.
“For Dennis Prager we’re unsure exactly what his message is,” Wallner said. “He’s kind of all over the place. As a general sign of solidarity we’re going to try to fill up at least half of the auditorium that he’s speaking in with people wearing green shirts.”
In addition to concern about the content of “Obsession” and Prager’s lecture, controversy has surrounded the publicity for the events. An unknown group put up satiric fliers around campus advertising “Obsession.” Its text urges its readers to stop Muslim “evil-doers” and to not “Let the Wrong Religious Fanatics Win! Support Christofascism!”
To read the article in its entirety, click here.
From the Daily Bruin, University of California, Los Angles
USAC votes to condemn Islamo-Fascism week
By Lucy Benz-Rogers
Thursday, October 25, 2007
“One of the reasons why this resolution was brought to the table was because hundreds of students had concerns that the week did not make a clear distinction between radical Islam and the rest of the Muslim population, as well as the Middle East or South Asia,” General Representative Sanobar Sajan said.
Bruin Republicans representatives also argued that USAC, as a governing body that gives funding to student groups, should not be stepping in and taking sides in this issue.
President Gabe Rose said while he appreciates the Bruin Republicans’ desire to bring a political discussion, he was not comfortable with their accusations that MSA is linked with terrorism.
“The distinction I’m trying to draw is between legitimate political discourse and hate speech,” he said. “For me where it crosses the line is targeting a specific student group.”
Indeed, the issue of what constitutes free speech versus hate speech was at the core of the debate.
To read the article in its entirety, click here.
“‘Islamo-Fascism’ awareness week seeks to portray Islam as an inherently oppressive and violent religion,” said Rashad al-Dabbagh, President of the Middle Eastern American Democratic Project. “The term ‘Islamo-Fascism’ is a false term and war propaganda adopted by some Republican presidential candidates, which is designed to generate fear in order to mislead the American people into supporting the permanent presence of our troops in Iraq and conducting a future war with Iran.”
“The College Republicans seem so proud of their political incorrectness and of this week’s publicity stunt to spread hateful ideas. Our country has already been through struggles for racial integration. We are supposed to be living in a free, enlightened society. It is ludicrous that college students would be the proponents of an awareness week like this,” said Nick Warshaw, President of the California College Democrats.
Nothing is more important than ensuring that California’s young people, our future leaders are not swept up by an irrational wave of fear mongering.
From the Los Angeles Times
Coulter's appearance at USC prompts ovations, protests
By Rebecca Trounson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 25, 2007
As Muslim students and their supporters protested outside, commentator Ann Coulter told a USC audience Wednesday night that Americans should get tough on terrorists and "stop genuflecting before Islam."
Coulter's speech to a supportive audience of about 230 in Annenberg Auditorium was part of a nationwide series of events on college campuses that has been dubbed "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" by its organizer, Los Angeles author and activist David Horowitz. Another 100 or so watched on screens in the auditorium lobby, not far from about 150 protesters from Muslim, Jewish and Christian student and community groups.
Coulter, who spent as much of her hour-long appearance bashing Democrats as discussing Islam, was greeted in the hall with laughter, cheers and several standing ovations."The fact of Islamo-Fascism is indisputable," she said. "I find it tedious to detail the savagery of the enemy . . . I want to kill them. Why don't Democrats?"
To read the article in its entirety, click here.
From the Golden Gate [X]press, San Francisco State University
Memorial week is just hate speechby Nihar Bhatt and Jason Smith October 25, 2007
Hate crimes directed at Muslims in the United States have continued to rise in frequency since the attacks on September 11, 2001, and many of these attacks have been abhorrently violent.
In one horrifying example reported in the New York Times on Sept. 17 a 52-year-old woman entering her workplace was forced inside by two men. The Times reported that the men hit her with a hammer and sliced her with a box cutter before writing “anti-Muslim” language on a mirror.
Closer to home, just last November in Fremont, Alia Ansari, an Afghan-American mother of six, was shot dead at point blank range. She was not carrying a purse or money. These are not isolated incidents; these crimes are part of a national trend. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, in their most recent Civil Rights Report stated that in 2006 they received 167 reports of anti-Muslim hate crimes, a 9.2 percent increase from 2005.
To read the article in its entirety, click here.
From the Daily California, University of California, Berkeley
College Republicans’ Event Kickoff Draws Protest
By Will Kane
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
It was sometimes difficult for listeners to hear Nonie Darwish, the founder of Arabs for Israel, amid the protest at last night’s kickoff event for Islamo-Fascist Awareness Week.
…
“I left the Middle East because there was no freedom of speech and now I am here and there is fascism,” Darwish exclaimed in frustration as a loud debate was taking place in the audience.
To read the article in its entirety, click here. And here for today’s story.
From the Daily Nexus, University of California, Santa Barbara
Conservative Radio Show Host To Lecture on Defeating Islamo-Fascism
By Allison Bailey
October 25, 2007
The College Republicans have invited Prager to campus as part of IFAW, a national week promoted by conservative pundit and occasional Fox News analyst David Horowitz. In addition to Prager’s speech, a screening of the film “Obsession” Tuesday night aroused debate on campus, prompting responses from both sides.
The Muslim Student Association and Campus Democrats held counter-events, including tabling outside of “Obsession” and hosting a post-screening discussion on the peaceful nature of Islam. Additionally, students were encouraged to wear green in solidarity against the week’s events.
According to UCSB Democrats officer Amanda Wallner, the group is uncertain how to respond to Prager’s lecture because, unlike “Obsession,” which the group could pre-screen to prepare a better response, the subject matter of Prager’s speech is vague.
“For Dennis Prager we’re unsure exactly what his message is,” Wallner said. “He’s kind of all over the place. As a general sign of solidarity we’re going to try to fill up at least half of the auditorium that he’s speaking in with people wearing green shirts.”
In addition to concern about the content of “Obsession” and Prager’s lecture, controversy has surrounded the publicity for the events. An unknown group put up satiric fliers around campus advertising “Obsession.” Its text urges its readers to stop Muslim “evil-doers” and to not “Let the Wrong Religious Fanatics Win! Support Christofascism!”
To read the article in its entirety, click here.
From the Daily Bruin, University of California, Los Angles
USAC votes to condemn Islamo-Fascism week
By Lucy Benz-Rogers
Thursday, October 25, 2007
“One of the reasons why this resolution was brought to the table was because hundreds of students had concerns that the week did not make a clear distinction between radical Islam and the rest of the Muslim population, as well as the Middle East or South Asia,” General Representative Sanobar Sajan said.
Bruin Republicans representatives also argued that USAC, as a governing body that gives funding to student groups, should not be stepping in and taking sides in this issue.
President Gabe Rose said while he appreciates the Bruin Republicans’ desire to bring a political discussion, he was not comfortable with their accusations that MSA is linked with terrorism.
“The distinction I’m trying to draw is between legitimate political discourse and hate speech,” he said. “For me where it crosses the line is targeting a specific student group.”
Indeed, the issue of what constitutes free speech versus hate speech was at the core of the debate.
To read the article in its entirety, click here.
