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| Anti-Zionism, Intolerance And The Muslim Student Association | ||||||
| Question: What happens when you have an anti-Zionist Jew who is sponsored by a Muslim group come and talk on a college campus? Answer: A lot of angry people and violations of First Amendment rights. For those that aren't aware, this is exactly the situation that occurred on campus last week, when the Muslim Student Association sponsored a virulent speaker who nearly incited people to violence. Hasn't the Muslim Student Association learned by now that these kinds of events don't further understanding, but rather, divide students even more? | ||||||
| Last Tuesday, the Muslim Student Association, in their continuing series of discussions and speeches for Muslim Awareness Month, featured vehement anti-Zionist Rabbi David Weiss of the group Neturei Karta, which is a collection of "Jews United Against Zionism." Neturei Karta features several Orthodox Rabbis who go around pandering to Muslim and Arab groups, as if to say, "See, there are Jews on the side of Muslims and Palestinian supporters!" Well, let me tell you, Neturei Karta is a joke to most rational people who have ever actually heard of it, but furthermore, it is a total contradiction to Judaism, especially that of the Orthodox following. Orthodox Jews, who wear traditional peot and dress all in black, are typically the staunchest supporters of Zionism, which is the belief that Jews have a national homeland in Israel, but of course, the Muslim Student Association wouldn't have you believe that. Be that as it may, certain things transpired in Weiss' speech that cannot be tolerated. | ||||||
| During the speech, which was held on public university property, several members of the press were there taking pictures, along with some individual parties who were taking pictures for their own personal use. According to several eyewitness accounts, various members of the Muslim Student Association were actually going up to those snapping photos and not only did they question those taking the pictures, but they tried to actually bar some from taking any photos at all. One person who spoke to me on condition of anonymity claims he was approached by one of the Muslim students present, threatened that if he didn't leave and stop taking pictures he would be forcefully removed, and one student, he claims, went as far as acting like he was going to punch him and stopping only centimeters from his nose. | ||||||
| This kind of behavior is unacceptable. Not only did the Muslim Student Association know that they hired a speaker who would elicit a certain negative reaction from most, but they tried to suppress the rights of people to take photos on public property. Even worse, the head of the Muslim Student Association allegedly told the student that claimed he was threatened that he didn't have permission to take any photos. Had the photographer knew that the head of the Muslim Student Association apparently assumed ownership of the school, I'm sure he would have asked for permission to shoot, but then again, we must face reality: when you hold an event on public property, pictures are bound to be taken, and there is nothing anyone can do about that. | ||||||
| What is so amazing to me is the amount of manipulation that was used in the planning for an event like this. On the flyers that the Muslim Student Association printed for the event was a superimposed message that read, "Zionism Destroys Judaism," which, I can only gather, was put there to further some kind of warped idea that the Jews are their own worst enemy and have brought all of this hatred upon themselves due to their own delusions. I suppose in that twisted view, the suicide bomber that blows himself up in a crowded restaurant and kills as many men, women and children as possible has no personal responsibility for his actions, right? Unbelievable. | ||||||
| Schools like UC Irvine and Berkeley have often been involved in such hateful anti-Zionist demonstrations like the one held here last Tuesday, but why should Cal State Long Beach become a hotbed of anti-Semitism and intolerance? By holding events like this, the Muslim Student Association is only causing a bigger rift in Jewish/Islamic relations. Unfortunately, seeing as how they have already planned another speaker for May 5 who is even more extreme than Weiss, they must not even really care. | ||||||
| Copyright Gerry Wachovsky, 2005, and Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. | ||||||
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