Charges Against Muslim Students Prompt Debate Over Free Speech

[groovedaddy]

IRVINE, Calif. — When administrators at the University of California, Irvine, decided to suspend the Muslim Student Union for a quarter over the disruption of a speech last year by the Israeli ambassador to the United States, most thought the latest controversy on campus had ended.

District Attorney Tony Rackauckas of Orange County, however, disagreed — and filed misdemeanor criminal charges last week against the 11 student protesters, accusing them of disturbing a public meeting and engaging in a conspiracy to do so.

The charges have not only reignited campus debate about the event but have also prompted a feisty argument about the role of free speech on a college campus, in this case one whose politics can seem as complicated as peace negotiations in the Middle East.

When the ambassador, Michael B. Oren, came to speak last February, several students stood up, one at a time, and interrupted him with shouted complaints about Israel. When the repeated outbursts continued deep into Mr. Oren’s speech, the ambassador huddled with his security aides to decide whether to continue speaking. He did, but by the time the speech was over, 11 Muslim students had been arrested. The group became known as the “Irvine 11,” although three were students from University of California, Riverside.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/education/10irvine.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha23

[WatsonT]

1. Using your speech to drown out others

How civilized.

I'm a strong proponent of letting anyone have their say, uninterrupted, then offering a rebuttal. Trying to shout each other down doesn't help matters at all.

[SDuderstadt]

2. What's really weird is that...

some claim a free speech right to disrupt/suppress the free speech rights of others and never once see the contradiction.

[Jmaxfie1]

4. so true

[azurnoir]

3. youtube vid of event

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOKN-05uCGY

also snips from article not in OP

For years, Jewish and Israeli advocacy groups have said that the Muslim Student Union has fostered a hostile environment on campus. In 2007, the Office of Civil Rights of the federal Department of Education examined complaints from the Zionist Organization of America that the university was not doing enough to respond to the problem. The investigation cleared the campus administration of any wrongdoing. In 2009, the same organization complained that an event sponsored by the Muslim Student Union was used to raise money for an organization that helps Hamas, the Islamic militant group, in Gaza. The university asked the F.B.I. to investigate, but no charges were ever filed.

and

Muslim students say that they have faced stricter scrutiny from the administration than other student groups and that they, too, face harsh language. Last spring, several students complained about a large poster on campus comparing the Muslim Student Union to Hamas and Hezbollah. A similar flier included a photograph of several students.