The incident occurred in February when Israeli ambassador Michael Oren spoke at UC Irvine. According to the disciplinary committee’s findings, members of the Muslim Student Union (MSU) disrupted the speech by standing up and yelling, one after the other, creating a chaotic situation in which the speaker could not continue. Even after warnings and entreaties from faculty and administrators present at the speech who pleaded with the students to affirm the principles of free speech and an open dialogue on campus, the MSU continued its obstruction. Finally, Ambassador Oren was forced to abandon his address.
The report filed by the Irvine disciplinary committee which investigated the incident is astonishing—not only because of what it reveals about the actions of the MSU— but because it is almost unheard of for a university to bother to examine the organized and deliberate silencing of campus speakers and punish those guilty. And the evidence shows that the demonstration was not spontaneous: the Muslim Student Union conspired to interrupt Oren’s speech and ensure that he was unable to state his views on campus.
The disciplinary committee concluded that, “The disruptions were planned, orchestrated and coordinated in advance by the Muslim Student Union,” and noted that during one meeting prior to Oren’s speech MSU members had discussed how to “send the speaker a message – our goal should be that he knows that he can’t just go to a campus and say whatever he wants.” The committee further found that following the disruption of Oren’s speech, the MSU engineered a cover-up and instructed its membership to lie about the organization’s involvement in the protests. As a result of its investigation, the disciplinary committee decided to suspend the Muslim Student Union for one year. The MSU is appealing the decision.
The university’s action takes place against a backdrop of radical campus action by the MSA. Over the past several years, the organization has organized demonstrations against Israel and in behalf of Palestinian and jihadi groups that have angered both the university and the surrounding community. Verbal violence has been a constant of these demonstrations. In one of them, pro-Israeli students and observers were chased off campus by MSA students who cornered them in a parking garage and threatened them with physical violence.
The David Horowitz Freedom Center, which has supported student free speech rights at UC Irvine and pushed for academic freedom nationwide, applauded the decision by Irvine administrators and called for all universities to adopt a policy requiring a one year suspension for any student organization which obstructs an invited campus speaker.
“I have been the victim of such attacks on many occasions, and only rarely have university administrators acted in my defense,” David Horowitz said. “The actions of the UCI administration in this case are a step in the right direction, but many universities still punish these obstructions lightly, if at all.”
Efforts on the part of radical student groups to suppress free speech on campus have intensified in recent years. While attempting to deliver an address at the University of California Berkeley in 2004, Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes was shouted down and obstructed by students from the Muslim Students Association and Students for Justice in Palestine who willfully disregarded signs posted outside the lecture hall warning that no banners, signs, shouting or violence would be allowed during the speech. University administrators refused to punish the students and groups at fault.
In another incident, Nonie Darwish, a critic of radical Islam was greeted by an unruly mob at Berkeley who shouted “Fascist! Fascist! Fascist!” at her and “You are nothing but a tool for the imperialism of the United States! You are here to spread racist filth on our Arab brothers and sisters!” When Darwish spoke at Boston University, someone deliberately lit a fire in a restroom near the site of her speech, 15 minutes before it was scheduled to begin. In none of these cases did the offenders face serious repercussions for their actions (the culprit in the fire at Boston University has not been discovered).
I guess this is the new reality, where we must commend the administrators at a university for finally and belatedly slapping the wrists of a terrorist organization that has continually spewed hate against Jews and other Americans. I will say that I'm relieved that they finally took a small stand, but I am still shocked that they allowed this to go on for so long, and that it continues to occur at campuses across America and the world.
I find it especially disturbing to read that a Communist professor at the University of Texas actually led the charge to disrupt a similar speech. UT has always been known as the liberal mother ship in Texas, but to hear that they actually condone one of their professors acting in this manner is just sickening. The Texas Legislature should shut off their funding until they begin to act like Americans.
I just hope that the university will take a deeper look into this case. It's not that i'm a racist or what, but these Muslims cannot be trusted totally.
Muslim isn't a race. It's a cult masquarading as a religion. And these muslims cannot be trusted AT ALL!
Allahu snackbar!!
This was a very minor penalty.
The penalty adhered to the group, not to the individual students. For such penalties to have a deterrrant effect, the people, not the group, must be penalized.
Shows the pure ignorance and lack of discourse they have. You are free to speak your mind as long as you agree with the flimsy narrative that islam ( lack of capitalization is mine ) is a religion of peace and " palestinians " are victims
And so it goes on. In Tenn. a Muslim was "offended" by a guest letter in a free newspaper. The newspaper was then removed from the stands because of "hate speach". When challenged they couldn't site an example of hate speach. Yet…KFC, Kroogers supermarket chain, banned the newspaper from their stores. Can you say Dhimmi? How about Sharia?
The MSU needs to be banned throughout America. Period.
Every follower of islam must be rounded up and deported no questions asked.
These cretins serve no pupose what so ever other then to out breed infidels at all costs in their quest to islamisize America. There very guide (the Koran) dictates that they will lie with every breath if that is what it takes to reach their goal of world domination. Period
I suppose the administration ought to be given some sort of medal or commendation for doing its duty.
Islam….savage, murderous loons straight out of the dark ages. If universities had even a whit of common sense, that would be banned from any campus.
The only consolation is that when Sharia gets the upper hand, these idiot professors will be the first to be beheaded.
A small step in the right direction. These Muslim Nazis have to go.
Since the Muslim Students Association and Students for Justice in Palestine have aligned themselves with Jihad terrorists then they are fair targets of opportunity for covert actions to neutralize them by freedom loving patriots. After all, it is they have chosen the rules of the game.
I'm with you there Marine. Give them their own medicine twenty times over.
I wish you wouldn't use MSU for Muslim Students Union. I am a proud Michigan State University alumni, and we had that logo long before they came along. Seriously, it's confusing.
Calling Bob Lee, Calling Bob Lee… Report to the TOC.
kathie-
as a U-M Wolverine, I feel your pain, and fully support you in not referring to these thugs as MSU.
A recent Supreme Court decision confirms that it is a criminal offense to give material assistance to a terrorist organization.
Since the Muslim Students Association is an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, when may we expect some action from the B.O. administration?
It is their approach. They kill each other unless an infidel is available. The Koran is Satan's book. It teaches you to kill your own children if they refuse to burka up.
These people are terrorists, and the peaceful ones do not have a problem with the actions of the violent.
The American students should have planned to stifle these loud monsters, quietly and remove them from the center.
What more do the Jewish students need to see and hear for them to wake up and take up arms to defend themselves and other Jews? If Jews will not defend Jews, who will?
NEVER AGAIN!
Your gentile brothers and sisters are with you! Islam is an assault on humanity!
He Who always has defended Jews.
I am a Jew-loving Gentile and I am your brother, in the heart and in arms. Indeed, Never again.
Racist subhuman MSA has no place in a public university. Let the Saudis open their own in Arabia or Pakistan. No more student visas for muslims.
Christianity preaches Love. Judahism preaches Compassion. Islam preaches and practices Hate. We do not need them here.
For the life of me I do not understand why we are allowing any peoples from Muslim countries into the USA. Were we importing Germans and Japanese during WW11? Many Muslims have declared war on us a long time ago and until the time comes that they give up this insane religion or so radically transform it that it becomes toothless and a-political I don't see what chance any Muslim has for getting along with the rest of the world. Well done University of California at Irvine, I hope you are the first of many to discipline this rotten group, the MSU.
President Obama announced that he is bringing 400,000 Palestinian Arabs to the United States.
That's how you do it ,,,,,one step at a time
Not only should this trash be kicked off campuses around this country if they are visa holders they should be deported immediately. Once again, "why are they here" if they hate this country so much, it's ridiculous. Go live in Iran Islamonazi arseholes.
Right you are! I remember at the time of fall of the shah and the establishment of the ayatollah's regime in Iran in 1979, Iranian students were rioting in favor of the ayatollah in southern California. I wondered at the time why they were not all deported immediately. But of course the Peanut Boy from Plains was President then, and so nothing was done.
The decision to suspend the MSU at UCI is still pending appeal and can be reversed. I cannot predict what will happen.
The important lesson of UCI since the Oren event is that local communities must get involved. Pressure must be brought upon the university to stop allowing hate speech on campus. The problem is that Jewish students , for a variety of reasons, have different ideas about confronting anti-Semitism on campus, as do most of the major Jewish organizations. Sadly, many don't want to "make waves" for fear of making the situation worse.
The situation at UCI is being replicated in universities all over the US and Canada. Yet, on university campuses, the intolerable is tolerated in the name of "tolerance". Many are afraid of speaking out-and that includes many Jews and Jewish faculty.
The key is public awareness of what is going on on our university campuses. The focal point for the resurgence of anti-Semitism in North America is on our university campuses, an alliance between the America-hating far left and the Islamists. They have formed a marriage of convenience against Israel-and against our own country as well.
Gary Fouse
Adj teacher
UCI-Ext
If the ruling on the suspension is reversed , then it will send the clear message that free speech has been abridged at UCI .__Those jews who "sadly " dont want to make waves , do so for fear of violence ., and rightly so . Exposing islam is a dangerous buisiness , and the violent confrontation on their part ,does not come when the sides are equal ,but from the blind side when the side is stacked in their favor , or on the unsuspecting , as has been the case of muslim attacks on jews .
The muslims are in certain ways, taking their cues from hatespeech elsewhere in our society , which is not occurring merely on college campus venues , and not neccessarily on the same idiology . And these are the extreme right and the extreme left . Hatespeech is hatespeech no matter what , or where .the quarter .
Shouting down a speaker is the same no matter where or when it occurs , it is an abridgement of free speech , especially at a scheduled venue .
More good news. My pessimism is abating a bit.
Should expel all the hecklers.
Right on target!!! One year suspension seems like a slap on the wrist. All hecklers should be expelled, permanently, and the organization should be suspended for 5 years.
Islam is a boa constrictor invading stealthily and as it swallows more and more it gains power over its victims until it crushes any freedom of mind. How soon we forgot what we said we would never forget, Now A mosque is trying to raise its ugly head onsite. I wish all bullets and ammo had pig's blood in them
The Muslims claim they are shouting down hate speech. It is the shouting down that is the problem as both sides accuse the other of hate speech.
The Universities have been so slack on defending the rights of students to hear what they please and the speakers right to be heard by willing listeners because of the money that Arab students bring to the University. They Arabs have the oil you know.
May Joe Wolf help all students get refunds that will shut the shouters down. That goes for AztLanders and some socialists who also shout down speakers.
That's funny, if I get enough negative points on this website I get censored/blocked. Can anyone hear spell hypocrisy?