it all started with some groups on campus wanting to show the movie "Obsession--Radical Islam's War Against the West", back on November 13. Fliers were hung around campus, featuring the slogan "RADICAL ISLAM WANTS YOU DEAD". terror filled the hearts and minds of left-wing pantywaists...that's not very tolerant!
muslim students, and i'm sure some "thoughtful" professors and student activists at UF complained to the administration, so the following email was sent out to the entire student body:
in response to this email, UF junior Ashley Emans re-directs:
November 26, 2007
To: All University Students
From: Dr. Patricia Telles-Irvin
Vice President for Student Affairs
Re: Official Response to a recent advertisement for the movie "Obsession"
Throughout our country, we have witnessed a rise in offensive behavior and actions taken against others, which has created greater divisiveness and misunderstandings among the various ethnic groups residing in our communities. One of these events occurred on our campus recently with the promotion of an event.
Advertisements for the movie "Obsession" sponsored by several student organizations appeared during the past several weeks on campus bulletin boards and they illustrate the importance of balancing freedom of speech with responsibility.
The ads, which promoted a showing of the movie on Nov. 13 and a panel discussion afterward, entitled "Radical Islam Wants You Dead," offended many Muslim students on campus. Regardless of its original intent, the language reinforced a negative stereotype, created unnecessary divisiveness and contributed to a generalization that only furthers the misunderstanding of the religion of Islam.
We cannot speak of rights without also addressing the responsibility associated with our actions or statements, including understanding the potential consequences. One of our roles as a learning institution is to teach our students to express themselves freely, and also in a fair and conscientious manner. In an academic setting, differences of opinions are strongly encouraged, yet such opinions must be based on accurate information when describing other members of the community.
Unfortunately, in the case of the "Obsession" ads, that did not happen. I believe the groups that posted them owe the campus, and particularly campus members of the Islamic faith, an apology and a clarification.
At the University of Florida we have embraced a set of values, one of which is diversity. Diversity is not just about having representation from various cultures on campus, it also is having each member contribute to an inclusive and safe environment and collectively enhancing our understanding and appreciation of the richness brought by such differences. The University of Florida is committed to being an institution of excellence, where all members are valued and feel safe on our campus. Our role as an institution is to create opportunities for students to learn in an open and accepting environment; one that emphasizes respect for all. Let's remember that part of our mission is to prepare each other to be effective members of a global community. With that in mind, I encourage each member of our campus community as a start to learn more about the religion of Islam and some of its tenets of peace, hard work, charity and compassion.
There is little room for divisiveness in our world if we are to find peace and understanding among us. We all can win if we focus on greater inclusion and understanding as well as the delicate balance between our rights and responsibilities.
Now the university administration is demanding an apology from the five hosting student organizations: College Republicans, Law School Republicans, the Jewish Law Students Association, the Jewish Student Union, and Gators For Israel.in response, UF's College Republicans and Law School Republicans answered publicly in the Alligator (more or less the "official" student paper...to paraphrase--"no apology will be forthcoming". good for them, high fives all around...
Florida's attorney general, Bill McCollum, jumped into the fray, with this letter to UF president Bernie Machen:
Dear Dr. Machen:Dr. Telles-Irvin must've realized she was in WAY over her head, because she sent out this email, "clarifying" the first one:
It has come to my attention that Dr. Patricia Telles-Irvin, the University of Florida Vice President for Student Affairs, sent a letter November 26 to all university students entitled “official response” highly critical of an ad for the showing of the movie “Obsession” which was posted around the campus. A copy of this letter is attached for your reference.
Dr. Telles-Irvin’s letter may have violated the free speech rights of the students and organizations who posted this ad and sponsored the movie. At the very least it has created a chilling effect on the free speech rights of students enrolled at the University of Florida. As the Attorney General of Florida, it is my duty to protect the constitutional rights of all Floridians including civil rights and free speech rights. Consequently, I have asked attorneys in my office to review this matter and advise me what if any action this office should pursue. I am writing to request that you review this matter with your staff, legal counsel and the University of Florida Board of Trustees and, if they concur with my concerns, formulate and take some appropriate remedial action.
No doubt Dr. Telles-Irvin was responding in her letter to the sensitivities of the Muslim students on campus. While the Muslin faith should be honored and respected and most practicing Muslims are not radical and not terrorists, the United States has been at war with radical Islamic terrorists since September 11, 2001. The movie “Obsession,” which I have seen, describes the nature of our enemy and this war. The headline on the ad for the movie reading “RADICAL ISLAM WANTS YOU DEAD” is one of the messages in this movie and is a true statement of the intent of these radical Islamic terrorists. In her letter Dr. Telles-Irvin says, “regardless of its original intent, the language reinforced a negative stereotype, created unnecessary divisiveness and contributed to a generalization that only furthers the misunderstanding of the religion of Islam.” This may be the view of Dr. Telles-Irvin, but a great many Americans would disagree and argue that it is essential to the discussion and understanding of this war that the terrorists be properly and correctly labeled as radical Islamists who by their very actions clearly want us dead. Students and student organizations who hold this latter view should not be stifled in their free expression of it.
By not only criticizing the ad, but also calling on the groups that posted the ad to apologize, Dr. Telles-Irvin, intentionally or not, has chilled free speech on the UF campus. It may be that her intent with this letter was simply to encourage students when speaking of radical Islamists to put them in context by also making a statement that most practitioners of the Islamic faith are not terrorists and not radical Islamists. But that is not the effect of her letter. And I would submit that when one posts an ad for a movie it isn’t practical to expect a “clarification,” as perhaps Dr. Telles-Irvin thinks is needed when speaking of radical Islamists.
It has also come to my attention that students and/or faculty tore down most of the posted flyers advertising this movie and that some of those doing so wore hoods. It seems to me that the university should investigate this behavior and prosecute or discipline those who engaged in such conduct. To permit this kind of conduct without an appropriate response has an even more chilling effect on free speech on the campus than Dr. Telles-Irvin’s letter.
Your early attention to this matter is most appreciated.
Sincerely,
Bill McCollum
To: All UF studentsto sum up, i can't really express it better than Ashley Emams:
From: Patricia Telles-Irvin, Vice President for Student Affairs
Subject: My e-mail last week
There has been much discussion about an e-mail I sent Nov. 26 regarding the posters advertising the movie "Obsession."
Since that time, some important dialogue has been exchanged between members of the student groups involved. But over the last week, there has been some misunderstanding on the university's position on certain points.
Please allow me to clarify.
* The university supports the rights of students to freely express themselves on any issue.
* The university condemns terrorists acts and those who perpetrate them, regardless of who they are. And we clearly recognize there are people who use Islam to support violence.
* The university has no intention of taking disciplinary action against anyone involved in creating or distributing the posters. That was never a consideration.
* The university has heard allegations that the posters were removed by people who opposed their message. Efforts by the University Police Department and Student Affairs to confirm this or identify offenders were unsuccessful. Removal of posters from proper venues is prohibited by the university's policies and will not be tolerated.
The original intent of my e-mail was to foster greater understanding and communication among groups. As we all surely know, free speech is a cherished right not only in this country but also on this campus. We
should always feel comfortable expressing our diverse opinions.
UF does so much hand-wringing over racial/ethnic/class/gender/religious diversity, yet it shuns the most important type of diversity a college could ever give: diversity of thought. Conservative impulses are swiftly suppressed, in and out of class, just as the Obsession kerfluffle has proved. Dr. Telles-Irvin and the rest of the administration apparently believe students who feel threatened by radical Islam have forfeited their rights of expression by not falling in line with what is the acceptable opinion according to them, namely that you are not allowed to fear radical Islam.
more from UF student's perspective at collegeotr.com. go gators!
1 comment:
op/ed in the gainesville sun 12/19/07 by Orlando CAIR head Danette Zaghari-Mask
Attorney General Bill McCollum strong-armed the University of Florida administration to retract a statement, which criticized the actions of some students on campus and encouraged more civility on campus.
Continue to 2nd paragraph The statement came after student groups like Gators for Israel and the Law School Republicans posted flyers which read: "Radical Islam Wants You Dead," to advertise a film, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West." A justice on the Student Government Supreme Court and organizer also advertised: "This is a documentary the radical Islamic terrorists do not want you to see. Their leadership on campus has admitted tearing down posters advertising this event!ELLIPSIS DOTS . . . It is unfortunate that certain student organization leaders and supporters identify with the small wing of radical Islam. It proves the threat is present even in Gainesville, Florida."
Islam on Campus (IOC), as the only registered Student Government-sponsored Muslim organization, did not protest the organizers' exercise of free speech; however, when the organizers falsely portrayed the Muslim leadership as radical, it raised suspicion of them as a security threat, which gave rise to a safety concern.
In response, UF administrator Patricia Telles-Irvin recommended that the students apologize and advised: "One of our roles as a learning institution is to teach our students to express themselves freely, and also in a fair and conscientious manner. In an academic setting, differences of opinions are strongly encouraged, yet such opinions must be based on accurate information when describing other members of the community."
Telles-Irvin's letter gave ammunition to a host of right-wing entertainers, such as Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck, who invited the president of the Law School Republicans, Christian Waugh, to tantrum about the chilling effect of Telles-Irvin's statement on his free speech. Attorney General McCollum, then, vowed to keep his subordinate attorneys pumping out legal memorandum on the alleged violation of the constitution by administrators unless the university retracted its statement. The university, indeed, hoisted a white flag to appease the ravenous attorney general, who thereafter decided to let bygones be bygones.
I'm disappointed in McCollum's selective hearing on allegations of constitutional violations. He said he would remain "gravely concerned" unless UF rescinded its statement. McCollum claimed that he initiated an investigation in this instance based on his "duty to protect the constitutional rights of all Floridians."
All Floridians?
It is a shame that McCollum did not express grave concern following the Tasering of Andrew Meyer at the University of Florida, who protested a politician's speech on campus earlier this year. In that case, UF police wrestled Meyer to the ground and Tasered him while Meyer howled in pain as the crowd looked on.
It is also a shame that McCollum did not sound the alarm to determine whether the city of Ocala violated Jeffrey Shield's First Amendment right when police allegedly wrestled him to the ground and Tasered him for refusing to drop a Quran in the dirt earlier this year.
Here, UF did not threaten sanctions; it acknowledged disapproval of the students' advertising tactics and in the same breath encouraged civil dialogue. It's the kind of etiquette lesson my 82-year-old grandmother offered on Southern gentility when she warned: "It's not what you say, dear, but how you say it."
At a university, students exercise free speech and also learn professional tools of advocacy that will serve them throughout their careers. Students who resort to scare tactics and employ deceit to marginalize another organization's participation on campus benefit from corrective guidance.
Perhaps if Andrew Meyer yelled out "Radical Islam Wants You Dead," or a deceitful diatribe about the "radical Muslim students on campus," that would have warranted a McCollum threat. Perhaps if police Tasered Jeffrey Shields for holding tight to the New Testament that would have warranted a McCollum threat.
I question whether McCollum would rally the taxpayer resources if UF criticized a Muslim student on campus who advertised: "Radical Judaism Wants You Dead," coupled with a scare campaign that radical Jewish student leaders were hard at work.
It is clear, that McCollum's enforcement of the Constitution is selective at best.
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