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Plan to Show Danish Prophet Cartoons Riles UC Irvine Campus (Story of the Day! Thread)
Associated Press (via local ABC TV) ^ | 2/28/2006 | AP Staff

Posted on 02/28/2006 5:38:54 PM PST by Dark Skies

A student group at the University of California, Irvine, was going ahead with plans Tuesday to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb-laden turban during a panel on Islamic extremism despite outrage from Muslim students and the larger community.

After spending a week trying to cancel the event, the Muslim Student Union said it would protest outside the 424-seat auditorium where the panel was to convene Tuesday evening. The Council on American-Islamic Relations -- an invited guest -- planned a boycott.

The debate on the event follows incidents at other campuses, including Harvard University and the University of Illinois, where student newspapers published the Danish cartoons of the Muslim prophet with a bomb in his turban.

Thousands of Muslims worldwide have protested, sometimes violently, against the drawings after they were first published in a Danish newspaper in September and then in other papers in Europe. The drawings are offensive to Muslims because Islamic tradition bans any depiction of Muhammad.

Osman Umarji, former president of the Muslim Student Union, equated the decision to display the prophet drawings to the debasement of Jews in Germany before the Holocaust.

"The agenda is to spread Islamophobia and create hysteria against Muslims similar to what happened to the Jews in Nazi Germany," said Umarji, an electrical engineer who graduated from UC Irvine last spring. "Freedom of speech has its limits."

Organizers said unveiling the cartoons was part of a larger debate on Islamic extremism sponsored by the College Republicans and The United American Committee, a fledgling group not affiliated with UC Irvine.

Brock Hill, vice president of the College Republicans, said his group had a right to display the cartoons under the First Amendment and noted that the panel was to include a representative from the Free Muslims Coalition.

"We're not going against Islam whatsoever," he said. "This is about free speech and the free marketplace of ideas."

The panel also was to discuss anti-Semitic and anti-Western drawings that have appeared in Middle Eastern newspapers and discuss Islamic militancy on U.S. college campuses, said Jesse Petrilla, UAC founder and an event organizer

Petrilla, a 22-year-old student Glendale Community College, said he believes Muslims overseas are using the prophet drawings as an excuse to commit violence against Western nations.

"We're hoping to bring light to the subject and get people talking about it," he said. "People don't realize it's not just the cartoons -- there's motivation behind it that's rooted far deeper."

Administrators with UC Irvine met with the three groups Monday to try to find common ground, said Sally Peterson, dean of students.

"This is a student event and it's in their prerogative and free speech to do so," she said. "Our major concern is that we make sure the security is there."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: California; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: cartoons; islam; terrorism; uc; ucirvine; wot
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1 posted on 02/28/2006 5:38:57 PM PST by Dark Skies
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To: All

To UC Irvine patriots...post 'em when you got 'em...


2 posted on 02/28/2006 5:41:18 PM PST by Dark Skies ("Free speech is THE weapon of choice against islam.")
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To: Dark Skies

The young lady who was organizing this event was on Larry Elder yesterday. How did it turn out?


3 posted on 02/28/2006 5:44:54 PM PST by BunnySlippers
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To: Dark Skies
Petrilla, a 22-year-old student Glendale Community College, said he believes Muslims overseas are using the prophet drawings as an excuse to commit violence against Western nations.

I am shocked a real American at an American University!

4 posted on 02/28/2006 5:48:44 PM PST by rocksblues (John McCain says adopt a terrorist today!)
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To: BunnySlippers

Occurs tonight! At 7 pm West Coast time. Stay tuned!


5 posted on 02/28/2006 5:49:54 PM PST by Dark Skies ("Free speech is THE weapon of choice against islam.")
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To: Dark Skies

I wonder if Osman Umarji would object to the group showing the be-heading videos linked on Savage's site?


6 posted on 02/28/2006 5:51:47 PM PST by fhlh (Polls are for Strippers.)
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To: Dark Skies

Oh, I thought you said OSCARS tonight. I was going to boycott them. :)


7 posted on 02/28/2006 5:52:18 PM PST by BunnySlippers
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To: Dark Skies

I had hoped to go but will not be able to due to a health problem.


8 posted on 02/28/2006 5:53:00 PM PST by ncountylee (Dead terrorists smell like victory)
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To: Dark Skies

Are all the cartoons available on FR? Where?


9 posted on 02/28/2006 5:54:48 PM PST by Chickensoup (The water in the pot is getting warmer, froggies.The water in the pot is getting warmer, froggies.)
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To: ncountylee
Sorry about the health problem...but keep us advised on the local news.

Get well soon! And hang tough!!!

10 posted on 02/28/2006 5:56:22 PM PST by Dark Skies ("Free speech is THE weapon of choice against islam.")
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To: Chickensoup

The mohammed cartoons are available online (let me know if you need a link) but the UC Irvine show includes the islamic cartoons of the West and Israel.


11 posted on 02/28/2006 5:59:25 PM PST by Dark Skies ("Free speech is THE weapon of choice against islam.")
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To: USF; Fred Nerks; justche; jan in Colorado; AmericanArchConservative; Former Dodger

ping


12 posted on 02/28/2006 6:01:43 PM PST by Dark Skies ("Free speech is THE weapon of choice against islam.")
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To: Chickensoup
Are all the cartoons available on FR? Where?

Look here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1573758/posts

13 posted on 02/28/2006 6:13:08 PM PST by Dan(9698)
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To: Dan(9698); All
Thx Dan...and here is the latest news on the event

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/7556719/detail.html
14 posted on 02/28/2006 6:18:12 PM PST by Dark Skies ("Free speech is THE weapon of choice against islam.")
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To: Dan(9698)

2 cartoons. I thought there were nine.

Are we afraid to show them here at FR?


15 posted on 02/28/2006 6:29:26 PM PST by Chickensoup (The water in the pot is getting warmer, froggies.The water in the pot is getting warmer, froggies.)
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To: Chickensoup

They are up at anncoulter.com and michelemalkin.com


16 posted on 02/28/2006 6:30:37 PM PST by Rummyfan
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To: Dark Skies
"The agenda is to spread Islamophobia ..."

"Islamophobia" is self-inflicted.

17 posted on 02/28/2006 6:31:45 PM PST by manwiththehands
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To: Chickensoup
Here they are...

http://www.zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/jyllands-posten_cartoons/

18 posted on 02/28/2006 6:33:01 PM PST by Dark Skies ("Free speech is THE weapon of choice against islam.")
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To: Dark Skies
Image hosting by Photobucket

Let me know if this group shows up.

19 posted on 02/28/2006 6:34:19 PM PST by Fred Nerks (Read the bio THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD free! Click Fred Nerks for link to my Page.)
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To: Chickensoup
2 cartoons. I thought there were nine.

Search using Danish Cartoons, you will find the rest.

20 posted on 02/28/2006 6:34:53 PM PST by Dan(9698)
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