Posted on 11/01/2001 5:02:39 PM PST by Shermy
Zewdalem Kebede is on RADIOFR's "Unspun" with AnnaZ and cohost Mercuria tonight. Listen to RadioFR tonight at 9pm Eastern time, 6pm Pacific time. RADIOFRlink Call in at 1-866-RADIOFR (1-866-723-4673). As a service and for ease of review, I copy here the major newspaper articles regarding Mr. Kebede's saga. Links are at the end.
The link to the RADIOFR notice/thread of tonight's show is TONIGHT ON RADIOFR A TWO HOUR UNSPUN WITH ANNAZ AND MERC with guests Rev Jesse and Zewdalem Kebede!>
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October 17, 2001 San Diego State Univ. Aztec
Student: Attack praised: Conversation of three Saudi students about Sept. 11 events overheard in library>/B> By Jason Williams Managing Editor
On Saturday, Sept. 22, Zewdalem Kebede, a political science senior and native Ethiopian, was studying in the Reserve Book Room in Love Library. Nearby, a group of Saudi Arabian students sat talking in Arabic -- a language Kebede speaks fluently, having learned it in his native country. He was attracted to their conversation when the topic shifted to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"They started talking about the Sept. 11 action," he said. "And with that action they were very pleased. They were happy. And they were regretting of missing the 'Big House.'
"It was a long chitchat."
Kebede tried to continue studying, attempting to ignore the students, but finally he approached their table and spoke to them. "Guys, what you are talking is unfair. How do you feel happy when those 5 to 6,000 people are buried in two or three buildings?" Kebede said. "They are under the rubble or they became ash.”
"And you are talking about the action of bin Laden and his group. You are proud of them. You should have to feel shame."
Kebede spoke to the students in Arabic so as not to disturb others studying in the library."I didn't want to spread it," he said. "I didn't want the rest of students to hear it."
Another Saudi student approached from a nearby table and spoke to Kebede in English, asking if he had a problem with the other students speaking in Arabic. A heated exchange took place. Kebede told him there was no problem, and the man asked if Kebede was going to threaten them, to which he replied he was not and returned to his table.
After about 30 minutes, two university police officers approached Kebede and asked to speak with him. Kebede related his story of what had occurred. The officers informed Kebede that he should have reported the incident to them rather than get involved. "I thought to report it to the police, in order that they follow it and so on, but they would hear my words only, so it is useless," Kebede said.
"It was upsetting. Very upsetting."
University Police said both parties involved in the disturbance were cautioned and statements were taken from one of the Saudi Arabian men and Kebede. Because the Saudi students are listed as victims in the report and the case is non- criminal, their names cannot be released.
The police report states that University Police responded to a disturbance involving Arab students, that Kebede was contacted and that he understood Arabic. No specific mention was made in the report regarding what Kebede heard the Saudi students saying.
University Police Crime Prevention Specialist Marc Fox said that it basically boils down to "a free speech issue."
"It's horrific, yet legal," Fox said.
All agencies are operating at a "heightened state" since the Sept. 11 attacks, Fox said, and a background investigation is conducted in any instances resembling a threat to see if a statement was "more than just rhetoric."
Fox said the university routinely networks with off-campus law enforcement, and that this case was passed on to "other agencies," though he could not identify them specifically. "This case was looked at further," Fox said. "It was not dropped. Let's put it that way."
The case is no longer active with University Police.
On Sept. 27, The Daily Aztec printed a crime brief detailing the verbal harassment of four Saudi Arabian men in the Love Library Reserve Book Room. In the brief, Kebede was described as a "foreign national" who accused the men of being connected to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Shortly before the publication of this brief, Kebede related his experience in the library to his History 514 class during a discussion about the terrorist attacks. Students from the class contacted The Daily Aztec about the inconsistency.
Kebede received a letter from the university's Center for Student Rights, dated Sept. 25, requesting that he set up a meeting to discuss his conduct in the Reserve Book Room. The letter stated that he had allegedly been "verbally abusive to other students" and that he had three days to respond or else face possible sanctions. The letter also stated that "any student of a campus may be expelled, suspended, placed on probation or given a lesser sanction for: Abusive behavior directed toward, or hazing of, a member of the campus community."
Kebede said he met with University Judicial Officer Antionette Jones on Oct. 3. "What she had heard previously and what I said to her when I went to give my statement according to the summons is different. She told me what the police officer reported. It was not proper or accurate what she had heard," Kebede said. Cases handled by the Center for Student Rights are considered private and not made available to the public.
"What have I done to these Arab guys? I have done nothing," Kebede said. "How can they be happy when innocent people just perished? Vanished by the cruel actions of their own brothers."It's sad, that's what I told them. Of this am I going to be charged and penalized with a warning or a probation or expelling from school? No, damn. No one would do that.
"I haven't committed any wrong." In numerous addresses, President George W. Bush has made clear that the war on terrorism is not a war on the Muslim people nor the Islamic faith, stating that Americans should be tolerant and not treat Muslims different than any other American.
Across the nation there have been episodes of hate, some deadly. University President Stephen Weber entreated students not to give in to and propagate a backlash against international students on campus in an address at the Sept. 13 memorial for those lost in the attacks.
Muslim Student Association President Omar Behnawa has been watching for the backlash on campus, and has yet to see any episodes of hate or anti-U.S. sentiment.
"I have no reason to doubt that it happened," Behnawa said about Kebede's experience. "I'm saying that it's a very sick thing. But I could possibly see that happening."
A decision on the case has since been made, and Kebede will face no penalties at this time, though he was warned in a letter received Oct. 9 that future involvement in "confronting members of the campus community in a manner that is found to be aggressive or abusive" will result in severe disciplinary sanctions.
The letter also stated: "You are admonished to conduct yourself as a responsible member of the campus community in the future." "I'm naturalized American. I have taken an oath to live to protect this country, so that is my part to do -- for that I am happy," Kebede said. "I am an honest citizen for this country. I showed those guys that there are people who love America, who defend America. That's what I showed. "Is that a crime?"
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The next day, October 18, the SDSU Administration responded with this statement in the SDSU Aztec:
The following statement from San Diego State University Vice President of Student Affairs James Kitchen pertains to a reported confrontation between students in the SDSU Library on Sept. 22 and the university's subsequent investigation of the incident:
Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, San Diego State University has shared the nation's sorrow over the tragedy and loss of life, as well as the resolve to heed President Bush's call to carry on our daily responsibilities in a civilized manner.
On Sept. 22, SDSU Public Safety officers were called to Love Library to investigate a complaint by a student who alleged that he and several fellow Saudi Arabian students were verbally harassed by another student, Zewdalem Kebede. Mr. Kebede alleged that the Saudi Arabian students, speaking in their native language, made statements approving of the Sept. 11 attacks, and that Mr. Kebede told them those comments were inappropriate. The Saudi students deny making any statements approving of the attacks. No citations were issued, although Public Safety did share the incident report with the appropriate law enforcement authorities.
Since a student had registered a complaint against Mr. Kebede with Public Safety, the university followed standard procedure and had Mr. Kebede meet with a representative from the SDSU Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities. The Center took no disciplinary action against Mr. Kebede and notified him in writing with a standard letter. The standard letter also warned him to abstain from engaging in behavior that could be considered aggressive or abusive.
San Diego State University is an international campus that values free speech and a free exchange of ideas, conducted in a responsible manner that does not present a threat to others. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, we have endeavored to maintain these standards of freedom, while at the same time protecting the individual rights and safety of our students. We have cooperated with law enforcement agencies investigating the terrorist attacks. We held a campus memorial for the attack victims that drew more than 3,000 students, faculty and staff, and we held a candlelight vigil as well. We hosted "town hall" meetings to foster a better understanding of our current situation, and we have taken precautionary steps to protect innocent Muslim or Middle Eastern students from potential backlash or hate crimes. SDSU joins with all Americans in the desire to protect our nation's freedom and individual liberty, and we will protect that freedom and liberty by following due process and continued cooperation with law enforcement.
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On October 20 the San Diego Union- Tribune stepped into action with this article:
Student defending America is admonished, Michael Stetz; staff writer
Zewdalem Kebede thought he was being a good, patriotic American.
He believed he would even be applauded for scolding three San Diego State University students, whom he says he overheard sounding gleeful when speaking recently in Arabic of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Instead, Kebede was admonished. The university has warned the SDSU senior not to lose his cool again or he could be disciplined for violating students' rights. University police also were called at the time of the Sept. 22 incident in the Reserve Book Room of Love Library. They questioned Kebede before deciding not to pursue charges.
"I'm very proud of what I have done," he said.
Kebede is from Ethiopia, where he learned Arabic. He said he believes that the Arab students assumed that no one nearby would be able to get the gist of what they were saying, so they spoke freely."I tried to control myself," he said. "But I couldn't. They sounded happy. I told them they should be ashamed."
According to Kebede, the students said, among other things, that they admired the hijackers' "courage and precision." The episode is causing a stir on campus, with Arab students saying that Kebede got the conversation wrong, lost control and then went public with his side of the story to garner sympathy and support.
Meanwhile, others wonder why Kebede, a political science major, is being bashed for speaking his mind and sticking up for America.
"The story is completely false," said Badr Al-Doweesh, the historian for the Muslim Student Association on campus. "There's no proof or evidence that any of this was said by the students." The Arab students have not come forward, but the university said they have denied making any statements in support of the attacks. SDSU won't release the name of the student who called campus police. The police would not release the incident report nor make public the name either.
SDSU police said they fear that releasing the name would endanger that person.
Al-Doweesh said he spoke with one of the Arab students involved, who said Kebede misunderstood the conversation. The student, a Sudanese, said the students were merely talking about whether they had encountered any backlash from Americans because of the attacks. The student told Al-Doweesh that Kebede came onto him in an "aggressive fashion."It's common for Arab students to speak in their native language when together, Al-Doweesh said. He also said the students were speaking some slang, which may have confused Kebede.[“Slang” Hmmm.]
Al-Doweesh said he knows of no Arab students on campus who harbor anti-American views. "They love America. Otherwise they wouldn't be here."
Of the four material witnesses arrested in San Diego County in connection with the terrorist attacks, one, Mohdar Abdallah, is a San Diego State University student. [my note–this is an ironic retort by the journalist.]
Earlier this week, Abdallah was charged with lying on an application for political asylum in the United States, federal authorities said. He is being held in New York.
Kebede, a Christian, maintains that he is certain he didn't mistake what the Arab students said. His first wife is an Arab and a Muslim, and he knows the Arabic language well, he said. He is not anti-Muslim, he added, saying he listened for a half an hour before approaching the students.
He maintains that he threatened no one. At least one of the Arab students felt concerned enough by Kebede's actions, however, to call campus police. The officers questioned him, left, and Kebede thought that was the end of it.
It was not.
Even though the SDSU police dropped the matter, such incidents, as a matter of policy, are forwarded to the university's Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities, an internal policing body, SDSU said.
Within days, Kebede received a letter saying that he had to meet with the university judicial officer to discuss what happened.
That officer determined that Kebede violated the university's code of conduct, said SDSU spokesman Jack Beresford. The Arab student felt threatened, Beresford said. "There's a fine line between aggression and debate. In the eyes of the university, he may have crossed that line," Beresford said.
Kebede was not formally disciplined, but was warned that a second such episode could result in disciplinary action, such as suspension, expulsion or being placed on probation.
Kebede, who came to America in 1992 to flee a civil war, said he became a U.S. citizen in 1996.
And he takes the oath he recited seriously, he said.
"I don't care if the government sends me to jail tomorrow. This is my country, and I defend it.”
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On October 23 the Union Tribune ran these Letters to the Editor:
Headline: An act of patriotism at SDSU draws warning
The incident at San Diego State University in which Ethiopian student Zewdalem Kebede confronted four Arab students he overheard speaking in praise of the Sept. 11 terrorists simply illustrates how completely values have been stood on their head on campuses.
SDSU administrators' cautioning Kebede against further acts supporting America was outrageous, but not uncharacteristic.
How credible are the Arab students' denials? Does anyone really believe Kebede would, out of the blue, seek a confrontation with people he did not know? If he had not overheard what he claimed, why would he have confronted the Arab students at all? And if he was simply seeking notoriety, as some have suggested, why would he have done so in Arabic, not English?
To the Muslim Student Association, which suggested that the Arab students' love of America is evidenced by the fact that they are here, I can only point out that the identified terrorists were here, too.
The Saudi students should immediately be brought up for charges for hate speech in accordance with campus rules. If found guilty, they should be expelled and sent home. And the campus police officers and administrators responsible for this outrage should be fired, or, at a minimum, have their crayons taken away from them until they learn to use them responsibly. JOHN W. HOWARD, San Diego
Kebede is a naturalized American citizen who has the First Amendment right to speak out against objectionable speech. The Arab students he admonished are guests in this country. Regardless of what language they were using, they were involved in hate speech.
The situation is no different than that of a German Jewish student in America overhearing German students talk of the efficiencies of Auschwitz in late 1945. Yet the "thought police" of SDSU's Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities have the gall to admonish Kebede.
Three things need to happen: Kebede needs a good lawyer to defend him against these "thought police; SDSU should apologize to him; and the Arab students who have demonstrated their hatred of and thereby a threat to our citizens should be deported. VINCE SHAHAYDA, San Diego
SDSU, my alma mater, should reconsider its code of conduct rules if a student is considered in violation just because other students say they "felt threatened." Perhaps some students feel "threatened" merely by other students speaking Arabic. JOHN NEAL, San Diego
The denials and rush of SDSU's spin doctors to rescue the reputations of the Arab students is disgusting. That the university would turn Kebede's act of patriotism into a reprimand makes me livid. If similar remarks were overheard in a predominantly Islamic country against Osama bin Laden, whoever uttered them probably would not see the next sunrise. JOSEPH M. DAITZ, San Diego
Kebede was a victim of the absurd, spineless mindset and political correctness of contemporary academia. I can't accept the nonsensical legal argument that he can't prove his case because the Arab students were "misunderstood." Kebede would not have been moved to act had he not known, clearly, what was going on. Add one more hero to our list of many. TOM SHINE, Coronado
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Also on October 23, the SDSU Aztec printed this article:
SDSU Sticks by Decision"Admonishment of Ethiopian [--actually American] Student Was 'Standard Procedure'"
By Jason Williams, Daily SDSU Aztec Managing Editor
University officials have responded to claims made by an Ethiopian student that he overheard three Saudi Arabian students praise the Sept. 11 attacks by saying the campus handled the situation with a "standard procedure."
In a statement released on Oct. 18, Vice President of Student Affairs James Kitchen addressed the verbal confrontation that took place in the Love Library Sept. 22 and the subsequent investigation of the case by the university.
The university's statement comes as the campus has been inundated with media requests in response to the story printed in The Daily Aztec last Wednesday, which has garnered national attention -- largely as a result of it being posted on The Wall Street Journal's Web site.
University Spokesman Jack Beresford said the Saudi students have since come forward to "university officials" and denied making the comments. "They've denied it, and that doesn't necessarily mean that it is an indication that we believe everything they've said, nor do we believe or doubt everything that Mr. Kebede said," Kitchen said. The university has not released the names of the Saudi students involved in the Sept. 22 incident, stating only that they are "known" to university officials through the International Student Center and that they are "very conscientious young people." However, one of the Saudi students has contacted The Aztec and expressed interest in relating his perspective, but declined to comment at this time. He would not release his name.
In the university statement, Kitchen said that since the Saudi student registered a complaint against Kebede with University Police, the university followed "standard procedure" when Kebede met with Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities Judicial Officer Antionette Jones on Oct. 3.
No disciplinary action has been taken against Kebede at this time, and he was notified in a letter. The letter warned Kebede that future involvement in "aggressive or abusive" confrontations with people on campus would result in severe disciplinary sanctions.
"Mr. Kebede has not been disciplined, he has been sent a letter," Beresford said. "In terms of that being considered a disciplinary action, no, that's not a disciplinary action." Beresford said the Center had a range of options that could have included probation or suspension."In this case, this is the least stringent of all those measures, which is send him a letter with what is some essentially good advice for any student," Beresford said. University Police has sent a copy of the report to the FBI for further scrutiny, according to Beresford.
Beresford also expressed doubts about the credibility of Kebede's statement based on interviews conducted by University Police and the Center for Student Rights. "It was really their determination that his testimony, his side of the story was not entirely credible in the circumstance," Beresford said. "There were some inconsistencies in terms of his story that led us to doubt the credibility of what he was saying."
Beresford would not elaborate on the specifics behind the university's doubt, saying that it is "very unusual" for university officials to make comments on the cases that go before the Center for Student Rights. "(Kebede) is the one who's really subject to inquiry here, not the Saudi students," Beresford said.
Beresford said the case is one of he said/she said, with the position of the Saudi students conflicting with the account of Kebede. There are no witnesses to this incident and the university cannot take a side in the matter. "What isn't subject to question is that he did approach them in a hostile manner, in a loud voice that they certainly felt was a threat," Beresford said. "What's a threat and what's not a threat is really based on the individual that is involved."
Kebede maintains that his response was that of any American in a similar situation.
"My response was against their bad language against the victims and the situation because they were happy of the action that was taken," Kebede said to The Aztec last week. "If they hate America that much, they shouldn't have to be here. "That's logic." However, Beresford said the issue is not what was said or who said it, but the behavior of Kebede. "The real germane issue here is how he reacted and how he conducted himself," Beresford said. "If you're to believe his interpretation, you can understand his reaction. At the same time, we can't have students taking aggressive action against others under any circumstance. They can't go take the law into their own hands, go and make threats or be aggressive toward other students.” "That's not acceptable behavior."
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The next day, October 24 the SDSU Aztec printed an article, “[SDSU] Police investigate e-mail threats at San Diego State U”
Instead or reiteration, please go to my index thread of Zewdalem links which link to stories and threads with many interesting comments:
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Also see for the Letters to the Editor:
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Whew! Hope al of this has been helpful. Send me any tips as to other articles, web postings, etc. that I can combine.
In other words, what somebody feels is more important than what somebody actually says or does . . . but only so long as the somebody is an anti-American.
This is PC liberalspeak bull**** and Beresford knows it. Had he been interested in finding the truth, expert questioning of the four parties involved would've substantiated Mr. Kebede's version in short order.
However, the thought process of Beresford, like all liberal PC trash works like this:
And a real American
Can't wait to hear him on FR radio
thanks in advance
Afterwards, he should translate the tape, give the tape and translation to the F.B.I. who can then get this Saudi trash deported out of the USA as a threat to our national security.
Somehow I doubt we will ever see such a statement. Their silence is deafening.
Nonsense. Pure unadulterated guano. How does he then describe the 19 infiltrators who lived American society for months and years, planning an act of mass destruction.
Ludicrous.
FBI field offices would have that Arabic tape translated in less than a day. And with the incriminating comments, we would have very red-faced PC school administrators being visited by the G-men and being told to turn over the terrorist symps.
I say any academic institution which harbors terrorists or terrorist sympathizers, be denied ALL STATE AND FEDERAL EDUCATION FUNDS.
Surely there is a GOP Congressman who will sponsor this legislation to crack down on these dummies!
I'm sure they do. They'd like to own every square inch.
Yeah, you know, like Reuter's slang: terrorist is "freedom fighter" etc.
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