Posted on 02/03/2015 2:27:42 AM PST by Reverend Saltine
Seattle: Muslims demand teacher be fired for showing Muhammad cartoons
SeattleReWaprotestAnd they may get it, as well. Is this America? The surrender to Sharia norms and collapse of a general understanding of the value of the freedom of speech is happening so rapidly, it’s extraordinary.
“Somali protestors demand teacher resign over Mohammed cartoons,” by Alex Stonehill and Alex Garland, Seattle Globalist, February 1, 2015 (thanks to Refugee Resettlement Watch):
Controversy over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed hit home in Seattle recently, culminating in a protest outside of southend refugee service provider on Friday.
A group of Somali Americans gathered outside the Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA) on Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to demand the resignation of a teacher who showed the cartoons to her teenage students on the day after the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.
“We’re not gonna be silent when it’s something that’s not right,” said Hassan Aden, who was one of between 15 to 20 people who attended the protest. “We’re trying to show that we’re not happy with what she did.”
The teacher, Deepa Bhandaru, recently earned her Ph.D from the UW Political Science department, and works for ReWA teaching a free class on world affairs for youth, where she showed the cartoons during a lesson on free speech and religious pluralism.
A post by the Stranger (where Bhandaru has written a number of film reviews and other articles) came to her defense, saying that she’d already sent lengthly [sic] letters of apology to her colleagues at ReWA and to a local mosque attended by some of her Somali students.
Bhandaru told the Stranger she thought the protest organizers were harping on the issue to score political points, and manipulating community members who didn’t speak English fluently. You can read the full post here (warning: the linked page contains a copy of one of the cartoons in questions).
My eyes! My eyes! Get the lye!
When protesters arrived Friday afternoon the ReWA offices were shuttered, with all staff gone for the day, and an official statement taped to the door (posted in full below).
Shahzad Qadri, a member of ReWA’s board of directors said the decision to close was based on fears for the safety of the staff, following incidents of vandalism early in the week.
“A lot of teenagers in our community were very angry and frustrated,” said Fatma Yessef, who attended the protest with her daughter Sumaya. “We told them we have to vent our frustration in a peaceful, nice way and say ‘you cannot do this to our prophet.’”
Like Yessef, many at the protest said they’d lived in the U.S. for decades and emphasized that they embraced American values of freedom of speech and religion. But more than one participant said they felt that showing the cartoons to youth had crossed a line, and insisted that they would only be satisfied if Bhandaru were fired.
Qadri said the decision about Bhandaru’s future at ReWA would be made based on an ongoing internal investigation, the results of which would be public.
“We serve a multicultural group. Seventy percent of our client base is of Muslim descent, and I myself am a practicing Muslim,” he said. “Our goal is never to offend anyone.”
For Yessef, who said she’s know Bhandaru several years, the apologies were too little too late.
“She should respect us as much as we respect her — her religion, her personality,” she said. “I don’t want to disrespect anybody for the way they are…I don’t think it’s free speech to talk about somebody’s religion, somebody’s beloved prophet like that.”ReWaApology
What a wonderful country. Fly occupied planes into occupied buildings, blow up runners, murder cartoonists and you get to be the latest and the greatest victim group, empowered to get whatever it wants.
The Seattle area is swarming with Somali refugees. All a good proportion of them do is go on public assistance, breed, and make trouble. They’re a real pain in the ass.
They are unemployed Somali pirates settled in US for welfare benefits.
It is only right to offend God, Jesus, Christianity and the Bible. Never are protests developed by anyone for killing people for being Christians. God is going to take revenge and it is going to be pretty bad.
I didn't see this phrase anywhere else but the title. One thing that cannot be allowed in the United States is the Masked Protestor. There is never a good reason for hiding one's identity in public. Saddam's secret police terrorized the neighborhoods by living amongst the people but masking themselves during public displays of authority.
-PJ
Went to the same propaganda class that Obama attended.
moslems, especially masked moslems, should always be shot just on principle.
They adhere to a political system which is fundamentally opposed to our Constitution. The mere act of being a moslem is treasonous.
Freedom of speech comes from the God who Created us—and is to be secured as a God given right by the governments instituted by men— Offense is personal choice and is governed by the individual the enemy desires to stifle free speech because they are offended by our American system —by our Christian nation.whoever made this cartoon sign is too ignorant to be anything but a freaking follower of the Satanic verses.
I’m offended by her sign.
Does it matter? Send them all home to Somali.
Yes, a stop needs to be made of masked protesters. I thought there were already laws around most places, sure, aimed at KKK, but why not apply them here as well?
There guys looks offensive for certain. Off with their heads!
What good was ever achieved by importing muslims from, of all places, a hellhole like Somalia? Those people are nothing but trouble everywhere they go. Send them back to Somalia.
If it was wrong for the KKK, it is wrong for muslims.
I knew Minnesota had a bad infestation of them, wasn't aware Seattle had the disease, too.
What an idiot. Freedom of speech is freedom to offend. Obviously, these dolt’s were not taught that in American Citizenship 101.
“Somali Americans or Somalis living in America?”
You nailed it! Somalis are nothing more than the Horn of Africa transplanted here. Americans? Never!
In fact freedom of speech does include the right to offend.
Islam is the opposite of and is incompatible with freedom.
It is a savage death cult motivated by hate. It is satanic in origin.
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