Posted on 02/17/2004 10:02:39 PM PST by Salem
Weblog
My Talk at UC-Berkeley
February 12, 2004
My Talk at UC-Berkeley. I spoke on February 10 at the University of California-Berkeley to a crowd of about 550; a sizeable number could not get in. As I had expected, this was the most out-of-control talk of the roughly one thousand I have given, with a core group of about 150 Islamists, Palestinian radicals, and far-leftists constantly disrupting me, mostly with insults that I would prefer to forget.
The best and fullest account of the event is by Cinnamon Stillwell, "Fascism at UC Berkeley: Muslim Student Association Disrupts Daniel Pipes Lecture," at ChronWatch. There are some 200 comments on this – some from others who attended the event – at "Daniel Pipes at UC Berkeley," LittleGreenFootballs.com. (For first-hand accounts, see comments #27, 28, 86, 94, 107, 125, 126, and 135) One person ("zombie") has posted pictures of the event. (For zombie's narrative of them, see #145 at the LittleGreenFootballs.com site.) In addition, the school paper, the Daily Californian, covered the event in an article titled "Staunch Israel Backer Attacks ‘Militant' Islam."
The videotape that my hosts were supposed to make of this event did not happen, so before commenting in any depth on what happened I am waiting to get hold of one of the several others made that evening. For the moment, suffice to say that the vice-chancellor of the university present at this event, plus the UC police arrayed at it in large numbers, both showed weakness in permitting the disruptors to dominate. I should not have been subjected to this treatment. To make matters worse, none of the offenders was arrested. I shake my head with dismay at this; and a second time on recalling that UC-Berkeley is a taxpayer-funded institution.
And this observation: The same Muslim Student Association which is under federal investigation for financing terrorism and perpetuating violence and had a direct role in disrupting my talk (as outlined in an e-mail dated Feb. 10 from "sajidah the berkeley girl") is sponsoring at Berkeley on February 13-15, 2004 a conference titled "Liberation Through Islam." Two items here are worthy of note: the session on "Preparing to Die" and the "special live talk from prison by Imam Jamil Al-Amin." Al-Amin, for those unfamiliar with the name, is a convicted cop-killer; but at Berkeley he is fêted as a distinguished speaker. (February 12, 2004)
Surprisingly, he requested my personal thoughts and views on the event, in response to my email contact (forwarded previously to the list) with him the day after the engagement.
Yes, well, after spending a good part of the previous year here at the Free Republic University of Advanced Conservative Middle East Studies under the careful tutelage of all you brilliant, dynamic, and super-qualified history academics and foreign policy wonks, it was inevitable.
No, really.
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
Oh, indeed! Especially in the public school and UC system of this goofy state.
Fight or flee, fight or flee ... what is a Californian to do ...
Stand by, fellow FReeper. I'm still working on it and will CC/FReepmail you and the list. 
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