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Saturday, September 27, 2008

Orange County Independent Task Force on Anti-Semitism Press Release


Oakland-based imam Amir Abdel Malik Ali during one of his many speaking appearances at UC-Irvine


Below is a press release dated September 19, 2008 by the Orange County Independent Task Force on Anti-Semitism regarding anti-Semitism at UC-Irvine.


Huntington Beach, CA – September 19, 2008 – The Orange County Independent Task Force on anti-Semitism will continue to monitor fresh allegations of ongoing anti-Semitic activity at The University of California, Irvine (UCI). The Task Force consists of Jewish and non-Jewish members of the community, and includes current and former faculty members, religious and lay community leaders.

On February 12, 2008, the Independent Task Force completed its year long investigation at UCI. Over 80 hours of interviews, as well as, documents, written complaints and numerous visits to the campus were used in the compilation of the subsequent Report and Recommendations.

The complete 34 page report can be found at:
http://octaskforce.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/orange-county-task-force-report-on-anti-semitism-at-uci.pdf
Over the past several months, the Task Force has continued to receive disturbing reports including the following:

• Anti-Semitic programs sponsored by MSU have continued, with guest speakers ratcheting up anti-Semitic hate speech.

• On March 30, 2008, twenty current and former Jewish and non-Jewish UCI students issued a press release expressing (in part) deep concern “…about the anti-Semitism at UCI that has been frequently couched as false and hateful attacks on Israel. We do not believe that UCI Chancellor Michael Drake has exercised his responsibility as an educator and university leader in response to the anti-Semitism…”

• According to The Orange County Anti-Defamation Leagues (ADL) press release on March 5, 2008:

“……The Jewish communities in Orange County and Long Beach remain the religious group most targeted for attack. Unfortunately, many of these incidents continue to occur on school campuses. We are particularly disturbed by those incidents that occur in the lower grades,” said Kevin O’Grady, ADL Orange County Regional Director. Incidents across the region included vandalism, hate mail sent to community leaders and organizations, and white supremacist newspapers distributed throughout Orange County.
“Most disturbing, in the Orange County and Long Beach region, is existence of anti-Semitic speakers and faculty members on university campuses. The continued willingness of the Muslim Students’ Union at the University of California, Irvine to invite highly anti-Semitic speakers to campus remains a concern. These speakers continue to blame Jews for controlling American foreign policy, the world’s media and banking systems and for the U.S. involvement in Iraq. Kevin MacDonald, an anti-Semitic professor at California State University, Long Beach continues to promote his version of academic anti-Semitism; a version that is supported by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups. While the leaders of both schools have broadly condemned hate speech, neither school has condemned speakers by name…”

http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASUS_12/5251_12.htm

• A press release dated May 13, 2008, issued by the “student leaders” of the five main Jewish campus organizations, called attention to the May 12-16th MSU event, “Never Again? The Palestinian Holocaust” stating, in part, the following:

“…In the upcoming week the pro-Israeli Students of the University of California, Irvine will witness acts of hatred from fellow students. Ringroad, a main road on UCI’s campus, will have a makeshift wall which will have pictures, articles, and a bloodied Israeli flag that blames Israel and Jews for a so-called Palestinian Holocaust in Israel .This threatening event will be taking place all week…”(emphasis added).
Letter from Jewish student leaders at UCI—May 13, 2008.

• During “Palestine Awareness Week”, caricatures depicting stereotypical “hooked nosed Jews” and displays invoking “blood libel” appeared on MSU’s “apartheid wall” which mocks Israel as a “racist apartheid state”.

• In May 2008, a female Jewish journalist reported that she and a male companion were allegedly “accosted in the parking lot by individuals purported to be male MSU supporters who allegedly climbed on the hood of her car to get the vin number. These men were allegedly upset that they were being filmed by the woman at a recently concluded MSU event.

• In May 2008, a non Jewish Student Journalist allegedly had a camera thrust in his face by a purported MSU Member.

• In May 2008, a student Journalist alleged that he was told not to film MSU female members by a senior campus official because it was allegedly upsetting the male Muslim students. MSU supporters routinely photograph people at their events with impunity.

• In May 2008, students reported an attempt by senior campus officials to allegedly inhibit Jewish students from carrying protest placards on a sidewalk adjacent to an MSU speaker. The officials cited “fire safety” as the reason; meanwhile the sidewalk on the immediate opposite side was clogged by a bus load of visiting students, who had stopped to view the commotion.

• In May 2008, concern was raised that MSU has been allowed to utilize its own members as “security” at its’ controversial and inflammatory events.

• When asked about the relatively small number of campus police in attendance at large, often inflammatory MSU events, a senior campus police officer explained that “lack of funds” from the University was the reason. The officer complained that “several years ago an officer was injured at one of these events”.

• Recently, the UC Irvine Anthill Pub prominently displayed a photograph of Amir Malik Ali. Some of Malik Ali’s most notable statements made during his hateful speeches at UCI:

“The truth of the matter is your days are numbered. We will fight you. We will fight you until we are either martyred or until we are victorious.” “They [Jews] think they are superman, but we, the Muslims, are kryptonite. They [Jews] know that their days are numbered.”

• A Jewish student was quoted as saying the campus situation is sometimes “intense and hostile.” This student claims said that he wont “go around wearing a Jewish star because you never know what is going to happen.”

• According to recently obtained documentation, MSU received $6,500 from Associated Students of UCI for “Palestine Awareness Week”. The MSU sponsored hate speakers Amir Abdel Malik Ali, Imam Muhammad al Asi and noted Holocaust denier Norman Finkelstein. Many campus student groups regularly receive funding for their particular programs; however there is no evidence to demonstrate that any groups other than MSU use such funds to promote programs featuring incendiary and hateful speakers.
• According to the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is currently investigating alleged incidents of anti-Semitic harassment, intimidation and discrimination that occurred in May 2007 at UCI. This is the second Title VI investigation initiated by ZOA on behalf of Jewish students at UCI. The first complaint was initiated in 2004.

Anyone in the community with knowledge of, or who has witnessed acts of anti-Semitism at UCI, is encouraged to contact the Task Force:

Jan Mark Dudman Esq., President
Robert L. Winer M.D., Executive vice-President
Ted Bleiweis, Executive Director

Fousesquawk comment: I subscribe to the comments contained above. However, I need to point out that in the case of the campus Anthill pub, I have personally spoken to the pub's proprietors, who have assured me that the picture of Amir Abdel Malik Ali was donated to them by the campus newspaper and was hung on the wall as a depiction of campus life-not as a sign of approval of Ali or his statements. I accept their word.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Gary, glad to have you back and blogging again.

Have you joined in with other conservatives and started to turn against Palin yet?

Gary Fouse said...

Thanks, Bryan.

No, I have not turned against Palin yet. How could I join up with folks like Bill Maher, Matt Damon, Alcee Hastings and all that ilk?

Anonymous said...

Well, you'd also be in the company of Kathleen Parker.

Lance Christian Johnson said...

To use an extreme example, Gary, I'm sure that all of those people dislike Hitler as well. Are you going to like Hitler because they don't?

Did you see her interview with Katie Couric? I didn't catch the whole thing...but yikes...she might be only slightly brighter than how Tina Fey portrays her to be.

Regarding Matt Damon though, I too would like to know what Sarah Palin thinks about dinosaurs. I don't feel very good with somebody who has nuclear launch codes who believes that Noah put a T-Rex on the ark. (I don't know if she does, but that is what Christian fundamentalists believe - and she seems to come from that stripe of Christian.)

Gary Fouse said...

Lance,

I don't know beans about Ms Parker. Just read about her opinion on the google news. Where does she tend bar?

As for Palin's religious beliefs, I have not heard her say anything about dinosaurs (just Matt Damon's stupid remarks).

I get the impression that you feel that if a person is a committed Christian, they must believe in all kinds of hocus pocus-thus, they are not fit for public office because they are loons.

I am not trying to build Sarah Palin into something that she probably isn't. But isn't it interesting how the left and the Democrats (with their media surrogates) are trying to tear her to pieces? Look at the Mickey Mouse things they are bringing up.
Do you know why all the fuss? Because Palin has struck a chord with a large segment of the population. Also because as a woman , she is the polar opposite of Hillary-who they want to be in office. Palin is against abortion, she is a Christian, and she has made it to where she is on her own merits. She didn't get there by being married to a Bill Clinton. Obviously, her husband isn't the reason for her success-other than giving her support.

No, Sarah Palin sends a message to woman that the left doesn't want them to hear. It is the same as it was with Clarence Thomas (see my post on Palin and Thomas). That is why there is such a vehement reaction against her from the left.

Gary Fouse said...

PS to Lance,

Sorry I missed your comment about Hitler. Did you know that Charles Lindbergh thought that Hitler was pretty cool? He visited Germany and became a pal of Hermann Goering.

I did not see the interview with Couric. I wonder if she would throw a bunch of gotcha questions to Obama or Biden?

Actually, I realize that Palin will have to deal with this. It goes with the territory-even if the Dems don't get that kind of grilling from the press. She may wish she could just go back to Alaska and never see Washington again. It's a different world there, Sarah.

Anonymous said...

Hillary Clinton is a Christian too, last time I checked, just not the same flavor as Palin. Anyways, Kathleen Parker is a respected conservative columnist.

Here's her article in the National Review (that filthy liberal rag, har har) where she says Palin should step out of the race.

Here's another National Review article by Kathryn Jean Lopez, admitting that Parker's suggestion isn't all that crazy.

Anonymous said...

I did not see the interview with Couric. I wonder if she would throw a bunch of gotcha questions to Obama or Biden?

Actually, I realize that Palin will have to deal with this. It goes with the territory-even if the Dems don't get that kind of grilling from the press. She may wish she could just go back to Alaska and never see Washington again. It's a different world there, Sarah.


See Gary, that's the funny thing that makes Palin's performance in the Couric interview so terrible: they weren't even "gotcha!" questions. They were very basic things like, "What did you mean about Alaska's proximity to Russia giving you foreign policy experience?" and "Do you support the bailout plan?"

You should really watch it. Like I said already, a lot of conservatives are even embarrassed about her performance. Her ratings are plummeting.

I for one am glad that the press sometimes asks hardball questions of politicians. They're accountable to us and I want the media to take an adversarial stance towards them. Obama's gotten his grillings, too. The recent O'Reilly interview comes to mind.

Lance Christian Johnson said...

I get the impression that you feel that if a person is a committed Christian, they must believe in all kinds of hocus pocus-thus, they are not fit for public office because they are loons.

Not at all. I'm talking about the fundamentalists here - and Palin seems to be one. The thing is, they ARE loony and believe in all sorts of stuff like that. Do you think that I'm making this stuff up about dinosaurs on the ark? People really believe this stuff, Gary - and a lot of them are running the country! Doesn't that make you a least a little bit concerned?

There are plenty of devoted Christians who don't subscribe to that kind of theology. Shoot, I know some of them!

It's not Christianity - or pretty much any religion, for that matter - that bothers me. It's the fundamentalists.

Regarding the Couric interview, Palin didn't look foolish on the "gotcha" questions. Check it out. If I could watch O'Reilly interview Obama, you can watch that.

I don't remember where I read it, but somebody commented that Palin looked like a high school student who's trying to BS a book report. As somebody who's seen a lot of BS'd book reports, I can confirm that.

Gary Fouse said...

Bryan,

Getting Palin to drop out is precisely the aim of the Dems and their pals in the media. If she were so bad, why not sit back and let her stay in and hurt McCain? No, the Dems view her not so much as a joke, but as a threat. That's why they are going after her so hard.

Couric's big gotcha question was asking her to list McCain's accomplishments in a particular area which slips my mind at the moment. But, as I stated, I missed the interview since I was in Mexico.

As for Obama, who besides O'Reilly and Gibson/Stephaopoulis in a debate has pinned Obama down with hard questions? Certainly not Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, or the ladies on The View. He usually gets a free ride.

Gary Fouse said...

Lance,

I consider myself a Christian, but not a fundamentalist. (Some would say I'm not a very good Christian.)

Seems to me this growing perception about Palin's version of religion stems from her opposition to abortion. Maybe I have missed something, but I haven't heard her expounding on Noah's Ark and all that stuff.

I think in general we need to be careful about letting one side demonize the other to the point we start believing evrything about a person as a reflex.

Anonymous said...

Getting Palin to drop out is precisely the aim of the Dems and their pals in the media. If she were so bad, why not sit back and let her stay in and hurt McCain? No, the Dems view her not so much as a joke, but as a threat. That's why they are going after her so hard.

I don't think you understand, Gary. I just linked you to TWO articles from the National Review (a very popular CONSERVATIVE magazine, founded by William F. Buckley) written by conservative columnists, that are VERY critical of Palin. The calls for her to stop looking like a fool or step down are coming from the right.

Lance is right. She sounded like a college student who hadn't done any of the readings, trying to BS her way through the in-class final essay.

Gary Fouse said...

Bryan,

I know all about NR even if I wasn't familiar with k Parker. I have read the articles. Actually Lopez isn't suggesting she drop out just that they let her be herself.

I don't know if you are aware, but there is an internet rumor floating around that Biden will drop out around 10-5 in favor of Hillary, citing an aneurism. I have no idea as to the authencity.

Lance Christian Johnson said...

Seems to me this growing perception about Palin's version of religion stems from her opposition to abortion. Maybe I have missed something, but I haven't heard her expounding on Noah's Ark and all that stuff.

No, she's been smart enough to be quiet on things like that. However, from what I've read, the church that she belongs to is of a very "conservative" (such a strange word for somebody who believes that dinos and humans lived at the same time) church. You may be right - they might actually believe stuff like that. Still, I'd like to know though. If she were Catholic, Lutheran, or various other denominations, then I wouldn't feel the need to ask, as they're all on record as not endorsing those sorts of things.

Just curious though, would somebody believing in that sort of a thing affect whether you would vote for her or not?

Gary Fouse said...

Lance,

To answer your question, it depends. Every religion has supernatural aspects that we cannot fathom here on earth. Of course, the Bible also has supernatural events in it. The idea of an afterlife and heaven is supernatural. We will never see it proven by evidence, dna or whatever, but I guess that's why we call it faith.

Lance Christian Johnson said...

Gary, I was referring specifically about somebody whose religious beliefs had them believing that dinosaurs were around 4000 years ago at the same time as humans. Would that affect how you'd vote? (Don't get me wrong - I'm not asking if it's a deal-breaker, but would it at least have an influence?)

Gary Fouse said...

Lance,

You really are stuck on this dinosaur deal. Who said dinosaurs were here with humans, anyway? Did Palin say that?

Lance Christian Johnson said...

You should read my recent post on my blog. I don't think that most Christians (yourself included) are really aware of just how crazy the beliefs of these fundamentalists are.

Apparently, she did say it. I don't know how reliable this guy is, but there are a lot more people out there who believe that than you probably realize.

Perhaps it seems like I'm "stuck" on this issue, but I have a hard time taking somebody seriously if they believe that. Hey, you have your issues with Reverend Wright - I have my issues with creationists (who pose a very real threat to education in this country).

But my question to you still stands - if a candidate believed that humans and dinosaurs both lived at the same time, would you factor that into your decision as to whether or not to vote for her?

While I wouldn't let that one thing make my decision, I can't see how somebody could believe that and have any sense of reality.

Gary Fouse said...

Ok, Lance, some guy says she made that comment once. What am I supposed to think?

Somebody said Michelle Obama made a comment about Whitey. Will we ever know?

The History Channel is pushing the proposition that there are flying saucers. Do you believe that?

But seriously, I happen to believe dinosaurs actually do exist now. I saw one walking down the sidewalk while I was driving home today.

So, if I ever decide to run for public office, you can blow me right out of the water. How's that?

Lance Christian Johnson said...

Ok, Lance, some guy says she made that comment once. What am I supposed to think?

The same thing that I'm thinking - you should be wondering, "Does she really believe that?" Maybe she doesn't, but I honestly don't think that you realize what a large percentage of Christians actually do believe that. Shoot, they have "museums" for this stuff.

Somebody said Michelle Obama made a comment about Whitey. Will we ever know?

That's not even comparable. Saying the word "whitey" wouldn't necessarily bother me, depending on the context. As for saying that dinosaurs were around 4000 years ago, the only context where I'd find that acceptable is if she laughed uproariously after saying it and went, "Just kidding!"

The History Channel is pushing the proposition that there are flying saucers. Do you believe that?

Don't get me started on THAT crap. Gary, you'll find that I'm an equal opportunity non-believer. I disbelieve in alien visitations, Bigfoot, the Lochness Monster, Astrology, Numerology, etc. etc. etc. I'm an empirical evidence kind of guy.

But seriously, I happen to believe dinosaurs actually do exist now. I saw one walking down the sidewalk while I was driving home today.

So, if I ever decide to run for public office, you can blow me right out of the water. How's that?


I'll devote an entire blog to lambasting you.

But you're really dancing around my question, Gary. Come on now and answer it. It's not a hard one.

I'll even rephrase it so I won't be able to put words in your mouth later. Let's say that there was a candidate named John Hussein Opadin (clever, eh?) Let's say that the first thing that you heard about this candidate was that he believed that dinosaurs walked the Earth at the same time as human beings, despite the vast amounts of empirical evidence that they lived hundreds of millions of years before us. Would this bit of information affect your decision to vote for this candidate one way or another?

Simple yes or no on this one, Gary. Come on, you can do it! Do it for America! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!!

Gary Fouse said...

Lance,

Can I do it "for the children"?

C'mon, man-you are beating this dinosaur thing to death.

OK, if I hear Palin say that on TV, I would say she needs to brush up on her history-like Al Gore inventing the Internet.

Can we move on now?

PS:

25 million years, 4,000 years-what's the difference to you and I?

Lance Christian Johnson said...

Hey, if you never mention Jeremiah Wright, I'll never mention dinosaurs again.

I realize that you don't think that it's a big deal, but I think that things like this are important - especially when people like that have some say over what's being taught to children. Call me crazy, but I think that kids should learn actual facts - not made up ones.

Oh, and not to nitpick, but the last dinosaurs lived 65 million years ago. The oldest ones about 250 million years ago. What's the difference? Well, do you think that it would be acceptable to tell kids that the distance between New York and San Francisco is just a few feet?

Gary Fouse said...

No deal, Lance.

Dinosaurs don't exist anymore. jeremiah Wright does.

How's that for logic?

Speaking of logic, why are we discussing this in the comments section of my posting on the Orange County Ind. Task Force on anti-Semitism?

Lance Christian Johnson said...

Why in this thread?

1. Read through the whole thread to see how we got here.

2. Dinosaurs are cool. Did you know that the closest living relative to a T-Rex is a chicken? How is that not cool?

Gary Fouse said...

"Did you know that the closest living relative to a T-Rex is a chicken? How is that not cool?"

And you make fun of Sarah Palin.

That's what happens when your head explodes, Lance.

Lance Christian Johnson said...

I've got science on my side, Gary. You know, that process that brings us such wonderful things like communicating via this "series of tubes" called the Internet. Did you read the article?

Gary Fouse said...

Lance,

Will you stop with the science and dinosaurs stuff? My head is about to explode.

Lance Christian Johnson said...

Sorry - didn't mean to confuse you with all this fancy book learnin'.