Wednesday, March 01, 2006

UCI campus Republicans hold panel discussion on free speech, Islamic extremism, and the Mohammed cartoons

Apparently it got a little hot in that auditorium, with protesters outside and intense arguments inside. Some of the quotes that have come out of this panel where way too inflammatory (I really don't think you can call Islam an evil religion and not expect Muslims to get pissed off) but some commen sense was brought up as well...

Later, panelists were cheered when they referred to Muslims as fascists and accused mainstream Muslim-American civil rights groups of being "cheerleaders for terror."

"I put out a call to Muslims in America: Put out a fatwa on (Osama) bin Laden, put out a fatwa on (Abu Musab) al-Zarqawi," said panelist Lee Kaplan, a UAC spokesman. "Support America in the war on terror."


This has long been one of the most valid criticisms of Islam, the lack of a vocal, moderate, anti-extremist, yet religious opposition to those who defile the religion for their terrorist agenda. At best we see moderate Islam as turning a blind eye to the terrors committed by their extreme religious brethren. Why can't moderate Muslims call for a fatwa on bin Laden? Why can't Muslim civil rights groups support Islamic citizens rights by separating them from and denouncing the atrocities of Islamofascists?

Good job UCI Republicans for promoting what you had hoped would be an open discussion of free speech and extremist Islam and for displaying not only the Mohammed cartoons, but anti-Semetic cartoons as well. To bad CAIR refused to show up.