American universities pride themselves on being bastions of free speech and diversity of opinion, where all are given respect and a chance to voice their views. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for instance, was given a courteous reception (and TV time) at Columbia University in September, where he revealed the truth about his regime: “Women in Iran enjoy the highest levels of freedom” and “We don’t have homosexuals, like in your country.” Sure, some were outraged that this radical dictator and Holocaust denier was given such a forum, but he was overall given respect during his visit. And now, as David Horowitz’s Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week is in full swing at campuses across the country, the conservative pundits and anti-jihadists who are speaking about the atrocities of radical Islam are being given the same respect, right? Wrong. The left is not only protesting, but also inhibiting these speakers’ ability to voice their opinions at campus events. Blogs have more on the atrocious treatment of Nonie Darwish at UC Berkeley, the “epicenter of the 60s free speech movement,” as a commentator at Incorrect U says. Darwish says she was raised in a “jihadist” Muslim family in Gaza. Her father, an Egyptian lieutenant, was killed by the Israeli Defense Forces in 1956, but rather than avenge his death, Darwish renounced radical Islam and jihadism. She became a U.S. citizen and writes and speaks of her support for Israel and the war on terror. She also promotes peace between Arabs and Israelis–not hatred and racism, as the leftist Berkeley students proclaim. The Berkeley student newspaper reports:
The Berkeley conservative students’ blog, California Patriot, outlines the details of her speech. Some highlights:
Classy, Berkeley. Incorrect U has video coverage of the protests and the speech–definitely worth watching. Protesters state that the event’s organizers “don’t care about women” but are trying to incite hatred of Muslims. One of the IFAW organizers, Andrew, denies this and says, “A lot of people on this campus are not separating Islam from Islamofascism. Our event is meant to raise awareness about radical Islam, not all Muslims…We can’t say, well radical Islam is the enemy. If we were to do that, of course, we’ll be named ‘fascists’ or ‘bigots’ or ‘prejudiced.'” Via Little Green Footballs, Zombie posted photos of the protesters and notes that “the majority of the disrupters were not Muslims but rather left-wing radicals.” As Michelle Malkin notes, recalling her own visit to Berkeley, these students are “beserk.” Her commenters offer witty insights, as well. But of course, the left just doesn’t get it. And if you need more evidence of the wrong that sharia does to Muslim women, check out this photo.
