Irvine 11 – Twice punished just to make a political point

by on 25. Sep, 2011 in Islam, Politics, U.S

Irvine 11 verdict was very disappointing. Jury found the students guilty of conspiring to disrupt and then disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador Michael Oren in February 2010 at the University of California, Irvine. Can I say, freedom of speech is now dead?

Irvine 11 VerdictMohamed Mohy-Eldeen Abdelgany holds up a peace sign while speaking during a press conference after he and the others were found guilty of conspiring to disrupt and then disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador at UC Irvine. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

I have never talked about this case before because I don’t agree with what Irvine 11 did, disrupt someone else’s speech to make their own point. Everyone should be able to speak their mind. That said, the students were disciplined by the university and the case was closed. Speech disruption is seen as an annoyance, nothing more. One such disruption took place back in May during Netanyahu’s speech. No one involved a court there. When I was at SFSU, College Republicans were condemned for stomping on Hezbollah flag. That’s it, slap on the wrist, issue resolved. Every one lived happily ever after, including free speech.

What happened with Irvine 11 killed free speech with a dagger. That’s what court rulings are, they end up being precedents for future cases. Other free speech related cases will now be decided based on the outcome of the Irvine 11 case. That is, if the California Court of Appeals doesn’t overturn the decision. If not, I see this going to the Supreme Court.

Taxpayer money wasted over what?

  • To make a political point and to single out students that belong to specific religion as the ones causing all the mayhem and unruly conduct.
  • To make sure that next time, no one speaks against or “disrupts” a speech by an Israeli foreigner.
  • To show the world that it’s free speech if you are not talking against Israel, it is a crime if you are.
  • To mock the U.S. justice system by engaging in petty persecution.

All this is very disheartening but the outpouring support Irvine 11 has received shows that there are still many level-headed people in this world who stand up for justice and support the brave who speak the truth.

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My Life as a Poem

by on 19. Sep, 2011 in Guest Blogger

Guest post by Sidrah Zaheer

I am trying to write a poem on my life. I don’t think that I will be able to convey my story in a few lines that could rhyme. But just as my life has been a struggle, so would my expression of thoughts be on this page. At times, one can’t write anything, not even a single word. It seems there is nothing to say and all is understood when left unsaid. At other times, there is so much to say and so little to and space to say it all.

If only the time were to stop, and someday that it will, I wonder how long will that take then, for a whole lifetime of a story to be told. There are often so many things to cover, to relate and not so many ways to describe what one can actually feel only. There is no rhyme or reason to it. To understand life is tough. But it is secondary in difficulty level when it comes to understanding one’s own self.

There is so much to look at in what I am saying here, so many different ways to it to reach it. May be to some it may seem useless ranting, and may be to some of those who can connect to it following the dots rightly, it all seems to be their life story too. Making sense, because that is how they went through it as well, that is how they sensed it as well.

Though that each experience is unique and individual in each respective regards, but there is an overall theme that runs through it all, which makes it have a universal appeal. We live, we die, we cry, we laugh, but it is all that happens in between these dots that makes each life unique and personal.

So writing the story of my life in a format with rhyming words, trying to make it a poem, will not make it more universal or less painful, but will be a life story worthy to be read and reread through over time. The poem will finish when the life itself would. Thus, my life is a poem and a poem I am still writing every day, each hour, word by word, from one thought to another, from one feeling to another.

About the guest blogger:

Sidrah Zaheer is a blogger who likes to read and share with others her ideas on almost everything under the sun, even out in the universe beyond. She hopes to convey various ideas through her writings to help others view life a little different than with obvious views. You can follow her on Twitter at: @SidrahZaheer and join her Facebook page: Tittleiota

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Shame on Oakland Museum of Children’s Art for Outright Censorship

by on 12. Sep, 2011 in Bay Area, Middle East, U.S

In an outrageous turn of events, Oakland Museum of Children’s Art or MOCHA, cancelled the highly anticipated exhibit of artwork by Palestinian children ages 6-14 that depicted the Israeli assault during the 2008-09 Gaza conflict. The reason given for the cancellation has all indications of pressure from people who are scared of free speech and will go as low as censoring children’s art.

A Child's View from Gaza

A Child's View from Gaza

From San Jose Mercury News

Hilmon Sorey, chairman of MOCHA’s board of directors wrote in a statement that while the museum supports art that fosters “insight and understanding,” an exhibit of art about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was “not appropriate for an open gallery accessible by all children.”

Seriously Mr. Sorey?

In 2004, images depicting the 2003 invasion of Iraq were exhibited at MOCHA. No problem there. In 2007, there were paintings exhibited made by American children that depicted the horrors of World War II. The exhibition featured images of Hitler and a sad girl next to a Star of David. Of course, why would anyone say no to that? After all, children should have access to all expression of art from the Holocaust era, no matter how disturbing, but Palestinian children expressing their feelings in the form of drawing is “not appropriate.”

From San Francisco Chronicle

Museum board member Randolph Bell: “The pressure was … well, we were getting calls from constituents that were concerned about the situation”

The constituents Mr. Bell is referring to are either directly or indirectly dancing on the tune of Jewish Federation of North America and/or the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, who according to a press release issued by the Middle East Children’s Alliance, have earmarked $6 Million for an initiative to effectively silence Palestinian expressions of art.

I don’t know what to make of all this. It’s evident what “really” happened yet nothing can be done to change things. MOCHA board members should be ashamed of themselves for silencing the voice of Palestinian children and engaging in censorship. They should check the meaning of the word “hypocrite” in the dictionary, maybe they no longer remember it.

MECA is currently looking for other venues where the art can be displayed. They have posted 15 drawings, out of 50, on their Facebook page. Meanwhile, Free Palestine Movement has created a petition that you can sign and directly send to MOCHA.

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