[Vision2020] UI not having anti-Islam event

[g. crabtree]

Or one could simply decide based on their overwhelming prejudice. Please 
see:

http://palousitics.blogspot.com/2007/10/ignorati-emeriti.html

There are more then a few on this list who would have folks believe that 
Conservatives are inflexible, dogmatic, and not open to information that 
might interfere with their world view. They feel that "progressives are 
intellectuals who filter everything through their razor sharp analytic hat 
rack, listening to both sides and coming to a reasoned conclusion. And then 
there's the philosophy dept...

g
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "lfalen" <lfalen at turbonet.com>
To: "Bruce and Jean Livingston" <jeanlivingston at turbonet.com>; 
<vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2007 10:29 AM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] UI not having anti-Islam event


> Bruce
> I have not seen the film, therefore I don't know how broad the criticism 
> goes. My understanding is that it makes a distinction between the fanatics 
> and mainstream Muslims. I know several Muslims and they are fine people. I 
> think one should see the film and then decide.
> Roger
> -----Original message-----
> From: "Bruce and Jean Livingston" jeanlivingston at turbonet.com
> Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2007 11:54:20 -0700
> To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: [Vision2020] UI not having anti-Islam event
>
>> I noted that there was something being sponsored by a Young Republican 
>> club at WSU recently, something about Islamo-fascism, and I have not 
>> understood what that was.  Now I note this article in the UI paper, the 
>> Argonaut.
>>
>> http://www.uiargonaut.com/content/view/4683/48/
>>
>> Not having read much if anything about the so-called "Islamo-fascist" 
>> movement, I wonder whether the Islamo-fascist movement has been 
>> mis-representing Islam and tarring the entire religion with the acts of 
>> an extreme faction?  This story in the Argonaut makes me think that is 
>> what has been happening, but the story does not say specify the message 
>> of hate that the opposers of "Islamo-fascism" are promulgating.  I would 
>> like to hear more about this from people who surely have followed this 
>> issue much more closely than I.
>>
>> I am curious about what is going on with this issue, as I have only heard 
>> this term "Islamo-fascism" in the last several weeks, other than seeing 
>> the term in a book review that I did not read closely about a year ago. 
>> I assume from the very little I have read about "Islamo-fascism" that the 
>> announced aim of the Islamo-fascist movement is to 
>> address/publicize/oppose those who practice terrorism in the name of the 
>> Islamic religion -- the Bin Laden/Al Queda/Taliban camp.  But it seems, 
>> based on the story in the Argonaut, that much more is going on than that, 
>> and that good Muslims are being caught in the overbroad net aimed at the 
>> terrorists by those who oppose/head-up the "Oppose Islamo-fascism" 
>> movement.  As I understand the statements of the Al Quaeda/Bin Laden 
>> terrorists, they practice a form of Islam that is anti-thetical to the 
>> vast majority of the Islamic world, killing in the name of religion but 
>> without the approval of most of the Muslim world.  Essentially, as I und!
> erstand
> it, the terrorist, so-called "Al Quaeda" wing of Islam mis-represents and 
> mis-uses Islam as it is understood by the vast majority of Muslims.
>>
>> Am I correct in assuming that the Islamo-fascist movement is castigating 
>> all/most Muslims, rather than the small minority of terrorist sects that 
>> are murdering in the name of Islam, while violating Islamic law?   Are 
>> there any on this list who might elaborate on this issue for me?
>>
>> Bruce Livingston
>>
>>       Written by Jessica Mullins - Argonaut
>>       Tuesday, 23 October 2007
>>       Community members gather against movement
>>
>>       Palouse community members organized events and spread information 
>> in response to this week's national "Islamo-Fascism
>>       Awareness Week."
>>
>>       The movement is intended to promote hostility and hate toward 
>> Muslims, Arabs ands people who resemble them, said retired University of 
>> Idaho economics professor Ghazi Ghazanfar. "The whole idea is to create 
>> more hate and demonize the religion and people," Ghazanfar said. "This is 
>> a systematic, well-organized effort in the country."
>>
>>       The week, part of a "terrorism awareness project," is sponsored by 
>> the David Horowitz Freedom Center.  Activities are planned at nearly 100 
>> U.S. universities including Washington State University, but none at UI. 
>> "The movement is unfortunately all over the place," said Andy 
>> Neukranz-Butler, UI's human rights compliance officer.  The Web site, 
>> www.terrorismawareness.org/islamo-fascism, says the protest is to 
>> confront the two "big lies of the political left": that President George 
>> W. Bush created the war on terror and that global warming is a greater 
>> American danger than the terrorism threat.
>>
>>       In light of the movement, UI President Tim White re-released the UI 
>> civility statement on Oct. 11 to "raise to top-of-mind" UI civility 
>> expectations.  The civility statement acknowledges everyone comes from 
>> different backgrounds and supports the discussion of different points of 
>> view in a civilized manner, Neukranz-Butler said.  The statement says 
>> "expressions of hate and intolerance meant to discriminate against entire 
>> groups are beneath the ideals that we aspire to at the University of 
>> Idaho."
>>
>>       While there are no events planned at UI, organizers wanted to 
>> prepare, just in case.  "We want to be proactive to include people in 
>> community discussion," Neukranz-Butler said. "We would hope things 
>> wouldn't get out of hand."   While debate is important, it shouldn't 
>> include hateful or fighting words, she said.  "Obviously, good debate is 
>> what we want. We just want to do it in a respectful manner," she said. 
>> "We want to create an environment where we can talk about it."   The 
>> civility statement is appropriate to combat feelings of threats, said 
>> Rula Awwad-Rafferty, UI faculty and JUNTURA committee chair.
>>
>>       The WSU College Republicans will show the film "Obsession" on 
>> Wednesday.  "The film has a lot of nasty things to say about the Muslim 
>> religion," Neukranz-Butler said. The film doesn't encourage constructive 
>> discussion, she said.  Palouse community members, including 
>> Neukranz-Butler, Awwad-Rafferty and Ghazanfar, met and organized events 
>> and ads to run in local newspapers in response to the week.  "Regardless 
>> of your political orientation or religious orientation, I think knowledge 
>> is power and it is important to question information and go to try to 
>> find other sources," Awwad-Rafferty said.
>>
>>       The efforts in response to the awareness week focus on the unity of 
>> the community.  "We all stand together," Awwad-Rafferty said. "If it 
>> hurts someone in the community it hurts us all. We combat stereotypes 
>> because we believe they hurt all of us no matter where they come from." 
>> Awwad-Rafferty said it is nice how the community came together against 
>> the movement.  "I don't think hatred ought to be tolerated anywhere," 
>> Awwad-Rafferty said. "But you don't fight hatred with hatred."
>>
>>       The Islamic community at UI is growing, Ghazanfar said. Since Sept. 
>> 11 more Muslims are returning to the U.S. There are more than 25 Islamic 
>> faculty members, he said.  Movements such as this week are extremely 
>> counterproductive as far recruiting foreign students, especially from the 
>> Islamic world, Ghazanfar said.  "We are doing everything possible and 
>> organizing things on campus to create more harmony and unity," he said, 
>> "but a group is here to create exclusiveness."  The movement is 
>> inflammatory and has incorrect information, Awwad-Rafferty said.  "It is 
>> important to assure everybody they will not be harmed," Awwad-Rafferty 
>> said. "The fear of being harmed is, in my opinion, equivalent to being 
>> harmed."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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