New University, University of California, Irvine
May 31 2004
Hundreds Rally Against Alleged Arson
Speakers denounce the burning of an anti-Zionist cardboard wall and
promise that free speech will prevail at UCI.
by: Ben Ritter
Rob Oandasan
Rob oandasan | New University Students from various groups walk
around Ring Road to support the Society of Arab Students a week after
their cardboard wall was destroyed.
About 200 students and other concerned community members gathered
on the steps outside of the Administration Building on May 27 to
demonstrate unity against hate crimes, centering on the destruction
on May 21 of a cardboard wall constructed by the Society of Arab
Students to dramatize heightened Israeli-Palestinian relations.
The crowd gathered under a yellow banner that read “Hate crimes
and racism will not silence us!” Many demonstrators wore armbands
made from caution tape while others held signs with slogans such as
“Obliterate the hate,” “Hate is not the answer” and “Say no to hate.”
Osama Abuljebain, president of SAS, was the first to speak against
hate crimes on campus.
“The Society of Arab Students is firm on working towards ending hate
crimes against Arabs and Muslims and all other fellow Americans
suffering from such crimes here on campus and in our community,”
Abuljebain said.
Manuel Gomez, vice chancellor of student affairs, spoke of his own
outrage against the destruction of the wall, which he called “an act
of intimidation against the principles of our entire community.”
Gomez also stressed the administration’s commitment to maintaining
an atmosphere conducive to the free exchange of ideas.
“When I receive pleas and letters to shut down student demonstrations
on the campus, I continuously defend our community,” Gomez said. “I
believe that there is no better environment than a university in
which we are having these kinds of conversations and discussions.”
Gomez advised that students should band together despite their
differences when faced with such an attack on free expression.
“It is during times like this that we all put aside our political
differences to respect the liberties of free expression without
intimidation,” Gomez said. Speakers from other community organizations
also expressed their support of campus free speech efforts.
Preston Wood, from Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Coalition said
that the destruction of the wall was a manifestation of bigotry that
must be sought out and destroyed wherever it exists in the world.
“The violent destruction of the wall is just another demonstration
of bigotry gone wild, and it needs to be responded to,” Wood said.
Nader Abuljebain, representing the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, expressed gratitude to the administration for their
investigation of the crime.
“We appreciate the efforts that are being done by the UCI
administration to investigate this crime and to denounce the arson
attack as a hate crime because it sends a clear message to our
students and community that the university cares about the safety
and the welfare of its students,” Abuljebain said.
Representatives of other student organizations including the Armenian
Student Association, the Muslim Student Union, MEChA and ASUCI also
pledged support for the SASs advocation of free political expression
on campus.
Some students attended the rally because they had felt personally
threatened by the crime that had been committed.
“We’re out here to protest against hate,” said Layla Shaikley, a
first-year undecided/undeclared major. “As a member of the Muslim
Student Union, part of the foundation of my religion is peace. As
a member of the Society of Arab Students, there is no way that I am
going to stand for being threatened because of my ethnicity.”
One campus group, however, felt unwelcome at the rally. According
to Anteaters for Israel they were turned away by the SAS when they
wished to show their support.
“Last Monday, news cameras were on campus covering the burning of
the wall and interviewing members of the Society of Arab Students,”
said Larry Mahler, President of Alpha Epsilon Pi and a member of
Anteaters for Israel. “I approached some of the students and expressed
my sympathy, because similar things had happened to our group in the
past, like the defacing of our Holocaust memorial last year. I said
that Anteaters for Israel would be more than happy to support them
in the free speech rally that they had planned.”
Despite their will to support the organization, SAS declined their
request.
Mahler said that the rejection of his group’s support, which he
attributes to differences in political opinions between the two groups,
was like “a slap in the face.”
“Although we have disagreed politically with the Society of Arab
Students, here is a time when we should support each other,” Mahler
said. “Free speech and opposition to the destruction of property is
one thing that we should agree upon … A lot of other organizations
were represented at the rally. It would have been nice to be a part
of the rest of the community and not to be excluded.”
Vanessa Zuabi, vice president of the SAS responded by saying that
they didn’t want AFI at the rally because they did not want to turn
the rally into a political issue.
“We didn’t want to make the rally political in any way shape or form.
We didn’t want the issue of Palestine and Israel to overshadow what
we were really there for which was to stand against hate. We didn’t
want any other issue to overshadow it,” Zuabi said.
According to Zuabi, the Model United Nations will be organizing
dialogue between certain Arab and Israelis students in the next week.
“You automatically create these boundaries when you come in as
representatives of an organization. It’s better to come into the
discussion as an individual,” Zuabi said.