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From Brigitte Gabriel:
I was invited to give a lecture sponsored by Professor David Patterson of the Judaic Studies Program. When news about my appearance spread, the Muslim community both on and off campus launched a full-scale campaign to stop my lecture. They demanded that Dr. Patterson cancel my speech. E-mails flooded the University of Memphis administration and Dr. Patterson from Muslim students on campus and Muslims in the community and mosques.
Thinly veiled threats of violence were used:
Here are some of their comments [sent to the administration to shut down the speech]:
..."Do you honestly think the scheduled lecture will serve any useful purpose other than inflaming the Muslims, insulting them and spilling poison in the community?"
And some not-so-thinly veiled threats of violence were also used:
Dr. Patterson introduced me by telling the audience what an eye opener this lecture had become because of the reaction. He stated that he never realized that here in Memphis a speaker should be threatened for his/her safety just to speak on a college campus. He introduced me and I delivered my speech with police officers on both sides as well as about eight others in the lecture hall and around the building.
...At the end of the lecture the Muslims immediately in front swarmed over me questioning and intimidating me. Police officers quickly moved in and pulled me out straight to the police cars as the enraged Muslims started shouting.
Gabriel shows the hypocrisy of such behavior:
It is interesting to see the reaction of the Muslim community to someone with Muslim shrapnel in her body who speaks against butchering innocent people in the name of Allah. If they would put the same energy into condemning the radical element within Islam and join us in saying that slaughtering people in the name of Allah is murder not Jihad, maybe we wouldn't question their loyalty as American citizens.
The American right to free speech was defended:
Dr. Patterson refused to bow to their intimidation and insisted on going on with the scheduled speech.
Gabriel got tough and commanded the room:
Fed up, I went straight to the podium and ordered everyone to sit. I told them, this is my lecture and I run the show. If they didn't like the way I conducted my lecture and my questions they could leave the room, now. Shocked at my behavior and authority they shut-up. The non-Muslim members of the audience applauded.
The anti-U.S. sympathies of this Muslim community in Memphis have already given birth to at least one would-be lethal terrorist living among them:
Unknown to me, a Muslim student attending the University of Memphis was arrested weeks prior to my lecture for, among other things, possession of DVD's on pilot training and charts on the layout of the Memphis airport. They found links on his computer to sites associated with a radical Sunni Muslim organization in Iraq, and searches for information on how guns and bombs can be smuggled past airport security. After witnessing the Muslim reaction to my lecture and what happened few weeks ago at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when an Iranian Muslim student drove into, for Allah's sake, innocent students gathering on university grounds, the Memphis police was not going to take any chances.
I'll tell you what. I think we Americans are going to have to get tougher. Immigrants here are going to have to hear from us in no uncertain terms that we live by a code that includes freedom of speech, and that immigrants who threaten violence in opposition to freedom of speech, are going to pay consequences, possibly including arrest and/or deportation.
#1
#2Omar, you state that you have video of the event. I notice that there's no link to it on the URL you provided. Why not upload it to YouTube so that people can have a look at it?
#3I have it on a classic video cassette, & I don’t have the necessary equipment to transfer it to a computer. I’d be happy to mail you a copy if you’re interested and perhaps you can upload it. Unfortunately, Gabriel’s most outrageous claims were about what happened “after” the event was over, at which point the filming had already stopped. Nevertheless, the article I wrote (referenced above) quotes Curt Guenther, the official representative of the University of Memphis who, based on campus police testimony, confirms that Gabriel’s version of events is fabricated.
#4When you say "classic video cassette," do you mean, VHS tape?
Your article does not deny Gabriel's statement that "Dr. Patterson introduced me by telling the audience what an eye opener this lecture had become because of the reaction. He stated that he never realized that here in Memphis a speaker should be threatened for his/her safety just to speak on a college campus." Do you agree that this statement is accurate?
#5Yes, I did mean VHS
No, Gabriel lied about that as well. Not only did Patterson not say that, but he actually said exactly the opposite!! I just looked at the tape & Dr. Patterson simply mentioned that he had received e-mails requesting that he cancel her appearance (no threats), and then proceeded to say the following, word for word:
"She has taken some risks of her personal safety in appearing on some of the campuses in America. Personally, I don't think that's the case here at the University of Memphis. I still think at the University of Memphis people can come and speak without fear for their safety."
I actually appreciate you bringing this to my attention. That's another lie of hers I didn't catch the first time. But about the threats generally, both Gabriel and Chesler claimed Dr. Patterson had received "threatening" e-mails. But when you look at their quotes of such e-mails, all you see are accusations that Gabriel is a bigot, which I actually agree with given endless quotes of hers I could pass on to you!
#6There's not a whole lot of difference between Gabriel's paraphrase and your quote, except that your quote indicates that there have been risks to Gabriel's personal safety from Islamists on other campuses, in addition to concerns about such threats in Memphis. What is your view about the threats to her safety from Islamists? Don't you strongly condemn such threats to a person's safety, made in the name of Islam?
#7I like the halo thumbnail btw..
I disagree. I think her paraphrase implies that threats have been made in Memphis when Patterson's actual wording emphasizes the lack of such threats in Memphis.
Of course I would condemn any such threats to anyone's safety regardless of whose name they're made by. Freedom of speech, thought and expression are absolutely worth protecting. So if it's true that she has been threatened in the past, then surely such threats should be condemned. But I have to say, judging by her willingness to fabricate what took place in Memphis, I'm not really inclined to take to heart that such past threats have been made. But I'm not really in a position to judge how truthful such past threats are.
#8Glad you like the Halo thumbnail. : )
In response to my question, you have so far provided barely any condemnation of Islamist violence. It's of great concern that few Islamic groups speak out against violence committed in the name of Islam. The implication is that the vast majority of Islamic groups support violence against civilians committed in the name of Islam. The fastest way to improve people's perceptions of Islam, is for people such as yourself to speak out in a very loud way, condemning the terrorists around the world who kill and burn in the name of Allah. Do you agree?
#9Vik:
In response to my question, you have so far provided barely any condemnation of Islamist violence.
Just as you have so far provided barely any condemnation of Christian violence.
This thread is about a particular case of "Islamist violence" that this guy says has no reason to believe happened and apparently has reason to believe did not happen.
If he were to condemn "Islamist violence" in such a context then that would be as much of a glaring non-sequitur as if he began condemning the high price of butter or claimed that he had won the Eurovision song contest.
Yet he has CLEARLY stated:
Of course I would condemn any such threats to anyone’s safety regardless of whose name they’re made by. Freedom of speech, thought and expression are absolutely worth protecting. So if it’s true that she has been threatened in the past, then surely such threats should be condemned.
So he condemns ALL violence regardless of source. Good for him.
In light of this your statement that he has not condemned violence is as bizarre as your earlier statement that his "quote indicates that there have been risks to Gabriel’s personal safety from Islamists on other campuses". Neither one is supported.
#10Frank, don't be a gadfly. The question I'm asking him is so relevant that Victor Davis Hanson just wrote a column in part about it. You can read it here.
It's a very significant question, and is about the behavior of the vast majority of Islamic organizations.
Let this guy speak for himself.
#11Vik,
I totally agree that the issue of Islamist violence is a very important one to address for the broader discussion about resolving today's global problems. However, in this case, the issue is simply that of a bigoted woman who lied about what took place when she came here to speak (the article above).
"It’s of great concern that few Islamic groups speak out against violence committed in the name of Islam."
Considering I don't believe in religion, I certainly am not the appropriate spokesperson for Islam! I do think, however, that there has been widespread condemnation of terrorism by Muslims and I certainly add my voice to such condemnations. But if we're going to take this debate seriously, a lot of people in the Middle-East have legitimate grievances with the US and they say the same about the lack of American condemnations of US atrocities in the region. I'd be more than happy to discuss those issues with you in more detail, but as I said, this is a broader topic and the issue here on this forum is simply and specifically related to Brigitte Gabriel's claims about her Memphis speech which I know for a fact she has lied about.
#12I do think, however, that there has been widespread condemnation of terrorism by Muslims...
That's just the thing; I see little or no condemnation of specific acts of terrorism from Islamic leaders. There's the occasional generic "all terrorism is bad" statement, but there is almost no outcry from Islamic leaders when...
- people are beheaded
- dozens of civilians are killed by a bomb
- terrorists threaten to kill civilians
...etc., etc., etc., all done in the name of Islam. How do you explain this?
#13As a Muslim myself I must admit that our people are a great danger to human civilization. Please do not refrain from speaking up against their terror and intimidations.
#14Ozcan,
Please post more detail on your views.
I was at the lecture, and Brigitte Gabriel's version of events is utter fabrication, as evident by my video of the event, the official representatives of the Univ. of Memphis, and dozens of non-muslim eye witnesses. Here is what really happened:
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/article.php?pg=11&ar=199