Letter about the Sheikh Palazzi Incident
Saturday, March 6th, 2004
Many of us are still distraught from the incident on Thursday night.
For those not in attendance, here is a brief recap: American Students
for Israel hosted a speaker – Sheikh Abdul Palazzi, a leader
of the Italian Muslim community – who came to spell out the
differences between Islam and jihadism. The Muslim Student Association,
aware of the event, arrived early to distribute counter-literature.
When the question and answer session began, an adult who identified
himself as member of the Santa Barbara Muslim community began discoursing,
after a few minutes of which Maia – the President of American
Students for Israel – respectfully asked him to stop. He continued
undeterred. Later, a woman in audience made some hostile remarks,
and after being answered, arose in her seat to continue her tirade.
Then a member of the Muslim Student Association took the microphone
and began ridiculing the speaker and his organization in Italy.
At this point,
everything deteriorated and I though to myself, this event is over.
They began shouting and heckling, scoffing and laughing. Finally,
an individual who identified himself as the President of the Muslim
Student Association declared that Sheikh Palazzi did not represent
the views of any Muslims – again, the Sheikh had just finished
explaining why suicide and homicide are forbidden under Islamic law
– and called on all Muslims to leave the room. They did so,
boisterously, continuing to shout as they left, incanting “God
is Great!” A dozen of them barked at one member of American
Students for Israel, as she stood alone outside. I tried to calm them
down, but one yelled that I was trying to accost their President,
and they fled.
*************
What these brutish
individuals did was to import the fanaticism of the West Bank into
sunny, peaceful Santa Barbara. We often speak of the Middle East in
distant terms, but on display Thursday night for all to see was the
manic rage and extravagant intolerance that drag entire Middle Eastern
societies down. Are these the attitudes that the Israelis, constantly
told to extend the olive branch in perpetuity, have to contend with?
They were not there to engage in “dialogue” or “debate”
or any other therapeutic activities that pc culture encourages, and
which we will no doubt be encouraged to do after this. The individuals
of Thursday night were beyond reason; the rules they play by are the
rules of illiberality: if we don’t like what you have to say,
then we will make you shut up. What was truly remarkable was the President
of their group, far from being some anonymous heckler, actually identified
himself: he wanted us to know that he had come to ruin the event,
and he was unashamed.
Many of you with
whom I have spoken seem discouraged. How can we, ourselves willing
to engage in dialogue, or at least maintain a civil respect for opponents,
compete with such insolence? Do we even want to? No, and do not be
discouraged, since this bullying will not end anytime soon. One of
the points made by Sheikh Palazzi was that an alarming narrow-mindedness
has taken hold in many precincts of Islam. Am I wrong in concluding
that that was precisely what was on display Thursday evening?
The Muslim Student
Association recently sent me a letter – another component of
their campaign of intimidation – goofily contending that my
words as a Daily Nexus columnist unfairly portray Muslims as bellicose,
which makes it physically unsafe for them on campus. It seems they
were so concerned about misconceptions of Muslims as being aggressive
that they chose to come to our event and act aggressively. As witness
to their gang-like behavior, and their hate mail, the question arises:
who ought to be concerned with personal safety, them or us?
*************
Sheikh Palazzi
explained why he believes Islamic law prohibits terrorism, and why
individuals like bin Laden are not true Muslims. Soon thereafter,
the President of the Muslim Student Association says: “This
man does not speak for any Muslims. He’s not a real Muslim.”
This is, in the least, a questionable response. The pamphlets the
Muslim Student Association distributed gushed about the noble work
of Hamas and Hezbollah, two of the world’s most savage terrorist
groups. But why stop there? Why exclude al Qaeda? After all, they’re
all part of the same clique of vicious America-hating, Jew-hating
fundamentalism, who in fact cooperate with and admire each other.
Could it be that some groups and not others are embarrassing to the
Muslim Student Association? Most certainly. But can you really at
once approve of Hamas and Hezbollah and not of al Qaeda? From the
vantage point of Americans and the U.S. government, there is no difference.
You don’t just pick and choose terrorists: either you support
them, or you condemn them.
The Muslim Student
Association’s pamphlet addressed the vile nature of Zionism
and its endless conspiratorial machinations. Zionism is to them a
word of scorn and disgust. Yet, they are scandalized when we condemn
terrorism, and without delay offer apologetics about how the killers
are not really killers, but pious warriors for just causes. We are
Zionists, and we are proud of the label. We defend Zionism, and so
let them call us pro-Zionism. And the UCSB Muslim Student Association
chooses to defend terrorism – the true bane of the twenty-first
century – so let them be called pro-terrorism. Their dirty word
is Zionism – the summation of everything they believe to be
wrong with the region – while ours is terrorism. But they are
not proud of their label, as we are ours. They are ashamed, because
modern civilization has offered a ruling on terrorism: it is unacceptable
and unjustifiable, regardless of any circumstances, no more worthy
of defense than piracy, slavery and genocide.
*************
The school wants
a record of this event, especially since it might happen again. Anyone
who was present is encouraged to write a brief summary of the incident
for the school’s records. Send them to me, and I will forward
them on to the proper authorities. Finally, thank you to the members
of the audience and of American Students for Israel, who despite the
provocations maintained their calm and their dignity.
Sincerely,
Joey Tartakovsky
