Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Open letter To Chancellor Michael Drake

U.C. Irvine
chancellor@uci.edu
949-824-5111

Dear Chancellor Drake,

As a Professor Emeritus at Cal Poly Pomona, I spent my career teaching young minds about freedom of speech and I created educational environments in my classroom that modeled this behavior. Why? It is our sacred responsibility to foster and promote such behavior. Regretfully, U.C. Irvine has become notorious for the uncivilized behavior of its Islamic students who are virulent, even fanatic, anti-Israel-Anti-Semitics and anti-America. I have attended functions on your campus and have also been verbally attacked and abused by your students. Your Islamic student community has identified and positioned your university as a leading torch of bigotry, lack of free speech and inimical American culture.

As you are well aware the list of the following eight Muslim students who, Sunday night, were arrested for attempting to shut down free speech at U.C. Irvine, when Israel’s Ambassador Michael Oren speech was endlessly interrupted. The power of the internet has on Youtube the reprehensible actions duly noted. UC-I, among its national colleagues, has become equated with educational castrated bastions of intolerant speech. As a former adjunct faculty member on your campus this evolving designation is beneath the dignity the University should command from its faculty and students and it is shameful.

The following students were at the auditorium to participate in the Muslim Student Association’s organized and intentional strategy to prevent Israel’s Ambassador, Michael Oren, from speaking. Mr. Oren is not the only one on whom U.C. Irvine Muslim Student Association’s used this despicable strategy.
Those students were arrested:
Joseph Tamim Haider
Osama Ahmed Sabry Shabaik
Mohamed Mohy Eldeen Abdelgany
Ali Mohammed Sayeed
Asaad Traina
Mohammad Qureashi
Aslam Akhtar
Hakim Nasreddine Kebir

As for three students from U.C. Riverside, please send a clear message to their University: We are restoring civility at UCI and Taher Herzallam, Shaheen Waleed Nassar and Khalid Bahgat Akari are not welcome on our campus.

I not only urge you to take the appropriate action right away; I also request that you apply full prosecution for those arrested student, to include expulsion from UCI, and deportation of those who are here student visas. They are not welcome here to try distorting our culture and way of life. This is long overdue and until such time as you take such a stand, the misrepresentation and abuse of “Free speech” will not only continue to be a mockery, the behavior will escalate. It is time for you and UC-I to act courageously.

I want civility restored at UCI and nothing less will suffice!

Respectfully,
GS Don Morris, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Cal Poly-Pomona

4 comments:

S. Mahoney said...

Excellent letter, Dr. Morris. Hopefully it will be a wake-up call for Chancellor Drake. I wouldn't hold my breath though, as the Chancellor seems like a pretty gutless guy.
That things are so insanely out of control at UCI is disgusting. Hearing of this incident made me look further into the recent history of the UCI MSU and their campaign of intimidation and open hate against jews and America. I was shocked. The Muslim community should be shocked as well or is this campaign considered favorable?
Hopefully this latest incident will bring some desperately needed attention to an overall pathetic situation.

Sean Mahoney
Huntington Beach

Anonymous said...

One of those students were apparently from england!What a disgrace!Why does an American University allow these beggars in in the first place? Who has no respect for any decency at all.They do the same in England and it's gone beyond control now!Is it becoming another quasi Muslim state like england?

Anonymous said...

Dr. Morris, I would like to take the time thank you for taking the time to write such a poignant letter to Chancellor Drake at UC-I. It is a disgrace that these hateful radicalists are allowed to have a voice in OUR country. This wonderful country that was built on the blood, sweat and tears of Americans who in spite of their differences united together to make this great nation what it is today. I applaud you for making a stand for what is right, hororable and decent instead of turning away as if it never happened. May God richly bless you for standing up for your convictions.

Rhonda Perez
USA

GS Don Morris, Ph.D./Chana Givon said...

Thanks to all of you who are willing to stand up for Israel and proper free speech.doc