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U of T conference stirs up Muslims
By BRODIE FENLON, TORONTO SUNChecking on toronto's muslims. Our beloved "students" A week-long conference on radical Islam organized by Jewish student groups at the University of Toronto has stirred up controversy and resentment among Muslims at a time of heightened sensitivities due to world events. The "Know Radical Islam Week," which includes presentations on terrorism and civil rights violations in Islamic regimes, began yesterday at Sidney Smith Hall just as violent protests swept the globe over published caricatures of Prophet Mohammed. The coincidence was not lost on U of T student Jonathan Jaffit, director of campus affairs for Betar-Tagar, the Zionist student activist group that helped organize the conference. "The issue of the cartoons in the European media just goes to showcase even further how radical Islam is suppressing freedom of speech through violence," he said. "This is about a political ideology that's hijacked a religion," he said of the conference topic. "It will definitely stir up controversy, but we cannot shy away from these events." Student Mubdi Rahman, academic affairs co-ordinator with the university's Muslim Student Association, said the conference "seeks to divide, as opposed to bridge any sort of dialogue on these issues." There is no dialogue possible with you, Rahman. Never a passing thought that dialogue has 2 sides. Rahman said he has heard from many Muslim students who feel threatened they'll be viewed as "radicals" due to their beliefs, some of which will be criticized at the conference. yaas, if you hold radicals beliefs, you are a radical. You might like to think youre a moderate muslim, but youre not. Hold radical beliefs .. They just dont get this logic thinking thing, do they. Or the whole cause and effect thing just thoroughly escapes them, unto the 3rd and 4th generation as these students are. The MSA issued an e-mail to its 2,000 members urging them to "exercise restraint and dignity" over the next few weeks. Relax boys, its only a few weeks. Mayhem as usual at Spring Break though. Note that the Muslim student body has to be told to behave themselves. Unable to do so without the instructions. And, hey, its only temporary. There is no reciprocal call for the Jewish students to behave, yall will note. Thats a given Posted by: Hupomoger Clans9827 2006-02-07 |
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