The Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine should be suspended for one year for its
involvement in repeated disruptions of a February speech by Israeli
Ambassador Michael Oren, according to a disciplinary report released by
the university.
The Muslim Student Union has appealed the recommendation.
The speech about U.S.-Israeli relations was interrupted 10 times
by students who got up and yelled out things like, "Michael Oren,
propagating murder is not an _expression_ of free speech."
Eleven UC Irvine and UC Riverside students were arrested and cited
for disturbing a public event, but none have been charged. The student
group maintained that the disruptions were done by individuals and not
organized by their group, but the report cited internal Muslim Student
Union e-mails and meeting agendas that indicated they planned a
disturbance.
The group's attorney Reem Salahi emphasized that a suspension has
not yet been implemented but was still disheartened by the report’s
recommendations. “It’s collective punishment,†she said. “You
have an entire Muslim student body that’s being punished for the
actions of a few."
-- Raja Abdulrahim
