A small television screen on Bruin Walk showing clips of media
programs featuring Palestinian children being trained for warfare
has faced opposition from several students. The presentation
occurred during Islamic Awareness Week.
The student group, Bruins For Israel, organized the presentation
promoting a screening of a similar documentary slated to be shown
Monday. Their method of presentation and the timing of it prompted
opposition from students from different communities.
Ross Neihaus, president of BFI, said the group has been planning
this event for a long time and the fact that it occurred on Islamic
Awareness Week is purely coincidental.
Neihaus, who is also a member of the United Arab Society, said
it is important to understand that his group is not speaking about
Islam, but is trying to raise awareness about some of the
Palestinian Authority’s policies of training young children
to engage in violent acts.
Several Muslim students expressed concern about what they called
a one-sided portrayal of the issue.
“I’m afraid that they might forget to show the other
side,” said Khadeeja Abdollah, a second-year undeclared
student and member of the Muslim Student Association.
She added that the atmosphere in which these children are
growing up ““ a disputed area of conflict ““ is important
to keep in mind when watching the video.
Any interest the presentation has spurred among students was
interpreted as a positive step toward starting dialogue between the
two groups, Neihaus said.
“Other than a few cases, the reaction has been a largely
positive one and students have shown a lot of interest and
curiosity,” Neihaus said.
He believes that even opposition to the display can be seen as a
positive thing since it made people stop and it promoted
dialogue.
But other students believed the video did not promote peaceful
discourse.
“There is constantly talk about the lack of peaceful
dialogue and relations between the two groups … a video like this
that only enforces stereotypes, is definitely not helpful in
reaching that goal,” said Lena Khan, a second-year political
science and history student who is also an MSA member.
Those active in the campus’s prominent Muslim group were
not the only ones concerned with BFI’s presentation.
Gideon Baum, president of the Jewish Student Union, said the
presentation reflects poorly on the Jewish community as a
whole.
BFI is only one part of the Jewish community and the majority of
the community does not support the way BFI is going about
advertising for their event, even though it might be politically
effective, he said.
Baum said he also believes BFI should have rescheduled its event
since it was a well-known fact that this week is Islamic Awareness
Week.
But Neihaus maintains that his group is promoting peace through
the program.
The display was aimed at promoting a Monday campus appearance of
Itamar Marcus, who is the director of a group called Palestinian
Media Watch. Itamar’s group compiles footage of the media in
the West Bank and Gaza Strip and its affect on the children living
in those regions.