As part of an event on Friday, a student group plans to display
a series of controversial Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet
Muhammad which have instigated violent protests abroad and
political debates across the globe.
The event, which organizers say is intended to provoke a debate
on free speech, is being held by L.O.G.I.C., which stands for
Liberty, Objectivity, Greed, Individualism and Capitalism, a
student group that seeks to promote the philosophy of Objectivism
developed by Ayn Rand.
Addressing the same issue in a different forum, the Muslim
Student Association will hold an alternative event the same day,
since the group did not want to take part in an event that exposes
what they believe are inappropriate depictions of the prophet.
The 12 cartoons were printed in a Danish newspaper last
September. One of them shows an image of the Prophet Muhammad with
a bomb as his turban, contradicting an Islamic principle stating
that the religious leader should not be depicted in any
fashion.
The UCLA group’s event is scheduled to take place a little
more than a week after a UC Irvine student group drew national
media attention for unveiling the cartoons at one of its events,
drawing heated protests from other students and community
members.
Mohamad Ahmad, an MSA member and fourth-year economics and
international development studies student, said the group did not
want to participate in an event that displayed the offensive
cartoons.
L.O.G.I.C.’s event will feature a panel which includes
Yaron Brook, the president and executive director of the Ayn Rand
Institute, and KABC’s Red Eye Radio host Kevin James.
The purpose of the panel is to provide a professional opinion
regarding freedom of speech and media self-censorship, said Arthur
Lechtholz-Zey, the organization’s chief executive
officer.
Members of L.O.G.I.C. asked for MSA’s help in finding
professors to argue the other position, though, due to
L.O.G.I.C.’s plans to display the cartoons, MSA declined to
participate.
The alternative program run by MSA, titled “Freedom of
Speech: Can a Right Go Wrong?” will address freedom of speech
within the context of the cartoons and explain why Muslims have
reacted so strongly.
“The fact that (the cartoons) instigate so much reaction
and protests shows that freedom of speech is not going to be
censored nor are we going to self-censor ourselves,”
Lechtholz-Zey said.
Lechtholz-Zey said he believed by discussing these issues out in
the open, it will allow people to get the information they need to
make up their own mind about the issue.
But Ahmad said the event does not need to show the cartoons in
order to stimulate an intellectual discourse.
Ahmad said the concern is not over attacks on the prophet, but
rather the humiliation and misrepresentation of Muslims.
“It’s a cheap way to get across an agenda, but
I’m not worried about attacks on the prophet because his
character speaks and stands for himself,” Ahmad said.
Because L.O.G.I.C.’s event revolves around the discussion
of these cartoons, Lechtholz-Zey said if the group didn’t
show the cartoons, they would not be sending the appropriate
message regarding freedom of speech.
“We are showing our support for free speech and that we
won’t be intimidated. They’re becoming more than
cartoons, but a beacon for freedom of expression,” said
Kenneth Hurst, L.O.G.I.C. chairman.
Ahmad said other universities, such as UC Irvine and UC San
Diego, where certain student groups have been receiving attention
by exposing and debating the cartoons, have ulterior motives for
hosting these events.
“The whole facade of free speech is a bluff,” Ahmad
said, adding he believed the event was a ploy for attention.
Even if MSA does not chose to sponsor certain faculty members to
represent the opposing position on the panel, Lechtholz-Zey said
the event will still take place.
“The message that we’re sending does not have to do
with whether MSA participates. We don’t require other
people’s support to know what we’re doing is
right,” Lechtholz-Zey said.