UCLA’s student government has taken a stand in the controversy surrounding Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week, approving a resolution on Tuesday supporting the Muslim Student Association in condemning the week.
The meeting room was packed with representatives from MSA, who said the weeklong series of events planned by Bruin Republicans is offensive and compromises the security of a number of students.
David Lazar, chairman of Bruin Republicans, arrived during the meeting. He said he had not been notified by anyone on the Undergraduate Students Association Council about the resolution and that he was extremely upset.
With both sides of the issue represented, debate ensued.
One of the central concerns for those in support of MSA was the safety and well-being of those students who felt attacked by what they regard as the hateful message of the week’s events.
Lazar said he does not believe there is a reason for students to feel threatened by the week’s events because he said Bruin Republicans worked hard to make it clear that they are only condemning a small portion of the Muslim population.
“We have made it very clear from the beginning of this week over and over again that we are not speaking about the vast majority of Muslims,” he said. “If anyone gets these ideas, it’s not from us.”
But, some felt this point was unclear.
“One of the reasons why this resolution was brought to the table was because hundreds of students had concerns that the week did not make a clear distinction between radical Islam and the rest of the Muslim population, as well as the Middle East or South Asia,” General Representative Sanobar Sajan said.
Bruin Republicans representatives also argued that USAC, as a governing body that gives funding to student groups, should not be stepping in and taking sides in this issue.
President Gabe Rose said while he appreciates the Bruin Republicans’ desire to bring a political discussion, he was not comfortable with their accusations that MSA is linked with terrorism.
“The distinction I’m trying to draw is between legitimate political discourse and hate speech,” he said. “For me where it crosses the line is targeting a specific student group.”
Indeed, the issue of what constitutes free speech versus hate speech was at the core of the debate.
Though the resolution passed, not all USAC members supported it. From the 10 voting members, there was one abstention and one vote of nay.
“I’d rather be sponsoring something that creates dialogue instead of just passing a non-binding resolution,” Sherlyn Mossahebfar, Facilities commissioner, said of her reason for abstaining.
She added that she believes a resolution would not have nearly the same impact as an open discussion of the issues at hand.
“Though I understand that this may have been perceived by some communities as offensive … I felt a better means to alleviate and comfort people would have been to engage in dialogue,” she said.
Though Lazar said he believes that Bruin Republicans has evidence that MSA has supported terrorist organizations, members of MSA said they are concerned that the people who will be speaking reflect poorly on Islam and misrepresent their religion.
They said they are particularly concerned about the allegations against MSA that will be made at today’s event by journalist Joe Kaufman.