Defending the Right of Free Speech
AJMA NEWS RELEASE

East Hanover, February 17^th, 2004: The American Jewish Muslim Alliance and Children of Abraham (COAlition) in the strongest terms condemns the hooliganism displayed by some of the participants who were allowed to disrupt the speech of Mr. Daniel Pipes on the University of California Berkley campus. Mr. Pipes faced the disruptions in his speech due to his perception as being a biased new-conservative, sensationalist and being anti-Semitic (Anti-Muslim). As American Muslims and Jews, we detest this type of curtailment of free speech, no matter how bad or abhorrent the speech or the content of the speech is. We live in a democracy where free speech is one of the fundamental rights of every U.S. citizen. There is a time, a place and a process for disagreement.

It is amazing that University students, at Berkley the bastion of free speech would not allow a speaker to be disrupted just because he is perceived as an Islamphobe. Disrupting the speaker will not change the facts or the content of his message nor silence his perceived polemic attitude towards Islam or Muslims. The proper way was to request equal time from the University and refute his points logically through free speech or through a web or e-mail correspondence. Our sources inform us that the disruption was caused by Left leaning students and Muslims were a minority in that group. However Muslims have a code of conduct to abide by, and neither the Quran nor the Hadith allows us to behave like street thugs. AJMA totally detests the "Open Hunting season" on Muslims, but we defend the right of Mr. Pipes to speak on whatever subject he wants to and wherever he wants to. This is the essence of our democracy and the essence of what makes America great.

AJMA does not believe in double standards. Since we do not define militant Jews as "Jewdists", or militant Christians as "Christists", AJMA does not agree with Mr. Pipes on his characterization of Muslims in general or his vocabulary "militant Islam" (should be "militant Muslims") and "Islamists" (should not be a conjugation of the word Islam) etc., which we believe disparage a great Abrahamic religion. However our disagreement is a totally different matter. The American Jewish Alliance AJMA is engaged in dialogue with Mr. Daniel Pipes to convince him about good Muslims and Bad Muslims and his vocabulary. This hooliganism does not help either the cause of Islam or Liberal thought nor does it help the dialogue. We agree to disagree and shall continue to try to convince him and other "Orientalists' about world affairs and the need for Muslims and Jewish dialogue.

Some of our partners have already taken this up with ISNA and we will take this up with the MSA. We urge the strongest condemnation of this type of behavior from CAIR, ISNA, ICNA and the MSA etc.

AJMA as part of Children of Abraham (COAlition) works with various interfaith groups in New Jersey, Center for Understanding Islam, Reason and Revelation, People for Peace and Justice, Tikkun, and New Jersey Outreach Group trying to create understanding between the children of Abraham. For more information about AJMA write to moin@ajma.org 973-463-1260

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