Dearborn Underground

We've written previously about the Muslim Student Association (MSA), and its influence on local campuses, especially the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The following article from FrontPage Magazine provides a further glimpse at the MSA's activities, this time at the University of California-Irvine.

Campus Support for the Terrorist Jihad

By Reut R. Cohen and Jonathan Constantine Movroydis

FrontPageMagazine.com Monday, May 05, 2008

The Muslim Student Association (MSA) maintains more than 150 chapters at colleges across the country, fronting as a cultural and religious organization. Realistically, however, the MSA is a radical political group that was initially founded by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the godfather of al-Qaeda and Hamas. The purpose of the MSA is to promote jihad in institutions of higher learning.

At the University of California- Irvine (UCI), the Muslim Student Union (MSU) is also a part of the Muslim Student Association and has openly supported terrorist groups. Presently the MSU aims to "build an environment that enhances good, discourages bad, and provides networks of resources, knowledge, people, and companionship to its members." The MSU offers "daily congregational prayers, daily free iftars … over eight weekly classes, a quarterly magazine Alkalima, coalition building with other clubs on campus, and a gateway to the larger Muslim community …" MSU also provides career advice and a study program to help Muslims at UCI.

Yet underneath this innocuous description it also becomes apparent that this organization preserves a seething hatred of Jews, Israel, and America. MSU activities constantly reveal support for violence, anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism. MSU members have made their positions clear: they support Hamas, they support "freedom fighting" and they have publicly declared that Zionists have no future and Israel will soon be wiped off the map. Members of this organization commonly wear green armbands to signal their allegiance to the terrorist group Hamas.

Earlier this month, a student coalition led a boycott against two Orange County, CA, movie theaters for their decision to hold a private screening and fund-raiser co-sponsored by CAIR (Council of American-Islamic Relations) and the UC Irvine Muslim Student Union. The featured film was the USA Versus Sami Al-Arian: (1) a hagiographic screening on the self-starved convicted terrorist. An indictment against the United States government on the egregious charge of false imprisonment, the film compares the Palestinian Islamic Jihad collaborator to a Socratic like figure jailed for his patriotic dissent and practice of his fundamental civil rights.

The evidence against Al-Arian was damning, alleging that Al-Arian, a former professor at the University of South Florida, was the head of the American wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The indictment against Al-Arian suggests that Al-Arian abused his position as a university professor to bring other members of his terrorist group into the United States "under the guise of academic conferences and meetings." (2)

Al-Arian purportedly also helped Palestinian Islamic Jihad members "receive cover as teachers or students" at USF and worked to further alliances with other groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

The event was first expected to be held at an Irvine theater owned by Starplex Cinemas, but as the story became viral on Friday, April 11, scores of readers called and emailed (3) (4) Starplex’s corporate office with their concerns, prompting special events coordinator Kristen Wheaton to cancel the screening and fundraiser on Monday, April 14.” (5)

In a phone call with Wheaton about her decision to cancel the event, her response was particularly noteworthy and further evidence of the deceptiveness with which extremist Muslim organizations operate. According to Wheaton, two female members of the Muslim community, Marya Bangee and Natania Abdelfattah, reserved the venue and misled the theater about the nature of the screening, describing it as a “college student film.” (6)

Moreover, despite CAIR officials charging Wheaton with allegations of breach of contract, the theater was never notified of the fact that CAIR co-sponsored the screening, or that the proceeds from ticket sales would be spent on Mr. Al-Arian’s legal defense. More specifically, in order to conceal their involvement from the theater, CAIR-LA’s Executive Director Hussam Ayloush directed Bangee and Abdelfattah to bill his personal credit card.

When CAIR decided to change the venue for the screening and fund-raiser to Edwards Woodbridge 5 in Irvine, they did so fearing that the community would inform the parent company Regal Cinemas about their motives. (7) (8) After calling a series of theaters in Irvine, we were able to procure and publicize the new location on Wednesday, April 16. (9)

Though Regal Cinemas received similar scores of protesting phone calls and emails, (10) the Tennessee-based Corporation ignored community concerns and decided to proceed with the screening and fundraiser. In a phone call with the theater manager about the ultimate decision to hold the event, she replied that people can use the theater for any desired purpose. Officials from the corporate office couldn’t be reached for comment.

Despite Regal’s disappointing decision, the fundraiser was sparsely attended and a dismal failure. Secretly moving the venue to a new and more expensive location on very short notice resulted in only a couple dozen regulars mainly from the Muslim community. (11)

Though CAIR is charging anti-Muslim bigotry and censorship against those who participated in the effort to boycott the screening for this fictitious hero, (12) only a government body possesses the unwarrantable power to levy the heavy handedness of law. This effort was an entirely civil and democratic effort grounded in the classical power of persuasion and the modern self-empowering influence of new media.

Accordingly, the decentralization of media has raised an unprecedented level of awareness and a civic virtue, essentially an army of readers promoting goodwill, with a discerning eye on behavior potentially destructive to the community.

In utilizing the new media’s unique ability to mobilize political action, this month’s grass-roots initiative allowed readers to voice their concerns and express to US businesses the right to vote with their money. Some have expressed their decision never to attend an Edward’s chain again. (13) Consequently, Edwards should realize that in supporting the legal defenses of convicted terrorists like Al-Arian, they better expect intense scrutiny.

ENDNOTES:

[1] Muslim Student Union Fundraising For Suspected Terrorist
[2] Guilty as Charged[3] Fundraising for Sami Al-Arian at UC Irvine[4] Michelle Malkin » UC Irvine Muslim group holds Al-Arian fund-raiser [5] Comment by Kristen Wheaton [6] CAIR's Duplicity In Focus - Al Arian Propaganda Film Screening Charade [7] USA vs. Al-Arian Screening: Updated Information[8] RE: USA vs. Al-Arian Screening: Updated Information
[9] New Venue for Al-Arian Fund-raiser
[10] CAIR and MSU Relocate Al-Arian Fundraiser[11] What if you had a Terror Fund-Raiser and Nobody Showed up?[12] CAIR: Calif. Theater Cancels Al-Arian Doc After Pressure From 'Anti-Muslim Bigots'
[13] Comment By Dennis P. Skea