Jewish group backs UCI Muslim students

Jewish group backs UCI Muslim students facing charges

By VIK JOLLYTHE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

SANTA ANA -- A Jewish group plans Wednesday to deliver to prosecutors petitions signed by more than 5,000 supporters of 11 Muslim students facing charges for disrupting the speech of an Israeli diplomat at UCI last year.

In a statement, an Oakland group called the Jewish Voice for Peace urged the Orange County District Attorney's Office "to immediately stop efforts to criminalize the actions of these Muslim students who, in the long-standing tradition of non-violent activism for social justice, protested the speech of the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren."

Eleven students were charged Friday with conspiring to disrupt a speech last year by the ambassador, capping a grand jury investigation. Eleven students were arrested, cited and released in the Feb. 8, 2010, incident.

Each is charged with one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to disturb a meeting and one misdemeanor count of the disturbance of a meeting. If convicted, each faces a sentence that could include probation with community service or fines or up to six months in jail. The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned March 11.

The District Attorney's Office says UCI police submitted the case and it has to enforce the law.

"If we didn't prosecute we'd be accused of political grandstanding," said Susan Kang Schroeder, the district attorney's chief of staff. "It's one of those cases there's strong opinions on both sides."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41479637/ns/local_news-orange_county_ca/

It is good that these Jews are willing and able to put aside their personal feelings to stand up for the free speech of others. It isn't very often that religious groups are willing to do so.

The_Amber_Spyglass wrote:It is good that these Jews are willing and able to put aside their personal feelings to stand up for the free speech of others. It isn't very often that religious groups are willing to do so.

in a world where Jews and Muslims are only seen as bitter foes it is which is why I thought worth us debating

The_Amber_Spyglass wrote:It is good that these Jews are willing and able to put aside their personal feelings to stand up for the free speech of others. It isn't very often that religious groups are willing to do so.

Actually, we're kind of jumping the gun here. The JVP is a far left activist organization which is very pro-Palestine at Israel's expense. They no more represent the Jewish people than Fred Phelps does Christians.