Irvine 11: Muslim Students Vow Appeal In Free Speech Conviction (UPDATE)

By David Finnigan
Religion News Service

LOS ANGELES (RNS) A group of Muslim students who were convicted Friday (Sept. 23) of disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador plan to appeal as Muslim community leaders call the high-profile free speech case a civil rights moment.

The "Irvine 11" were charged with systematically heckling Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren during a speech to about 500 people last year at the University of California, Irvine.

"We'll be filing the notice of appeal within 30 days of the verdict," attorney Reem Salahi said Monday. "Obviously there's issues
that came up in the trial that we'd like to appeal. We are concerned about the constitutionality of the statute... against disrupting a public meeting."

A jury found 10 of the 11 guilty of two misdemeanor charges of conspiring to disrupt, and disrupting, Oren's speech. All 10 students received three years of probation; after a required 56 hours of community service, the probation will be reduced to one year.

Charges against the 11th defendant were dismissed after he agreed to do community service.

UC Irvine had disciplined some of the activists before the trial, and the Muslim Student Union was suspended for one academic quarter. Salam Al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said the university's actions were "sufficient," and said Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas never should have filed criminal misdemeanor changes.

"What a waste of tax dollars -- 300 potential jurors that had to be selected for a misdemeanor jury trial," Al-Marayati said.

Al-Marayati said the case represents, "an initiation of our community into the broader civil rights community. In terms of unfair
treatment within the criminal justice system, other minorities have had to deal with these issues, and I think our community now is being instituted into this club."

Comments

[FTracy3]

04:18 PM on 10/02/2011

Preventing someone else's free speech and the right of an audience to hear him by shouting him down is not "free speech". It is ironic that these brats are whining that their free speech rights were being violated when that's exactly what they were trying to do to the speaker.

[Tracy Kline]

02:49 PM on 10/04/2011

I think what they did is rude, but not criminal.

[JohnFromCensornati]

08:26 AM on 10/01/2011

HuffPost, please stop experimenting with this wide comment format.

[syntax facit saltum]

02:48 AM on 10/01/2011

This new widescreen format is a horribly unreadable format

[Satirist1]

01:43 PM on 09/30/2011

This group of students conspired to suppress the right of free speech of others students and their invited speaker.
They were justly ( and lightly) punished for it by both the University and the court.
The fact that their invoking free speech grounds as defense is hypocritical, if not obscene.

[BlueIndependent]

01:30 PM on 09/30/2011

If these students did as this story reports, collectively disrupting the speech given while being part of the audience, then they are in the wrong. They should have taken their position outside, made a visible but peaceful protest, and left it at that. If they were inside shouting down and being unruly, then they deserve the measures taken against them. If however, they were inside and politely asking questions, then there is no issue, and the disciplinary actions may be out of line.

I don't know if there is video of this incident, but if there is I'd like to see it.

[BlueIndependent]

01:39 PM on 09/30/2011

Found it. Ya, that's not a way to go about being heard reasonably. Randomly interrupting and chiding the speakers, when you can't even be heard and understood, is a really unnecessary, and childish tactic. It's not like Muslims were expressly disallowed to attend the event. Set up a table outside the auditorium, have people staff it, and get your message out that way. This is a university campus, and you have the ability to speak out; make sure you do it responsibly.

This is not a civil rights issue at all, but apparently people picking a bone in immature ways. Either they completely don't understand how to protest, or they are not interested in protesting peacefully.

[Tracy Kline]

02:50 PM on 10/04/2011

I contend that it is rude of them and somewhat uncivilized to heckle like that. But it doesn't seem criminal.

[BlueIndependent]

11:59 PM on 10/05/2011

I wouldn't say it's criminal, either. They obviously did not put up a fight when prompted to leave.

[2083]

10:23 AM on 09/30/2011

Glad to see the Muslim community fighting in support of free speech.
http://www.kmov.com/news/local/St-Louis-man-says-hes-the-victim-of-a-hate-crime-130680978.html

[DeanWormer]

12:39 AM on 09/30/2011

The Muslims in Iran are about execute a Christian pastor for not converting to Islam. Take your probation and begone.

[Ninjasareclassic]

02:38 PM on 09/29/2011

What about the students who heckled Ahemdinijad? Or the guy who just heckled Obama? Senator U Lie? Oh right, they werent Moooslims...Americans!

[Jerry Bourbon]

02:59 PM on 09/29/2011

With regard to the Congressman who heckled Obama, you should really read up on your Constitution, particularly Article I, Section 6, Clause 1.

[BlueIndependent]

01:27 PM on 09/30/2011

Don't worry. He/she won't. Better to remain stupid than educated.

[Arion]

11:34 AM on 09/29/2011

While in Middle east politics I'm pro Palestine, I can't accept this kind of disruption of speech, on campus or anywhere else. Beyond First Amendment issues the right to speak freely is sacred in civilized communities. This is what the Athenians taught us 2500 years ago.

[Joan E Freyer]

10:47 AM on 09/29/2011

the members of the MSU wear green armbands in support of Hamas and at graduation encourged members to wear green sashes saying 'Shahada' = Martyrdom ie the slogan of terror and suicide bombers. I don't think the Irvine 11 are moderate in any sense of the word.

JEF

[barbara0309]

01:20 PM on 09/29/2011

LOL, "shahada" is the declaration of faith one says to become Muslim.

SHAHID is a martyr.

[syntax facit saltum]

03:03 AM on 10/01/2011

"martyr" is from the Greek and it means literally: "witness." It clearly has a similar meaning in Arabic as the triliteral root: SHHD is shared by both words -- the one you give meaning to declare one's faith (ie., to witness) and the word that means martyr (also a witness for the faith). These words in Arabic are very closely related semantically and morphologically (according to the form of the word used).

[Shayne Gerber]

08:59 AM on 09/29/2011

These Muslim students and many of the below commentators don't seem to get it. The hypocrisy is baffling to me. Stifling the free speech of others is not how you practice free speech. These students could hold a counter event, or protest outside, but they cannot yell over a speaker in an attempt to silence his words. I'm glad this case was tried by the DA. FREEDOM OF SPEECH DOES NOT INCLUDE THE RIGHT TO SHUT EVERYONE ELSE UP.

[taoistpunk]

10:48 AM on 09/28/2011

power to the pee pol.

[patience1]

10:20 AM on 09/28/2011

That is heckling about to get attention! rude? yes it's rude to disturb someone speech. But these young people should never be brought to court. They left the room after they made their statement. People always be passionate about any injustice in this world, and througout history there always be heckler whether in politic, sport , music and other event. Even many presidents and politician have to deal with it.
On November 23, 2009, Harvard students also staged a walk-out of a speech by Oren at the Harvard Kennedy School. Last year, AIDS activists from Harvard and other colleges heckled and interrupted President Obama while he spoke in Boston. So why do these student have to face criminal charge while others can go walk free of charge? I hope they won! This will not silent anyone to speak against something.

[Ahmed Ahmad]

02:21 AM on 10/03/2011

WRONG. They DID NOT leave the room after they made their statement. They made their statement, and left other members to continue to disrupt the speaker. Again, and again, and again, and again. Watch the video. These students did not practice free speech. On the contrary, they stifled free speech and need to learn. They will learn the hard way, it seems.

[Tracy Kline]

02:52 PM on 10/04/2011

They should have been escorted out. Heckling in the manner they did is rude and uncivilized. Yet, it doesn't seem criminal to me.

[eddy joe]

06:39 AM on 09/28/2011

were convicted Friday (Sept. 23) of disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador........ The muslims had a right to free speech. All they had to do was wait until the Ambassador finished his speech. That's very basic. People are just too rude.

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

05:14 AM on 09/28/2011

Why do people who want to claim the benefits of free speech for themselves try to deny it to others? Why not wait till the speaker was done and then tell their side of the story? I'd bet that if a Muslim speaker was heckled by Christians they'd be all over themselves accusing the hecklers of hate speech.

[xhawk2]

11:27 AM on 09/28/2011

Not only that, the Christians would be accused of hate crimes and their organizations would be defunded.