Young America’s Foundation, which is facilitating this event, has this:
Close-minded school administrators have banned the public from attending the event. It seems they are afraid to welcome others onto campus who want to hear from a conservative speaker such as Robert Spencer. If you wish to voice your displeasure with this decision, please contact the student activities and leadership office at 650-725-3104.
Please do call, and politely and courteously remind them that a university ought to be a place where ideas, however unpopular or unwelcome, are considered on their merits. A university should not be a place where only one point of view is allowed, and students are relentlessly indoctrinated into it. But that is what most universities have become these days: indoctrination and recruitment centers for the hard-Left.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Muslim Student Union met yesterday evening to plot its response to the “Islamophobe” coming to campus.
As you may already know, Robert Spencer has been invited by the College Republicans to speak on campus on November 14th. Spencer has been widely criticized as an Islamophobe and isn’t a scholarly source on Islam to begin with, so we have been considering what the best way to respond is. MSU will be holding an informal town hall discussion to go over potential action items moving forward, whether that looks like a counter-event to educate, showing up to the Spencer event, etc. Before we move forward, we should also consider what goals we want this response to accomplish. I recognize that these goals might not be the same for everyone, which is why we want to hear people’s opinions. Come out to the meeting at the Markaz at 6pm on Thursday, November 2nd (this is fairly time sensitive so we’re hoping to have a plan asap). Everyone is welcome and if you’re unable to make it, feel free to email me with any ideas you’d like to share!
Thanks!
Jana Kholy
MSU Social Justice Director
Here’s the best response, Ms. Kholy: have your group show up and listen quietly. Consider the case being made. Ask questions. Approach the points made on a rational basis; accept them if they’re true, reject them if they’re false — not if they’re inconvenient or unwelcome.
Of course, I doubt the MSU will choose that path. It is much more likely that they will adopt aggrieved victim status, and either stage a protest or a counter-event full of deception, or try to disrupt my event.
What are Stanford administrators and the MSU so afraid of? Why are they treating the imminent arrival on campus of someone who opposes jihad terror and Sharia oppression as if Jack the Ripper were on his way to the Quad? Why is it absolutely certain that if a Guantanamo inmate showed up at Stanford screaming “Allahu akbar! Death to America!” he would be welcomed and celebrated as a hero by the same groups that are in an uproar because I am coming? How did it come to be that the world, on campus as well as among the political and media elites, has been so turned upside down that opposing jihad terror is considered more heinous than espousing it? Find out in my new book Confessions of an Islamophobe, which you can preorder now here.
Dawn Davenport says
Those who hate the truth, hate even more those who dare tell it.
Savvy Kafir says
That really seems to be true, Dawn.
I consider myself a Lefty, for the most part; but these postmodern, PC liberals seem to get more & more hateful (and totalitarian) all the time.
gravenimage says
Agreed, Savvy Kafir.
david says
i really want to attend this event. Is their anyway I can get in since I hear its not open to the public?
Scott says
Sounds like the YAF has a pretty good 1st Amendment law suit here.
Don’t ya’ think?
mortimer says
Universities that receive public funding and tax breaks from different levels of government should have funding pulled if they do not support the freedom of expression.
The main purpose of the university is to discuss and debate UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES that are valid and true everywhere in the universe.
Ideas must be tested and analyzed. When universities PONTIFICATE EX CATHEDRA instead of tentatively analyzing and discussing, they have lost their vocation and should be declared to be no more that megaphones of PARTY LINE IDEOLOGY and IDEOLOGICAL TRIBALISM.
Dum Spiro says
Some ideas for Robert:
1) You should charge a nominal fee for admission and return it later to anyone who has not been disruptive (maybe in the form of a discount applied to shipping and handling of your new book which could be sent to them when they order it).
2) Have your key talking points on a PowerPoint slide show, and if the room becomes audibly loud, begin projecting those slides and commenting as necessary until order is restored.
3) Arrange an alternate venue charging admission (rebated to non-disrupters) and denying entry to anyone whose face cannot be seen and/or who had been previously disruptive (whose pictures you’d have from the public campus event).
4) The event should be simulcast or at least recorded and made available for later viewing by anyone who wants to see it.
5) Have security escort out of the venue anyone purposefully disruptive who has been kindly asked to be respectful or leave.
6) In anticipation of the event, have literature distributed showing that Robert is not a monster man.
7) If there is a later Dawahganda cleanup session, encourage truth tellers to attend and politely challenge all false statements.
Does anyone else want to add to these? You must have additional good ideas…
— Spero
Dum Spiro says
Remember this (student definition from an earlier YAF-sponsored Robert Spencer talk that made him chuckle when he heard it):
An islamophobe is someone who knows TOO MUCH ABOUT Islam!
You like that, don’t you? I knew you would…
— Spero
Voytek Gagalka says
“Islamophobe” is any non-Muslim who dares to express any opinion critical to Islam. They have nothing against knowing about it as long you don’t cross the line of PC and openly express that knowledge.
Custos Custodum says
8) Be sure to have at least three separate, highly directional microphones recording Mr. Spencer’s speech and comments at all times.
Test all sound/recording systems thoroughly on site to ensure you have excellent sound quality even if there is noise in the hall.
eduardo odraude says
Muhammad affirms that those who do not follow him will be slaughtered
On page 222 (326 in the Arabic) of the earliest Muslim biography of Muhammad:
http://www.quotingislam.blogspot.com
Westman says
“MSU Social Justice Director?” – shouldn’t that be, Vigilante Director? Or, perhaps, Ignorance Facilitator?
This is Stanford’s opportunity to display that its students have more decorum and civility than Berkeley and deserves a reputation of excellence.
However, it is named after Leland Stanford who didn’t mind when his railroad foreman would entertain Stanford’s guests at the work sites by throwing out a handful of pennies to watch the Chinese laborers dive for them.
Maybe what we’ll see is whether Stanford’s students have better character or worse than the University’s Founder.
Pet Charles says
I just called the number and I got a taped message claiming that I would be called back!!
JawsV says
Is there an e-mail address?
RAB says
What does it take to make a scholar out of a person? This bogus argument comes up again and again, that Robert Spencer is not a qualified scholar of Islam and therefore nothing he says can be taken seriously. I continue to follow Jihad Watch precisely because Robert Spencer follows scholarly methodology in connecting the dots between the Islamic texts and what Muslims actually say and do. I have four degrees, one in Sociology and three in Classics (Greek and Latin) and Linguistics. I also study the Koran, the Sirah, and the Hadith. With my background in analyzing ancient texts I don’t need a degree in Islamic studies to be a “scholar” of Islam, and neither does Robert Spencer.
JawsV says
Exactly. Any intelligent person can comprehend Islam. It’s not complicated! I have 2 degrees, BA and MA in English Literature. I’m highly intelligent and educated and easily understand Islam. All of this “scholar” nonsense is a bunch of cr**. I’ve learned about Islam since 9/11 from Spencer, Jihad Watch, numerous books and the Moslems’ Jihads. No one needs a degree in Islamic studies to understand Islam!
eduardo odraude says
Very interesting that some people in academia are attacking Robert Spencer rather than answering his arguments and facts on the merits. Odd that these members of the academy are so poorly educated that they evidently don’t even know the ad hominem fallacy. They seem to believe that if you can’t answer a person’s arguments on the merits, you can still prove your point by attacking the person himself. It’s the pretentious professorial version of what happens sometimes among children: if child y makes a statement embarrassing to child x, and child x can’t think of an answer, child x just hits child y or throws something at child y. What these ad hominem attacks on Spencer really mean is that the professors (the usually quite commonplace people mass-produced by grad schools today) have lost the argument.
Muhammad permits a threat of beheading to force a conversion to Islam
On page 547 (814 in the Arabic) of the earliest Muslim biography of Muhammad:
JawsV says
They are leftist academics. They love Islam.
gravenimage says
Agreed, RAB.
Henry jones says
I would attend, but I’m sure Muslims will show up and prevent Robert from speaking so I’ll just wait for the video. Seriously, when Muslims get together and talk over Robert they sound like moaning goats….which is not surprising as they hear that sound as they hump their goats hourly, so…
Dum Spiro says
BREAKING: Jack Nicholson addresses the MSU at Stanford University:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMzd40i8TfA
However, after they respectfully and without their current prejudice listen to the message Robert Spencer would like to convey, they should be better able to do so…
— Spero
Ren says
Jana Kholy, the MSU Social Justice Director is certainly afraid of the truth. Only the evil is afraid of the light.
Linde Barrera says
At about 3:45 pm today I called 650-725-3104. I heard a message from “Nancy Howe” of Student Activities Office, asking me to leave a message. So I stated the following: my legal name (Linde Barrera),
my phone number,
time and date called,
my disappointment that Stanford was not allowing the general public to hear Robert Spencer, one of the foremost scholars of Islam in the world who does not advocate any hurt, harm or death to any Muslim but believes that everyone should know about the doctrines of Islam,
and that Stanford did not seem to be in agreement with our 1st Amendment Rights of Free Speech.
I also said that I was a retired NYC public school teacher and the first doctrine of teaching was “Do no harm to any child, whether physical, mental or emotional” and yet there were always, sadly, a few high school teachers who had sex with their students and were justifiably terminated because they violated the first doctrine of teaching. I compared this to the doctrines of the Quran where it states to “kill infidels” and that is why we are having so many terror attacks because they are based on the doctrines of the Quran.
I hope my fellow Jihad Watch.org readers approve that I opened my big mouth and stood up for Robert Spencer, my hero and idol. ?
gravenimage says
Good stuff, Linde.
PATRICIA FRANCES KOENIG says
I called the number and politely requested that Stanford open the Robert Spencer lecture to the general public.
eduardo odraude says
I just did the same. Had to leave message on answering machine.
eduardo odraude says
When is this Stanford talk supposed to happen?
Custos Custodum says
Nov. 14
David Cameron says
Stanford has a Social Justice director? She obviously has never read Orwell.
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
“Jana Kholy
MSU Social Justice Director”
That title has a laughable yet tragic … Kafkaesque … Soviet …. and downright totalitarian ring to it.
tgusa says
Doesn’t matter, Sir Robert.
Your words of truth are already out there. They can try to censor you but that will only backfire on them and increase the, who is this guy, Robert Spencer?
Geppetto says
“Spencer has been widely criticized as an Islamophobe and isn’t a scholarly source on Islam to begin with…….” Really? And where was she indoctrinated with this little, faculty lounge, liberal, pseudo intellectual pearl of wisdom?
The man’s written 16 books (includes 2 coauthored) on the subject and has dedicated his life to educating a clueless majority of western civilization to the historical fact that islam is emphatically not a religion of peace. That few have the maturity, curiosity or desire to analytically and objectively examine the mountains of historical evidence in support of this assertion is not because Spencer is not a scholar on the subject of Islam. It’s because his critics are what they will emphatically deny, cowards, with a mob mentality, fearful of being labeled with the dreaded, fictitious psychosis of Islamophobia.
More of the growing mountain of evidence that the left relies totally on the ignorance of their constituents and struggles mightily to nurture and grow this cadre of dumbed down voters.
Mr. Spencer’s book list: https://www.jihadwatch.org/robert-spencers-books
Elizabeth Lawson says
Unless and until the truth concerning terror is cherished and encouraged everywhere, we will continue in a downward trajectory to anarchy, mayhem and revolt. No citizen, of any political stripe, will be safe from the dishonest, egocentric and/or purveyors of what benefits. them alone. The administrators of the plethora of universities across the US, who have opted to encourage a one sided, and utterly dishonest narrative of current terrorism, that has, and is, ending the lives of innocent people on the streets, will one day be confronted with their culpability in the matter. Hopefully that day will come soon. We are all aware that student bodies in these “learning institutes” are being offered a sham “education” that is neither knowledge based nor the result of free and open inquiry. Empirical research – NOT! Pity the world that these misled, misinformed and uninformed representatives will create.
gravenimage says
Stanford bans general public from Robert Spencer lecture
…………….
Disgusting–but it does not surprise. Especially appalling given that the Muslim-Brotherhood linked MSU will be holding an indoctrination session that appears to be open to the public.