This autumn, there were two disgraceful, racist incidents at Pace University in which copies of the Koran were desecrated. Hopefully, the perpertrator(s) will still be caught and punished. But those crimes should not be used as an excuse to censor the films that Pace University students are permitted to view on campus.
When Hillel, the Pace Jewish student organization, announced plans to show Obsession: Islam's War Against The West, an award-winning documentary, Pace officials threatened that such an event would immediately place Hillel members on the list of suspects with regard to the two hate crimes. And, according to Michael Abdurakhmanov, president of the Pace Hillel, the administration also threatened that if the video was shown, the police would be called in. The program, which had been scheduled for last November, during Judaism Awareness Week, was cancelled, but it has only been during the last day that this sordid story (assuming that the reports of what happened are accurate) has been publicized. Aburakhmanov also has charged that an assistant dean twice shoved him into a seat, during a meeting between Hillel leaders and Pace officials, that was also attended by members of the school's Moslem Students Association.
The latter group had voiced its strong opposition to the showing of the video.
Where is the ACLU?
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