Phony 'Satirical' Anti-Muslim Posters Circulated at GWU
Tue, Oct 9, 2007 at 10:09:39 am PDT
At George Washington University, another outrageous action by the Saudi-funded radical Islamic front group calling itself the Muslim Student Association, as they circulate flyers purporting to be from a conservative campus group with disgusting anti-Muslim messages: Anti-Muslim Fliers Cause Uproar.
Posters appeared all over the George Washington University campus yesterday morning blaring the message: “HATE MUSLIMS? SO DO WE!!!”
Campus police moved quickly to remove the fliers, university leaders began investigating how they got there and student groups met last night to deplore the posters, which had a photo of an Arab and description of “typical Muslim” features such as “suicide vest,” “hidden AK-47” and “peg-leg for smuggling children and heroin.”
The posters managed to upset just about everyone on campus: Muslim students, other religious groups and conservatives who are hosting “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week” later this month. Some questioned whether they were mocking the conservatives, pointing to fine print at the bottom — “Brought to you by Students for Conservativo-Fascism Awareness” — and a postscript recommending a BBC video on the politics of fear.
Any subtleties were lost under the gigantic headline, though.
Any subtleties, such as whether this was a complete setup and a hoax, are also quickly glossed over by the Washington Post, as they proceed to wring their hands over the dreadful hatred on display:
“I was just really shocked that this sort of hatred exists on our campus,” said Najah El Bash, a sophomore from New York who is one of the leaders of the GWU Muslim Students Association. “You never think this would come so close to home, from people you’re in classes with. . . . It’s scary.” It had to be well-planned, she said, for so many posters to go up so quickly.
GWU President Steven Knapp said in a statement last night, “There is no place for expressions of hatred on our campus.” He called the fliers reprehensible and said students of different faiths will be gathering this week for a community meal with Muslims during Ramadan. “This event speaks to our university’s commitment to global cultural understanding and respect.”
The poster describes “typical” Muslims and says, “To find out more, come to ISLAMO-FASCISM AWARENESS WEEK!!! For more information, contact the GWU Young America’s Foundation.”
Sergio Gor, a senior from Los Angeles who is the president of that group, said he was horrified when he heard about the fliers. “We did not put up those posters,” he said. “Someone took our name and used it. It was hateful.”
An LGF reader emails some interesting information; this morning on the Washington DC Fox 5 news channel, a Muslim student actually admitted putting up the fake posters—it was satire, he said.
The student ... was interviewed on Fox 5 this am, explaining the poster as ‘satire.’
But this revelation is nowhere to be found in the MSM reports.
UPDATE at 10/9/07 10:41:12 am:
More “satire” claims at the GW Hatchet student paper: After meeting, mixed views on anti-Muslim posters.
“We’re all here, we’re not all the same and we need to understand,” said sophomore Tarek Al-Hariri, president of GW Peace Forum, during the discussion. “I think something this morning happened. It may or may not have been taken the way it was supposed to be (and) may not have been a mistake. Nevertheless, people were affected and people took offense.”
Many of the students in attendance at the event said they were personally hurt by the posters that were hung. “This is the first time I felt attacked,” said Manalle Mahmoud, a junior who is of the Muslim faith.
Representatives from more than a dozen groups on campus and from Muslim, Catholic and Jewish faiths spoke in unison condemning the posters and the unidentified subjects who hung them.
“We wish to reaffirm our solidarity with all our brothers and sisters of all faith backgrounds and reiterate our commitment to greater understanding of all peoples, of all creeds and denominations,” said sophomore Brandon Hines, in a statement from the GW Catholic community.
Several students present at Monday night’s gathering attacked senior Sergio Gor, president of GW YAF, for today’s events. “We are being targeted because we are conservative,” said Gor, who left the meeting before its conclusion. “No way in shape or in form do we support hate speech.”
Gor said GW YAF is hosting several events at the end of the month for “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.” The week will feature two Iranian women - who were persecuted in the Islamic republic - and conservative writer and activist David Horowitz.
Some individuals in attendance at Monday’s discussion said this situation is not as bad as it seems. Lara Nasri, a graduate student and a member of the Campus Anti-War Network, said the video listed on the poster, “The Power of Nightmares,” was a documentary questioning the West’s fear of terrorist networks. “It was completely satirical and overblown,” Nasri said. “It was the antithesis of racism.”
Gor disagreed with Nasri. “This is not satirical,” said Sergio Gor. “It is hatred.”
And here’s the phony poster:
UPDATE at 10/10/07 10:00:10 am:
A group of leftist and Islamist students has now admitted posting the phony fliers.
