Jewish-Muslim tensions rise at U.S. colleges

Originally here: http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/02/jewish-muslim-tensions-rise-at-u-s-colleges-11041

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Posted: 28 Feb 2010 10:13 AM PST University of California at Irvine Library, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons Tensions are growing on college campuses between Jewish and Muslim student groups. An incident in early February at the  University of California- Irvine in Southern California was apparently just the latest in a string at that university. Muslim students began heckling Israeli Ambassador Michael Orin when he came to speak at the University. The disturbance continued for close to 20 minutes, until Orin could no longer wait for the group to subside, and left the pulpit. Eleven of the protesting students were arrested as a result; however it has raised several questions at universities and across the Internet: Why was it allowed to go on for so long? How far should freedom of religious speech be allowed before a situation can turn threatening or violent? Why, by contrast, did Iranian President Ahmadinejad successfully complete his speech at UC Berkeley, in an atmosphere where order and respect were demanded? According to a Web site report by the Jewish Federation of Reading, Pennsylvania, an event defending a two-state split of Israel into a Jewish-Palestinian state also caused tensions between Jewish and Muslim students at the University of Pennsylvania earlier this year. The organization Students for Academic Freedom (SAF, not religiously affiliated)  reported in 2007 that Pace University in New York has repeatedly ignored anti-Semitic activity toward the Jewish student group Hillel since they attempted to get approval to show a film warning of extreme Islamic terrorism. Pace University representatives claimed they didn’t want the movie to stir up violence or hatred, but SAF found that, although there have been incidents against both Jewish and Muslim students at Pace, only the ones against Muslims have brought about police investigations. For me, that is a heavy statement. It does appear to me that since the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001,Americans have taken significant steps to make those who follow Islam feel respected and comfortable, and not at all blamed for the works of a few extreme terrorists who claim Islam as their faith. But, I believe,  this has come at the cost of a rise in anti-Semitism  and an increase in anti-Christianity, as evidenced by claims that 9/11 was prompted by Israel (see evidence of theories at the Daily Star of Lebanon Web site), and that Christian support for Israel is unwarranted. While America strives for diversity and tolerance, it seems that there is still an escalation toward the opposite, even among our young people. Does trying to ignore our differences make them more evident instead of less? How should Christian students react? As Christians, we learn that our main enemies aren’t people of flesh and blood, but that we struggle “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV). Perhaps Christian students can display the love of Christ on campus, while also helping Jewish and Muslim students to see that their fight is not against each other, but against those explained in this verse – and that we can fight against the dark power of terrorism together.

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