Tufts U: Liberals Suppress Dissent Wherever Possible

A big story making the blog rounds today is a recent decision by Tufts University to suppress conservative dissent. Liberal thought and argument are so weak that they can only win a debate by either misrepresenting or silencing conservatives.

A conservative student newpaper, The Primary Source, at Tufts University was judged as "guilty of harrassment" by printing an alternative view during Tufts' "Islamic Awareness Week." Naturally, Islamic Awareness to Tufts means to sugar-coat that violent and intolerant ideology, i.e. to put lipstick on a pig. The publishers of The Primary Source decided to counter the propaganda with some actual but inconvenient facts about Islam. For this they were punished, not for telling lies, but for telling a truth that liberals and Islamic-apologists didn't want to hear.

FIRE, an organization that sues universities for abridgements of academic freedom, has disclosed the case of the conservative Tufts students. As noted at the FIRE website:

Today, FIRE announced the decision by a disciplinary panel at Tufts to find the conservative student newspaper, The Primary Source, guilty of “harassment” for, among other things, publishing a satirical ad that listed less-than-flattering facts about Islam during Tufts’ Islamic Awareness Week. You can see the ad here, and Eugene Volokh has also published it with excellent commentary over at his blog, but, just to make sure people see the ad for themselves, I have reprinted the full text:

Islam
Arabic Translation: Submission
In the Spirit of Islamic Awareness Week, the SOURCE presents an itinerary to supplement the educational experience.

MONDAY: “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them.” – The Koran, Sura 8:12

Author Salman Rushdie needed to go into hiding after Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeni declared a fatwa calling for his death for writing The Satanic Verses, which was declared “blasphemous against Islam.”

TUESDAY: Slavery was an integral part of Islamic culture. Since the 7th century, 14 million African slaves were sold to Muslims compared to 10 or 11 million sold to the entire Western Hemisphere. As recently as 1878, 25,000 slaves were sold annually in Mecca and Medina. (National Review 2002)

The seven nations in the world that punish homosexuality with death all have fundamentalist Muslim governments.

WEDNESDAY: In Saudi Arabia, women make up 5% of the workforce, the smallest percentage of any nation worldwide. They are not allowed to operate a motor vehicle or go outside without proper covering of their body. (Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2001)

Most historians agree that Muhammed’s second wife Aisha was 9 years old when their marriage was consummated.

THURSDAY: “Not equal are those believers who sit and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit. Unto all Hath Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight Hath He distinguished above those who sit by a special reward.” – The Koran, Sura 4:95

The Islamist guerrillas in Iraq are not only killing American soldiers fighting for freedom. They are also responsible for the vast majority of civilian casualties.

FRIDAY: Ibn Al-Ghazzali, the famous Islamic theologian, said, “The most satisfying and final word on the matter is that marriage is form of slavery. The woman is man’s slave and her duty therefore is absolute obedience to the husband in all that he asks of her person.”

Mohamed Hadfi, 31, tore out his 23-year-old wife Samira Bari’s eyes in their apartment in the southern French city of Nimes in July 2003 following a heated argument about her refusal to have sex with him. (Herald Sun)

If you are a peaceful Muslim who can explain or justify this astonishingly intolerant and inhuman behavior, we’d really like to hear from you! Please send all letters to tuftsprimarysource@gmail.com.

I have read many books on Islam, including the Qur'an, and I can attest to the accuracy of much of the above.

Some questions that burn in my mind are these:
1. Why would Tufts want to conceal the truth about a hateful, totalitarian ideology that is violent and intolerant to gays, women and non-believers?
2. Why didn't Tufts liberal professors or students engage in debate and write a rebuttal? (The obvious answer: because they can't.)
3. Why can't the public see that liberals are not "liberal" at all, but close-minded ideologues who try to suppress dissenting opinions that they are incapable of rebutting?