Understanding terrorism Read Bowin Lee’s ’17 take on the tendency to typecast terrorism on page 6.
Choir Musical Meets Mythology
Good ol’ Opus Read about the founding and 20-year history of Opus Café on page 7.
Flip to page 11 for a review of the “otherworldly” entertainment the Choir Musical brought last weekend.
The Spectator Panelists challenge stereotypes about Islam
News Editor
The January 7 terrorist attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo triggered debates about freedom of speech, religious tolerance and the media’s portrayal of Islam. Eleven people lost their lives in the shooting, including the editorin-chief of Charlie Hebdo, columnists and cartoonists and a Muslim French National Police officer responding to the attack. As the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie became a rallying cry of solidarity, many responded by conflating terrorism and Islam as a religion. After an Islamophobic article was published in a student publication, the Arabic & Middle East Club sent an all-campus email stating, “We believe that such writing is only meant to introduce unnecessary tension to our campus. Muslim students have always constituted a small, but engaged, minority in the Hamilton community and crudely attacking their background implies an ad hominem approach to gain attention.” The Feb. 1 e-mail took issue with the following statements: “It’s becoming harder to ignore Islam’s penchant for horrendous acts of violence, a tendency with no analogue in any other major religion” and “...there’s a difference between a violent religious extremist in an overwhelmingly secular society and an epidemic of violent religious extremism in a fanatically religious society.” The Arabic & Middle East Club went on to invite the editorial’s writer to “represent their claims in an all-campus event.”
That event was a panel discussion entitled Islam: A Religion of Extremism? which took place in the crowded Chapel on Wednesday afternoon. The discussion featured Ambassador Karl F. Inderfurth, Ambassador Edward S. Walker, Assistant Professor of Religion Studies Aaron Spevack from Colgate University, Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Affairs Alan W. Cafruny, Professor of Women’s Studies Margo Okazawa-Rey and instructor of Arabic and Middle East studies Mireille Koukjian. The discussion was planned by Muslim Student Association President Areej Haroon ’17 and Arabic and Middle East Club President Hady Hewidy ’17. Hewidy said a goal for the discussion was raising awareness about the relationship between Islam and extremism. “I don’t personally care what the audience think of Islam as a religion, what matters is the stereotypes the surround the 1.6 billion followers of the religion,” he said. “I think the topic is important because it actually affects the lives of millions around the globe,” Hewidy said. “Some of the largest wars that we have witnessed in our lifetime related to [the question of whether Islam is a religion of extremism]. Hamilton students will grow to be decision makers in this country and elsewhere, thus, having a sense of knowledge about that question will definitely be beneficial.” Haroon began the afternoon with a moment of silence for three Muslim students killed near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus on Wednesday morning. After the
moment of silence, Haroon and Hewidy posed a question to the entire panel. The opening question dealt with videos released by ISIS of a captive being burned alive and how that contributed to the perception of Islam and Muslim societies as inherently violent. “Most Americans experience Islam through misleading media which associates violent terrorism with all Muslims,” Professor Koukjian said. She said that three days after the aforementioned video was released, three Iraqis were burned to death by ISIS, but the American media did not pay nearly as much attention to those deaths. “Every life lost should matter equally to us.” Professor Spevack emphasized that gruesome violence can be found in the histories of all cultures and religions. “Look at nineteenth and twentieth century lynchings, horrific instances of burning people alive with white American Christian witnesses.” He called it a “historical and contemporary absurdity” to depict a relationship between Islam and terrorism as though it were unique. “This panel could not be more timely and important,” Ambassador Inderfurth said. He drew parallels between 23-yearold North Carolina victim Deah Shaddy Barakat and Kayla Mueller, the 26-year-old humanitarian who was held hostage by ISIS and confirmed dead Feb. 10. A dental student, Barakat planned to travel to Turkey and provide dental care for displaced Syrian refugee children. “These were young people trying to go out and do something for others. [Their
Volume CLXVI Number 16
over missing Enquiry Editor-in-Chief
by Kirsty Warren ’18
Feb. 12, 2015
Campus Safety inquiry by Ben Fields ’15
PHOTO BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN ’17
Thursday,
Theft rarely becomes a front-page news story at a college like Hamilton, but in certain instances it is a broader issue. Typically on Mondays, the community has the opportunity to read Enquiry, a publication of the AHI Undergraduate Fellows. However, this past Monday, virtually every issue of the publication was removed from public spaces such as McEwen and Commons dining halls and the Kirner-Johnson Building. This week, Enquiry published a front-page article regarding the subject of “radical feminism,” which received backlash on social media. An anonymous source within the College administration informed The Spectator that students had filed a report with Campus Safedeaths] reflect hate crossing religious lines.” “When you ask the question, ‘Are Muslim societies inherently extremist?’ You also have to ask, ‘Are we Americans inherently murderous? Are Europeans inherently warlike? Are Africans inherently genocidal?’ The fact is that none of these groups are any of these things,” Ambassador Inderfurth said. “They’re people and people do terrible things but that’s not rooted in ethnicity or religion.” The panelists brought different perspectives to the discussion about the many issues with viewing Islam as an extremist religion. Ambassador Walker, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Egypt and the
ty, alleging that students involved with The Woymn’s Center were responsible. Director of Campus Safety Fran Manfredo confirmed the investigation, but declined to comment on specifics. “The complainant believes students from a certain organization may be involved and we are investigating,” he said. Although Hamilton does not have specific rules regarding the destruction of student publications, it does expressly promote the freedom of expression. Recently, Enquiry has come under fire for an article regarding the Charlie Hebdo attacks and so-called Islamic extremism. There is no evidence at the moment though that the removal of the publication was in any way connected to this article. Enquiry Editor-insee Culprits, page 3 U.A.E., said that in his experience religion is not a motivating factor for terrorism. Far more blame should be placed on the pursuit of power and prestige, wealth and frustration with the status quo, he said. Professor Okazawa-Rey acknowledged the histories of wars and colonization in the Middle East while Professor Cafruny talked about the American occupation of Iraq, calling it “unprovoked, illegal, and designed to destroy the Iraqi infrastructure and government.” Later in the discussion, Ambassador Walker talked about the United States’s role in arming Afghani militants against Soviet invasion, which contributed to see MSA, page 3
PHOTO BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN ’17
From left: Ambassador Inderfurth, Professor Aaron Spevack from Colgate University and Professor Mireille Koukjian