Tapioca Express is a tasty treat from Taiwan — Page 3
THE NEWSPAPER OF SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1913 VOLUME 99, ISSUE 15
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012
Anti-Islam video provokes protests
national
Ana Ceballos Assistant News Editor
Violence erupts at U.S. embassies in Lybia and Egypt Last week, members of the Islamic community were provoked, after an anti-Islamic video was posted online portraying the Prophet Muhammad as a womanizer, child molester and buffoon. The 14-minute movie, “Innocence of Muslims,” was originally produced in English about a year ago, but a new version translated into Arabic reappeared on the web Sept. 11. The attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya, led to four American deaths, including the U.S. ambassador, Chris Stevens. These deaths have led many to believe that they were related to the sporadic demonstrations and protests outside of the U.S. Embassy. As a result, President Barack Obama released a statement announcing his administration “would work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people”
Time to trim the fat and eat the poor satire
Leonardo Castaneda Opinion Editor
mct campus
and “secure our diplomats.” In an interview with David Letterman, Obama said the attacks on the U.S. Consulate were not acts of war. White House press secretary Jay Carney said there is “no indication of premeditation or preplanned attacks.” He also said, “We’re not making declarations
ahead of the facts here.” Libyan President Mohammed el-Magarif said he believes the attackers were connected to al-Qaida and used the demonstrations to cover the attack on the U.S. Consulate. San Diego State political science professor Farid Abdel-Nour believes it’s entirely possible the
SDSU reacts to viral protests
national
attacks were preplanned. “There were protestors outside and then the ambassadors were attacked,” Abdel-Nour said. “What the relationship between these two events is? We don’t know.” The video, which Abdel-Nour ISLAM VIDEO continued on page 2
Out-of-state students fuel revenue into CSU system campus
An application freeze has been set for Spring semester. Christina Koral Contributor
mct campus
Ilgin Karlidag Staff Writer
Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies members and professors at San Diego State analyzed the viral protests across the world against the amateur anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims” that portrays and mocks the Prophet Muhammad. SDSU professor Ahmet Kuru, an expert in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, said because Islam is against idolatry, visual
depictions of human figures are often prohibited. “The problem is not the portrayal of the prophet, but how he is portrayed,” Kuru said. “Although even a respectful portrayal of the prophet is inappropriate, it’s still not a big deal for mainstream Muslims.” Kuru also explained Muslims who burn flags and attack U.S. Embassies do not represent the majority of the Muslims in the world. “There are 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, so the
radical protesters on the streets constitute a small minority,” he said. “An overwhelming majority of Muslims respond to Islamophobic propaganda material with calm and silence, although they’re offended by insulting depictions of their beloved prophet.” SDSU professor Khaleel Mohammed, an expert in Islamic law and comparative religion, said the protests are not only a result of the antiREACTION continued on page 2
America, leave Mitt Romney alone. He is sick and tired of hearing you complain about being sick and tired. For years he’s been accused of being an elitist multimillionaire white guy who is either unable or unwilling to understand average Americans. It’s time for him to embrace his Monopoly man persona, stand on the highest balcony of his biggest McMansion and proclaim: “Poor Americans, get off my lawn.” For too long, Romney has hidden behind the linoleum veneer of Joe Six-pack. He’s regaled commoners with tales of his NASCAR-teamowning friends and his wife’s ROMNEY continued on page 5
App puts universe in your hands features
Christian Benavides Staff Writer
San Diego State will not accept new California resident applications for the spring 2013 semester. However, SDSU is accepting out-of-state and international applicants. At first, this seems unfair, but out-of-state students are currently one of the school’s largest sources of revenue. Within the past few years, SDSU utilized tuition costs from out-ofstate and international students to help fill the budget deficit the California State University System has encountered. At the beginning of the economic downturn in 2008, SDSU received $221 million in state funding. The state provided the school with $103 million. “While (out-of-state students) don’t add a significant amount to make up some of that state appropriation, every little bit does help,” Associated Students President Rob O’Keefe said. “For every 100 out-of-state
Imagine you are strolling along Balboa Park at night, taking a breather from the crazy world of college and absorbing the scenery of San Diego. You cross an empty bench in a secluded area of the park and decide to have a seat. Looking up at the night sky, you are struck with shock as you realize the stars are hardly visible. Oh, the joys of city lights. The vast open space that sits atop our heads has become more mysterious and harder to see. In November the MYSky app will allow users to control a powerful telescope and take a high-quality image of space objects. Users can scroll through a catalog of planets, constellations and other space objects, then send a request to the telescope for a live image. Depending on user traffic, a live image will be sent to your device within 20 minutes, according to the Slooh Space
OUT-OF-STATE continued on page 2
MYSKY continued on page 3