TAM-Galveston

It came to my attention the other day that a Muslim read from the Koran as a part of the Texas A&M Galveston convocation/commencement exercises this past weekend.  I fired off an email to the interim CEO,  a Mr. Hearn:

I understand that a Muslim was invited to read from the Koran at your recent commencement in Galveston.  This is an outrage.

It is a travesty that in the historic city of Galveston, where thousands and thousands of Christians entered the United States and built a free society based on democratic principles, that a representative of a faith that is frankly antithetical to those values gets the honor of reading from HIS holy book at your commencement.  In the name of Islam

• Women are denied equality under the law, and are in fact deeply oppressed
• Non-Muslims are denied freedom of religion and are discriminated against
• The most barbaric punishments are meted out for crimes, including amputations and beheadings
• Honor killings are condoned and carried out against women and girls who go against their male relatives wishes
• Anti-Semitism is encouraged and promoted, to the extent that suicide terror missions carried out against the State of Israel count as a charitable enterprise that fulfills one of the four pillars of faith for the devout Muslim.

This is really quite sickening.

[bbmoe]

This was the reply:

Ms. Mxxxxx:

We are very sorry that you were disturbed by the delivery of the invocation and benediction by Dr. Ahmed E. Ahmed of the Galveston Islamic Center at our May 13, 2006 commencement.

Texas A&M University at Galveston is a public institution of higher education serving undergraduate and graduate students without regard to their race, gender, ethnicity, or religious affiliation.  Over our 45-year history, we have welcomed members of many religions and ethnicities to present our invocation and benediction as a reflection of the diversity of our students.

Sincerely, 

Bowen Loftin

R. Bowen Loftin ‘71
Vice President and Chief Executive Officer
Professor of Maritime Systems Engineering
Texas A&M University at Galveston
P.O. Box 1675
Galveston, TX 77553-1675
409-740-4403
409-740-4407 (fax)
loftin@tamug.edu
www.tamug.edu

 This elicited a follow-up response from me (I really hate form letters, especially ones that are so condescending in tone that I am inspired to hop in my car and and head for Galvestom to introduce the Professor of Maritime Systems Engineering to some practical applications of his discipline in the form of waterboarding.)

Dear Mr. Loftin:

Thank you for your prompt reply.

Unfortunately, the lovely ideals of plurality and religious tolerance, to which I heartily ascribe, are being eroded by those who wish to obliterate Western civilization.  I wonder if you think that I am some right wing kook?  In my broad acquaintance, I am the only American woman my age who had a Muslim friend in high school.  One of my best friends in college, a woman I still correspond with regularly, is a Muslim, a Shiite in fact, who lives in Karachi, Pakistan.  I speak from the vantage point of knowledge and experience when I tell you that our being broad minded lovers of diversity in these matters is the opening that the radicals are exploiting to expand their influence among moderate Muslims.  I will lay odds that no one on your committee thought that a financial check of the Galveston Islamic Center would be in order, to see what connections it has to Saudi money.  If it has none, if it has kept itself utterly and entirely free of the influence of the Wahhabis, then it is a rarity indeed.

By giving a forum to the  Koran and its adherents in these times, you give shelter to those who would do us harm.  It gives Islam the imprimatur of your very fine institution, but you have carelessly misused your influence by not discriminating as to which Islam you are supporting.

Not all religions are created equal.  I would pose to you that Islam's long history of intellectual backwardness, intolerance and brutality (all of which are inherent to the Koran, by the way, not just fundamentalist interpretations) are reason enough for TA-Galveston to eschew a Muslim presenter.

Sincerely,
[bbmoe]

This is the email of the Chancellor of the Texas A&M System, Robert D. McTeer: Chancellor@tamu.edu.  Just in case you all are moved to express your disgust.

Comments

[Outlaw Mike]

I agree. Good of you. I wish it was different and I am certain that were it a Buddhist speaker you wouldn't react that way, very possibly not at all. But we do have to call a spade a spade.

[Tom the Redhunter]

Hey, Mike, I didn't know you read this blog! Glad to see you here.

Barbara, you really ought to check out Outlaw Mike's blog.

http://downeastblog.blogspot.com/

I'm a regular commenter there. He's a Belgiun conservative and you learn a lot about what's going on there, especially with their radical Muslims.

[Howarde]

I'll never, never understand how this P.C. trend began and grew so fast, but it's as if Common Sense and Reason just flew out the window.

Tolerance is one thing, but I have yet to hear a single word in that direction from the Muslim world. Unless a military rule is imposed upon them, they seem unable to exist either together or with the rest of the world.

Our Liberals were so anxious to see the Shah deposed, but look at what has replaced him during these past 25 years! All they could ever could talk about when the subject of Iran came up was the Secret Police. Yet, every regime since then has a worse record than the Shah. Reading from the Koran to show our tolerance; if I'd been there I'd have stood up, spoken out, and then walked out. That's the way Berkeley treats Moderate or Conservative speakers, isn't it?