shoebatExactly one week after the events of October 4th, the College Republicans pulled off an event that didn’t erupt in violence, perhaps because it seemed as if more security guards were in attendance than students (find the measures Columbia may have taken to avoid a repeat here).  Walid Shoebat and two others spoke to a half full Roone Arledge auditorium about how they were brainwashed as children to be terrorists and a Nazi operative, but have since seen the light and love the Jews. Love the Jews, and, in the words of former Lebanese terrorist Zachariah Anani, believe that the 9/11 bombers are the only real Muslims and everyone else is ignorant. “Thank God that the ignorants are much more,” he said. 

Members of the Muslim Student Association decided to not attend the event. But earlier this evening, they found their office in the lower level of Earl Hall plastered with flyers headlined “Event at Columbia Challenges Muslim Groups.”

“It is interesting to note that the official line of Arab Student groups on campus is not to protest against us peacefully or even to turn up. Yet last week they chose to participate in a violent onslaught regarding a subject that is not directly relevant to their cause,” read the flyer, which has been confirmed to have come from the Walid Shoebat Foundation–they say they didn’t distribute the poster in Earl, but Shoebat press people were on campus today. 

“It was clearly a bait,” said MSA president Omar Siddiqi, CC ’09, noting that he was glad they hadn’t postered the group’s prayer area in the month of Ramadan. “Every Columbia student should feel violated.”

– LBD