Last week, Pioneer Press staff writer Malachi Petersen reported in Bagley district relents, rents auditorium to anti-Islamic speaker:
The First Amendment and what speech falls under its protection is at the forefront of a decision by the Bagley School District to allow the appearance of a controversial speaker this weekend.
Usama K. Dakdok, a Christian speaker, self-described expert on Islam and the founder of the Straight Way of Grace Ministry, will speak this weekend at the Bagley High School Auditorium about Islam.
Dakdok, who was born and raised as a Christian in Egypt before coming to the United States in 1992, claims Islam is a "cult" and a danger to Christians.
"With the wisdom God gave me I know how bad the disease of Islam is," Dakdok said.
This weekend will be the second time in less than a year Dakdok has visited Bagley. In October 2013, he was invited to speak by community member Tammy Godwin after she attended an event by an imam, a Muslim religious leader. Godwin said she felt the imam was untruthful at the event and wanted to invite Dakdok so he could provide a different perspective.
"I felt that people in the area needed to hear the truth about Islam," Godwin said.
While Dakdok was originally scheduled to speak at the Bagley School auditorium in October, the location of the speech had to be changed to the Calvary Evangelical Free Church after the school district reversed its decision to let the pastor rent the auditorium.
"We asked to change the venue to the church because the speaker did not appear to coincide with school district policy," Steve Cairns, superintendent of Bagley Public Schools, told the Bemidji Pioneer shortly after the decision was made.
The district's decision at that time came after receiving a letter from the Minnesota Council on American-Islamic Relations, which claimed allowing Dakdok to speak at the auditorium would be in violation of the district's harassment and violence policy and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs that receive federal assistance.
According to the act, "Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races (colors, and national origins) contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, entrenches, subsidizes, or results in racial (color or national origin) discrimination."
Now, less than a year after the decision, the school district has changed its position to allow Dakdok to speak at the auditorium. . . .
The school's decision to allow Dakdok to speak at the auditorium may be due to a threat of legal action against the school district. . . .
Read the whole article at the Pioneer Press.
Unfortunately, the second night's forum got a bit twisted about that freedom thing. From a press release from the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations:
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today called on the Bagley Independent School District #162 to rescind approval of tonight's speech by Islamophobe Usama Dakdok following harassment of a Muslim woman by a "mob" at his earlier speaking event at the same school on Saturday.
CAIR-MN also called on local and state law enforcement authorities to consider bias charges against the harassers based on that state's "assaults motivated by bias" statute.
Dakdok, who claims that American Muslims "will kill your children" and that "we are in war with Islam," was invited to speak at Bagley High School by local Islamophobe Tammy Godwin. On June 22, during the second part of his 3-day hate series, audience members said Dakdok incited the audience and endangered a Muslim woman attendee's safety and security.
The audience members said the Muslim woman, who wears a religious headscarf, was part of a peaceful protest outside the hate event. She, along with others, entered the auditorium after the silent protest finished to listen to the speech. Their "Love Thy Neighbor" signs were lowered and not facing anyone inside. As the Muslim woman was quietly walking down the aisle looking for a seat, Dakdok stopped his presentation and singled her out. He asked her to leave, allegedly yelling, "Sister, I will give you one last chance to leave or I will throw you out myself!"
One attendee described an angry mob of Dakdok supporters who then began harassing the Muslim woman: "People were yelling at the Muslim woman, 'Get out' and 'You weren't invited.' Men were getting to their feet and moving towards her to lay hands on her."
The audience member announced he was calling the police out of concern for the Muslim woman's safety. Godwin allegedly tried to interfere with the police call by attempting to intimidate the Good Samaritan by telling him, "Don't you dare [call the police]. This will be on your soul."
Three officers responded to the call, including the Bagley police chief, a Bagley police officer and a Sheriff's Deputy. The Muslim woman was allowed to stay and an officer stayed at the event until it ended. One member of the angry mob, seemingly upset with Muslim presence, later approached the officer and asked: "Can I borrow your gun?"
"We support free of speech, and that freedom includes the right to peacefully listen to even hate speech without fear of being set upon by an angry and threatening mob," CAIR-MN Executive Director Lori Saroya. "Bagley Independent School District should cancel tonight's event due to the clear safety concerns for those Minnesota Muslims and other people of conscience who may choose to exercise their First Amendment rights by attending this hate fest."
Saroya added that law enforcement authorities should consider charges against the harassers of the Muslim attendee under Minn. Stat. § 609.2231 (2009), which provides penalties for "anyone who assaults another because of the victim's or another's actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability as defined in section 363A.03, age, or national origin."
CAIR-MN has placed over 7,000 educational flyer inserts on Islam and Muslims in Bagley area newspapers and is working with an interfaith coalition to counter Dakdok's hate and bigotry. A community dialogue, "From Fear to Understanding," will be held on Saturday, August 23 at Farm by the Lake in Bagley. . . .
Several attendees expressed concerns about the safety and security of Muslims at tonight's event, when more Muslims are expected to attend. One attendee said, "The audience doesn't know where the line is, or that a line even exists. When Mr. Dakdok works a crowd, he does so skillfully, provoking responses and goading reactions. After listening to fear mongering messages the previous night, such as 'Muslims are destroying the world,' 'Muslims are coming to kill your children and grandchildren,' and 'We will not be safe until all the Muslims are deported and all the mosques are closed,' we fear for the safety of Muslims in the audience."
Read the full press release here.
To get a flavor of Dakdok's views, check out the twitter feed 243 accounts are allowed to follow.
Photo: Dakdok Usama, via twitter.
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