"We have received your comments and appreciate your voiced concerns. As you know, Golden West College recently opened a scheduled class to the public which included a presentation and opportunity to engage in questions and answers. The event was intended to be an introductory educational overview of Islam as part of an intercultural program for students in the class. We understand that the presenters and audience members have varying views about the effectiveness of the event. We are regretful that when campus security was called to help ensure the safety of the environment, that anyone may have felt uncomfortable, singled out, or discouraged from expressing their opinions.
We work hard to ensure that faculty and staff on campus treat others with dignity and engage in respectful interaction with others. We fully support free speech and the right to express diverse thoughts. We are apologetic that the event did not serve the intended purposes for all. We remain committed to the inclusive values and mission of Golden West College. Thank you."
Not even a name was attached to this letter (email). And whoever wrote this response had the gall to state, " We fully support free speech and the right to express diverse thoughts. "
By calling in campus police because they didn't like our questions.
Here is my response:
Dear Dr Bryan et al.
As you will recall, I wrote a letter to you a few days ago complaining about the treatment several audience members were given when they dared to ask uncomfortable questions of a speaker at a public event on March 14. This is the response I received from some unnamed person in your public information office:
Not even a name was attached to this letter (email). And whoever wrote this response had the gall to state, " We fully support free speech and the right to express diverse thoughts. "
By calling in campus police because they didn't like our questions.
Here is my response:
Dear Dr Bryan et al.
As you will recall, I wrote a letter to you a few days ago complaining about the treatment several audience members were given when they dared to ask uncomfortable questions of a speaker at a public event on March 14. This is the response I received from some unnamed person in your public information office:
"We have received your comments and appreciate your voiced concerns. As you know, Golden West College recently opened a scheduled class to the public which included a presentation and opportunity to engage in questions and answers. The event was intended to be an introductory educational overview of Islam as part of an intercultural program for students in the class. We understand that the presenters and audience members have varying views about the effectiveness of the event. We are regretful that when campus security was called to help ensure the safety of the environment, that anyone may have felt uncomfortable, singled out, or discouraged from expressing their opinions.
We work hard to ensure that faculty and staff on campus treat others with dignity and engage in respectful interaction with others. We fully support free speech and the right to express diverse thoughts. We are apologetic that the event did not serve the intended purposes for all. We remain committed to the inclusive values and mission of Golden West College. Thank you."
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"We fully support free speech and the right to express diverse thoughts."
By calling in the campus police and telling us our questions were out of line?
The above letter is an insult considering what your faculty members did to those concerned. I suggest you interview the concerned police officers and ask them what they were told about the situation when they were summoned. When campus police are summoned to quell polite questions being asked in accordance with the protocol of the event, this is scary stuff indeed in what is supposed to be a country dedicated to freedom of speech and especially for an institution of higher learning supposedly dedicated to the principles mentioned in your response.
If you are indeed committed to the right to express divergent thoughts, I could suggest that you invite a speaker with a different point of view on this topic. I know of many who are responsible and speak with expertise on the topic, but without hatred. There are people like Robert Spencer, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Wafa Sultan, John Zacarias, and Nonie Darwish. Except for Spencer and Ali, these experts are locally based, and the last four are apostates from Islam.
You may not be aware of this, but this incident has received widespread attention across the nation. The reputation of Golden West College has suffered a serious blow. In light of the flippant response we have received, it seems you have closed the page, but we have not. We are looking into other legal avenues to address this ugly incident.
Sincerely,
Gary Fouse
Note: The below persons have added their names to this letter.
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( I have deleted the names of those of who signed for privacy reasons.)
------------------------------
"We fully support free speech and the right to express diverse thoughts."
By calling in the campus police and telling us our questions were out of line?
The above letter is an insult considering what your faculty members did to those concerned. I suggest you interview the concerned police officers and ask them what they were told about the situation when they were summoned. When campus police are summoned to quell polite questions being asked in accordance with the protocol of the event, this is scary stuff indeed in what is supposed to be a country dedicated to freedom of speech and especially for an institution of higher learning supposedly dedicated to the principles mentioned in your response.
If you are indeed committed to the right to express divergent thoughts, I could suggest that you invite a speaker with a different point of view on this topic. I know of many who are responsible and speak with expertise on the topic, but without hatred. There are people like Robert Spencer, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Wafa Sultan, John Zacarias, and Nonie Darwish. Except for Spencer and Ali, these experts are locally based, and the last four are apostates from Islam.
You may not be aware of this, but this incident has received widespread attention across the nation. The reputation of Golden West College has suffered a serious blow. In light of the flippant response we have received, it seems you have closed the page, but we have not. We are looking into other legal avenues to address this ugly incident.
Sincerely,
Gary Fouse
Note: The below persons have added their names to this letter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
( I have deleted the names of those of who signed for privacy reasons.)
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