CAIR About Guilford

Commenter linearthinker reminds me in an e-mail that I have not covered the CAIR (the Council on American-Islamic Relations) aspect of the Guilford College fight. Let me rectify the oversight.

Here is a bit of what CAIR had to say on 26 Jan. '007

"At approximately 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007, an altercation took place in Bryan Hall on the Guilford College campus involving physical violence and alleged verbal abuse. Such behaviors have no place at Guilford and will not be tolerated in a community that values the peaceful resolution of conflict."

"It is important that political and religious leaders in North Carolina speak out against the kind of hate that apparently motivated this attack," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "The alleged bias motive of the assailants clearly warrants the intervention of the FBI in this case."

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

They have been pretty quiet about the whole thing lately.

You don't hear much fron the Anti-Defamation League (a Jewish organization) about it since they first came out with their statement supporting the Palestinians.

I think the silence is because they have figured out the Palestinians probably initiated the attack.

The low down on CAIR is that it looks like a terrorist supporting organization.

On December 18, 2002, Ghassan Elashi, founding board member of CAIR-Texas, a founder of the Holy Land Foundation, and a brother-in-law of Musa Abu Marzook , was arrested by the United States and charged with, among other things, making false statements on export declarations, dealing in the property of a designated terrorist organization, conspiracy and money laundering. Ghassan Elashi committed his crimes while working at CAIR, and was found Guilty.

It also looks like they are not very American friendly.

CAIR Board Member Imam Siraj Wahaj, an un-indicted co-conspirator in the first World Trade Center bombing, has called for replacing the American government with an Islamic caliphate, and warned that America will crumble unless it accepts Islam.

I think America wll crumble if it does accept Islam.

So what is CAIR's goal for America? Here is their advice to Muslims who stay in America.

"Those who stay in America should be open to society without melting, keeping Mosques open so anyone can come and learn about Islam. If you choose to live here, you have a responsibility to deliver the message of Islam ... Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faiths, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth."

You know I don't think this is going to go over well with most Americans. In fact it could just turn them resentful. Or worse.

General Patton of WW2 fame had a few things to say about the Muslim world.

"To me it seems certain that the fatalistic teachings of Muhammad and the utter degradation of women is the outstanding cause for the arrested development of the Arab. He is exactly as he was around the year 700, while we have kept on developing" -- General George S. Patton: The War as I Knew It

He spent a lot of time during WW2 in the Arab world. No doubt he was significantly briefed on Islamic culture so as to keep the natives as friendly as possible. Education and experience add weight to his opinion.

For more on the history of the case: Guilford College

Guilford Rumor

A commenter to my post ACLU Gives Up has this to say:

I think the footballers should demand a public apology from the faculty member who sent out the email and staged the private assembly of non-white students. She stated that the Palis were victims of a hate crime. As I understand it, she also led the Palis to the magistrate's office to swear out warrants.

Interesting that "she" led the Palestinians to the magistrates office to swear out warrants on the football players. That action may place "her" in legal jeopardy.Pipeline News has a copy of the letter and the name of the person who sent it.

Perhaps the shrill, racially charged statement by Guilford's director of multicultural education, Sekinah Hamlin demonstrates the level of bile being ginned up by this controversy and the degree to which some have prejudged the event.

"Students of Color and/or International Students:

By now, most of you have heard about the situation that occurred on Friday night between some football players and Faris Khader, Osama Sabbah, and Omar Awartini (a student from NC State). Faris, Osama, and Omar were defending themselves against students (and possibly perspective students) that were attacking them physically and simultaneously verbally with phrases like "sandnigga'", "terrorist", etc. The incident was a hate crime.

We must be united as people of color more than ever. What happened to these three young men could have happened to any one of us. That is the reality of racism and no institution, including Guilford, in this country is free of it.

We are concerned about your safety and your mental, spiritual, and emotional health. If you feel unsafe, need to talk, or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us. In addition, we will have a gathering to discuss how this is affecting you/us/people of color Monday, January 21, 2007 (tomorrow) at 9pm in the International House. This meeting is ONLY for students of color. This affects us in a different way than our white allies and we need to have a safe place to discuss how we are feeling.

I have included cell numbers for myself and Jorge Zeballos, International Student Advisor and Latino Initiative Coordinator. We have been working with Faris, Osama, and Omar and meeting continuously this weekend. If you have any questions or concerns, we will be able to answer them. In addition, if you would like to reach out to other Multicultural Education staff members, I have included their information as well.

Thanks and I see you on tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Sèkinah Hamlin
Director of Multicultural Education"

Guilford College says that Hamlin does not speak for the school.

Greensboro (WSJS) -- A Guilford College official says an e-mail letter purportedly written by the school's director of multicultural education regarding the incident involving several football players and three Palestinian students does not represent the official views of the college. Nic Brown, assistant director of college relations, says aware of the e-mail but is unable to verify its content. He says no one at the school is under a gag order and is free to express their opinions. The family of Guilford College football player Michael Bates, accused in the beating of three Palestinian students, released a statement regarding the incident claiming Bates, Michael Six and Christopher Barnette have been "unfairly prejudged." The statement also includes what the family says is the first paragraph of the e-mail, in which director Sekinah Hamlin writes, "Faris, Osama and Omar were defending themselves against students (and possibly perspective students) that were attacking them physically and simultaneously verbally...the incident was a hate crime." Brown says he doesn't think any disciplinary action would be taken against Hamlin, who may have rushed "to use language short of the gathering of all the facts." Hamlin has not responded to a call by WSJS for comment.

Ah, the ever popular rush to judgement.

Guilford is doing much better with this than Duke is doing with their Gang of 88 who have also taken a fairly fact free approach to the false accusations against the 3 Duke students.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

ACLU Gives Up?

The usually reliable Pipeline News thinks the accusers in the Guilford College case may be ready to give up due to deportation proceedings on some of the accusers.

By Beila Rabinowitz and William A. Mayer

February 8, 2007 - San Francisco, CA - PipeLineNews.org - With possible deportation looming over Osama Sabbah, Faris Khader and Omar Awartani, the trio's attorney - Amiel Rossabi - signaled at a staged event sponsored by the Marxist Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project that he might want this matter to just go away, expressing the desire to have the accused and the accusers get together in a reconciliation type meeting.

And who could blame him?

The Greensboro Police Department has dropped any further investigation of the West Bank student's claims, and will bring no charges, a clear indication of the weakness of the accusers claim, which was sworn out through a highly unusual Magistrate proceeding.

Of greater concern from their standpoint, it is now clear that both Mr. Khader and Sabbah have a history of violent confrontation that could well undermine their veracity in court on the current matter. Additionally, the photographs taken of one of the defendants, Michael Six clearly show the raised belt buckle shaped welts caused, according to Mr. Six by an enraged Faris Khader during the attack.

Amiel Rossabi - past president of the North Carolina ACLU - is the latest attorney of record for the West Bank students, he took over the case from Seth Cohen, the NC ACLU's general counsel. A spokesman for the organization stated that though we "still talk to him [Rossabi] fairly regularly" he stressed "that's not one of our cases."

Mr. Cohen is, however the lead attorney in the ACLU's lawsuit to allow the Qu'ran to be recognized in North Carolina's judicial proceedings.

So the ACLU has dropped the case? Interesting. That would tend to indicate that by no unreasonable stretch of the imaginination did a "hate crime" happen. A pretty stiff standard.

I do believe all this will fade away leaving the football players the worse for wear with no means of redress.

In any case there is a long discourse on the relationship between Guilford College and the Freinds School in Ramallah confirming some of my speculations in Muslim Hit Team?.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Palestinian Thugs At Guilford

Pipeline News seems to have a lot of good sources in the Guilford
Case. Pipeline has gotten some more details about the thugs
who visited The Guilford dorms.

The leader of this group stated threateningly that they, "were going to take care of what didn't get taken care of the other day." He then opened his trench coat and motioned under his arm suggesting that he was carrying a concealed weapon.

The three then rapidly left the area, fleeing in a dark green 1995-96 Nissan Maxima whose registration plates had been removed.

Pipeline has more use the first link.

BTW a member of the community pretty much confirms what I had stated in the second link:

A Guilford community member familiar with the case made the terse observation to PipeLinenews.org that, "the war has come to Guilford Campus."

Update: 07 Feb '07 0248z

I now have confirmation of Pipeline's sources.

Last Edited: Tuesday, 06 Feb 2007, 5:36 PM EST
Created: Tuesday, 06 Feb 2007, 5:36 PM EST, By ERIC WHITE, FOX8 News

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) -- A Guilford College football player says he felt "very threatened" when three men walked into his school dorm looking for football players who had been accused of starting a fight with Palestinian students in January.

The student, whose identity will be kept secret and who was not involved in the fight, said the initial incident between the players and the Palestinians has been blow out of proportion. The result, he said, has been serious threats on what should be a safe, school atmosphere.

On Tuesday, the student spoke with FOX8 News about his encounter with the three men.

"[I] came out and I saw a guy pacing back and forth in the room, so I asked him if I could help him," he recalled about the incident on Sunday.

Immediately, the walls of security inside a college dorm disappeared. The student said a man wearing a large coat walked into his dorm room.

"In the beginning, he stated he was a Muslim and that he was looking for the football players involved in the altercation, and that he wanted real justice to take place."

The man apparently had two other men with him, but the student didn't see a weapon. "I don't know if he had one," he recalled. "But I'm saying, that's dangerous. He could have had one. I don't know."

The student said the public's opinion of the fight on Jan. 20 has spiraled out of control, and he believes it led to Sunday's incident.

Not unusual when information gets bottled up. The school needs to take the lead on this before some fool commits summary injustice.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Muslim Hit Team?

The semi-reliable Pipeline News has posted a piece about the fellows Threatening The Guilford Players.

...at North Carolina's Guilford College the hue and cry over a gamed "hate crime" has reached such proportions that a hit-team composed of self-identified Muslims are actually out hunting the football players involved in the January 21 fracas.

"City of Greensboro police were called on February 4, 2007 at 11:50am in reference to three individuals that entered a suite at Bryan Hall on the Guilford College campus stating that they were looking for the football players that were involved in previously alleged assault.

The subjects were described as follows:

1. Black male, dark-skinned, 30-40 years old, 6'3"- 6'4" heavyset, bushy beard green toboggan, green bubble jacket.

2. Middle eastern male, 5'9" thin, black Carhartt jacket, red bandanna on his head,

3. Middle Eastern male, 6'0", thin, black jacket, black toboggan." - Greensboro Police Department

The three thugs aroused the suspicions of student athletes they encountered while casing Bryan Hall. In the presence of these athletes they made the statement that they were Muslims and looking for the football players involved in the assault. Unnerved by this confrontation, the three then quickly left the scene, departing at a high rate of speed while driving a dark green 1995-96 Nissan Maxima whose registration plates had been removed. Eyewitnesses stated that the vehicle ran 3 stoplights to evade pursuers.

We have been informed that Bryan Hall remains unsecured despite the now obvious threat.

Adding additional irony, the scene of this increasingly ominous affair is run by the Quakers. In some venues the college has been described as a "hippie oasis," however less flattering views of the institution refer to it as a place where spikey haired freaky young adults are ushered out of 60 thousand dollar German luxury cars, dropped off by parents who are relieved at not having to see or deal with them again until semester's end.

Some kids never get the hang of reality.

Speaking of reality, Pipeline covers the relationship between the Quaker founded Guilford College and the Friends School in Ramallah, West Bank.

1. Two of the three of the accusers in the Guilford assault case themselves are implicated as having precipitated violent confrontations with other students.

2. Guilford's Director of Multicultural Educational Education, Sekinah Hamlin personally guided the three accusers away from the Greensboro Police Department [which ended its investigation in this matter on January 31, bringing no charges], "After careful review of this case and consultation with the Guilford County District Attorney's Office, no evidence was found at this time that would allow the Greensboro Police Department to proceed any further in this investigation."] and towards Magistrate W.P. Brown, who issued arrest warrants upon the mere allegation of the accusers.

3. That Guilford maintains a feeder school relationship with the suicide bomber justifying Ramallah Friends School in Israel's West Bank.

4. That Guilford College Quaker Chaplain, Max Carter regularly meets while in the Middle East with individuals who are just a handshake removed from terror:

Pipeline has much more on the subject. What is interesting is Guilford's support for violent resolution of differences in Israel and peaceful resolution in America.

The evidence is that the violence in Israel is seeping into America. Brought to us by the peaceful folks at Guilford College. Interesting how often Peacemongers lead us to war.

Nevile Chamberlain was a man of peace.

He had the papers to prove it.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Threatening The Players

This is curious. Three people entered Guilford College dorms looking for the football players involved in the fight with some Palestinians that took place on Jan 20th.

GREENSBORO, N.C. Police are investigating an apparent intrusion by three people into a Guilford College dormitory. Authorities say the three were looking for the football players connected to a fight with several Palestinian students.

School officials and Greensboro police say the three quickly left the dorm after police were summoned. A police spokesman says threats were made, but he wouldn't say who made them or who was the target of the threats.

So far, there have been no arrests.

Interesting. Police obviously know who they are. The college has been informed. Why the silence?

Threats were made. Is this some kind of witness intimidation?

Guilford College Statement on the 04 Feb '07 incident:

Guilford College Public Safety and the Greensboro Police Department responded to a brief incident in Bryan Hall on campus at midday Sunday, Feb. 4.

Based on the public safety report:
• At about Noon, three individuals from off campus entered Bryan Hall and approached a suite that is the residence of several football players.
• According to students on the scene, the individuals from off-campus were looking for football players involved in the Jan. 20 incident in Bryan Hall.
• Guilford Public Safety and Greensboro Police were called, and the Guilford public safety officer on duty responded immediately.
• Guilford Public Safety spotted a car driven by the individuals from off campus in the parking lot beside Frank Family Science Center and followed the car off campus.
• Guilford Public Safety has a detailed description of the individuals from off campus and the car that they were driving.
• Greensboro Police arrived after the off-campus individuals had left and began their investigation.

It is important to note that the football players and other students involved in the Jan. 20 incident in Bryan Hall were not in the hall during today’s (Feb. 4) incident. They were moved off campus following the Jan. 20 incident.

Within two hours of today’s (Feb. 4) event, the Community Response Team, led by President Chabotar, took these actions:
• Notified or attempted to notify parents of all students directly involved in the Jan. 20 incident.
• Reinforced heightened security for Bryan Hall.
• Heightened campus security generally and asked the Greensboro Police Department to add patrols of the campus area and Bryan Hall.
• Ordered the notification of the campus community of the incident via campus-wide e-mail.

These threats are probably quite serious if the parents of the 20 Jan. incident were notified.

I have a feeling that when this is all over the support for the Palestinian cause at Guilford College will not be what it used to be.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Duke Fever

It looks like Angry Studies are alive and well at Guilford College. They have gotten Duke Fever (a desire to persecute the innocent in the name of some cause).

As evidence in the case is coming out, it tends to support the idea that the Palestinians have turned an assault by them into an attack on them. I wonder if this is common to the Palestinian narrative?

Not to worry, the students are behind the Palestinians all the way. You seeGuilford College a Quaker School is loosely affiliated with Quakers’ Friends School in Ramallah. And, there are demos.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- A group of UNC-Chapel Hill students held a solidarity vigil to support three Palestinian students involved in a campus brawl that happened January 20th at Guilford College. Six of the school's football players were charged with assault.

The UNC-Chapel Hill student group is called “Solidarity with Palestine through Education and Action at Carolina” and the student organization formed just one week after the Palestinian students onGuilford college's campus say they were attacked. Freshman international studies student Haley Koch helped organize Friday's rally at The Pitt at UNC.

"No other universities have come out and supported these students and this has been a very difficult time for them and so we want to express that support to them," explained Koch.

Probably a good thing too as the charges are not holding up well even when all we have to go on is semi-corroborated rumor and barely supported speculation.

They're also encouraging other UNC students to get involved by signing a petition. The petition is asking Guilford College to fully investigate and recognize the incident as a hate crime. It’s also calling for changes to the college’s Code of Conduct.

Even if it was the Palestinians doing the hating? Some how I doubt it.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Crime Reporting

How do colleges and universities report crime? We have a small part of the answer due to the Guilford College case.

GREENSBORO — If students involved in the recent fight at Guilford College had not gone to the magistrate's office to file charges, chances are good that word of the event might never have left campus.

That's not uncommon.

Colleges frequently don't involve city police in on-campus incidents, law enforcement officials say.

But that isn't necessarily a problem. Not everything that technically could be a crime is best handled through the legal system, officials say.

Which is a good thing. It helps keep civil society civil. The occasional break in civility is usually not worth a civil war.

In the recent incident, Palestinian students said they were beaten by football players who used racial slurs. The father of one player has said the Palestinian students started the fight.

Bowers said that if the charges hadn't been filed, the incident would not have seen the light of day. "They probably would have kept the fight a secret," she said.

Law enforcement officials say they know all incidents that might be crimes are not reported. The key, though, is how serious those crimes are and whether decisions about what to report are consistent.

Which for the Palestinians would have been a better way to handle it. Their story is not holding up well. Now instead of it being a campus issue, it has become a world wide issue. Nice going Omar, Feris.

Police Lt. Brian James said not all incidents necessarily need to be reported to police, but those involving serious injuries or serious allegations do.

When that doesn't happen, that can cause problems, he said. It's harder to go back and investigate an incident after the fact, he said.

In the recent Guilford incident, police have said that their role in the investigation has been affected because they weren't immediately called to investigate.

Colleges aren't alone in not always involving law enforcement. The same thing happens at businesses and public schools and other places as well, Neumann said.

In fact, if everyone reported everything, "we'd be swamped," he said.

I think that points out one of the great difficulties in letting people bring charges before a magistrate. The chances of a complete investigation are slim. A trial then becomes a matter of trading accusations instead of evidence. I'll bet that is what the Palestinians were hoping for.

Those Palestinian boys are real smart. Possibly too smart by half.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

North Carolina Magistrates

Because of the Guilford College case, I was wondering what kind of cases the North Carolina Magistrates can handle? I have an answer.

A magistrate is a judicial officer of the District Court who handles certain criminal and civil matters. In criminal cases, a magistrate issues warrants and sets bail. A magistrate may also accept guilty pleas and payments of fines and costs for traffic violations and minor misdemeanors and, in some counties, may conduct trials in certain worthless check cases. In civil cases, the magistrate presides over small claims court.

Magistrates in North Carolina can issue warrants in criminal cases, but do not try such cases. Magistrates courts act as small claims courts.

Magistrates courts do probable cause hearings.

You can be arrested in North Carolina if a judge or a magistrate has issued an arrest warrant which directs the police to take you into custody. If an arrest warrant has not been issued, you may be arrested if a police officer has reasonable ground to believe you have committed or are committing a crime. You may also be arrested if you have failed to appear for a criminal court date when you were required to do so.

If you are arrested, you will be brought before a magistrate for an Initial Appearance and he or she will determine if probable cause exists for the charge that you are facing. If probable cause is found, you will be advised of a date you must appear in court and the court will set conditions for your release and consider whether or not to release you on bond, and the type of bond to be set.

Further elaborated here.

In North Carolina, Magistrates are judicial officers of the District Court and have jurisdiction in both criminal and civil cases. In many instances, a citizen's first contact with the judicial system comes through the office of the magistrate as magistrates are the front-line protection of peoples' constitutional rights.

In criminal cases, the pretrial process begins with the magistrate, whose primary function in the judicial system of North Carolina is to provide an independent, unbiased review of charges and complaints by law enforcement officers or citizens. The magistrate determines if, and to what extent, further action is warranted when a police officer or a citizen claims that a crime has been committed.

Magisterial duties include issuing various types of processes such as arrest warrants or summonses, search warrants, subpoenas, and civil warrants. Magistrates conduct bond hearings to set bail and conditions of release in instances in which an individual in charged with a criminal offense. They determine whether or not a person should be charged with driving while impaired and hold the initial 30-day drivers license revocation hearing. Magistrates may also accept prepayments for traffic infractions and minor misdemeanors.

Magistrates also have important civil responsibilities -- deciding evictions and cases involving up to $5,000.00 money damages in Small Claims Court, and issuing important processes in cases of alleged domestic violence.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Magistrate is to protect and preserve the rights and liberties of all of the people, as guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States and North Carolina, by providing a fair, independent and accessible forum the just, timely and economical resolution of their legal affairs.

History and Purpose of the Magistrate

The Office of Magistrate traces its development through centuries of English and American history. In North Carolina many of the duties performed by the Magistrates were once carried out by Justices of the Peace, an office that was phased out between 1968 and 1970. Some Magistrates have trial jurisdiction over minor traffic offenses and simple misdemeanors. They are the foundation and integral part of the Judicial system and are considered Judicial Officials of the State of North Carolina. The principle function of the Magistrate is to provide an independent, unbiased review of complaints brought to the Magistrate by law enforcement officers or the general public.

So once the Magistrate issues a warrant based on probable cause, criminal matters are out of his hands.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Sources Say: Palestinians Did It

Since I have no hard news at this time on the Guilford College case, I'm going to run with rumor and innuendo.

Largely absent from news coverage has been any account of the early morning altercation other than that being presented by the Ramallah students.

Sources familiar with the incident have now come forward stating the the attack was initiated by the Palestinian students.

One of those sources told us that the weekend that the event took place was a:

"recruiting weekend for the college [that on] on that type of week athletes are on best behavior [the confrontation took place in] a courtyard in between apartment buildings…a hangout spot…[an eyewitness to the event saw] Faris [Khader] and Mike Six [one of the football players] [with] an argument going on…[the witness had turned away but turned back to view the scene again when] he heard the belt whipping, looked back and saw the belt…[Mr. Six] took about seven strikes from the belt……[Mr. Six then] used a wrestling move and stuffed him [Faris] into the ground….that started a fumble….[like] a rugby match...[which drew in more football players, there were] no brass knuckles….[involved]"

Mr. Khader was suspended from Guilford for the Winter Semester.

That is interesting. Why would the College have suspend Khader? Could it have been the result of an earlier altercation? As an earlier report pointed out Faris and Osama were hot heads who sometimes looked for fights.

The rumor mill grinds on with:

According to information provided by our sources and as detailed by a former [Jewish] Guilford student [whose name we are not disclosing at this time], Mr. Khader has a history of violence.

There follows a long and rambling account of a previous altercation involving Faris and Osama.

Funny thing is, this Jewish student was a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause. This has made him somewhat unpopular with his Jewish friends and caused arguments with his parents (I'll bet).

Here is some of what he had to say:

Every single time that I've stood up for something at Guilford, and anybody that knows me, or has taught me knows that I'm an anti-racist. But it seems ridiculous to me that I even have to prove myself to anyone, cause I know what I stand for, and I know what I said that night, and there is not a single doubt in my mind that I did NOT say those things,"Osama bin Laden", or "terrorist." I do not know if they were said but I know I did not hear them, but I do know that the three other people that were assaulted that night by Osama and Faris did not say them, were racist things said before the five times or more, there were incidents that night. Faris and Osama looked to me to be out of control that night and anybody else who was there would certainly say the same and they have. All the people I have named have all put statements into campus life and corroborate the events of that night; all the events I have just told. Faris and Osama did come to me the next to day to pseudo-apologize; they tol;d me they were sorry for beating the shit out of me but it was because I said racist things, than Faris did admit that he had asked around to see if i would have said those things and people told him no. It wasn't until the meeting with campus life did it become apparent that this was the angle these guys were gonna take for beating up a kid in second floor Bryan during peek hours in front of a hall director, it was in the schools hands now; and these guys knew they were in trouble. I have no problem with Osama or Faris being at Guilford, I'd love to talk about all this with them, but its the school that made the decision based upon the four people that were hurt that night by them; the descisiton that at least Faris would have to be suspended on account that he endangered the community, was not mine. It was the schools. And assaulting anybody on Guilford, in front of a hall directory should warrant a serious punishment."

So our Palestinian boys have an MO. Attack and then cry racism to mitigate the punishment. I wonder where they learned that? Note that the Jewish boy was severly attacked by the Palestinians and still supports their cause. A true glutton for punishment.

The reporter then goes on to say:

We believe that the above information clearly constitutes strong evidence that the so-called hate attack allegedly initiated by Guilford College football team members against defenseless Palestinian students is a hoax and that the members of the football team were acting in self-defense - even absorbing a vicious attack before responding.

The Jewish, former Guilford student's account of Khader and Sabbah's actions also makes comprehensible, their attorney Seth Cohen's recently videotaped remarks, "none of my clients stabbed a man" with the counsel's reference apparently applying to this instance and not the January 21 fracas.

BTW did I mention the Palestinian's lawyer is from the ACLU? Figures.

Also note the (Jewish) Anti-Defamation League has come out in support of the Palestinians. In my opinion they will have an omlet on their face when this is all over. Unless the College and the local system of justice buries the case. However, that can only happen if the Palestinians withdraw the charges. I'm betting that will happen within a month or two. Providing their lawyer is any good. Which, if his statements to date are any indication, is not a good bet.

Update: 04 Feb '07 0632z

Here is the source of the "Jewish guy's" quotes from above.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

No Charge

After interviewing the accusers in the Guilford College melee, police have decided not to file charges.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Police have decided not to pursue their own charges in a racially tinged fight between several Guilford College football players and three Palestinian students.

A magistrate judge has charged six players with misdemeanor assault and five of them with ethnic intimidation based on complaints the Palestinian students filed after the campus fight early January 20. Greensboro police, who weren't called to the scene, were not involved in those charges.

"We determined that all of the charges that need to be taken out in this case were already taken out at the magistrate's office," police spokesman Lt. Brian James told the News & Record of Greensboro on Wednesday. "We didn't obtain any further evidence that would allow us to pursue additional charges, which is what we were investigating."

Prosecutors said they would likely wait for the college to complete its investigation before deciding how to proceed.

The accusers - Guilford College students Faris Khader and Osama Sabbah, and Omar Awartani, a student at North Carolina State University in Raleigh - said they were called "terrorists" and other racial slurs as they were beaten by several members of the school's football team, according to court documents.

Parents of three of the accused football players issued a statement last week defending their sons, saying one player was attacked with a belt.

So now the College must complete its investigation before the DA can act? This is a bit unusual. Who is responsible for the chain of custody of the evidence? Who is responsible for witness statements? Who collects the video and photographic evidence? Medical statements from treating physicians? Medical files? etc.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Guilford Student Cleared

Guilford College student Jazz Favor has been cleared by the school and allowed back on campus.

Greensboro, NC -- A Guilford College football player's mom is speaking out, only to WFMY News 2.

Anita Favors, Jazz Favor's mother, says the players and the Palestinan students were friends. She also says at least one of the accusers have already apologized to some of the football players.

Favors says her son was trying to break up the fight between his teammates and the three Palestinian students.

"Our son told us that it was a fight. It started out as an argument and then a whole bunch of people got involved. Jazz was instructed by an official of that school to break up the fight because he's so big and he grabbed a football player and asked him to leave," Anita Favors explained, "In the process of removing the football player he told one of the accusers just run and leave. He was telling everybody just run get out."

An independent investigation by the college is still underway, but Favors says her son has been cleared and allowed back on campus.

A very good video of Jazz's mother talking about the case is available at the above link. Click on the WFMY Video On Demand box on the page. The video is about two minutes. Jazz's mother stated in the video that before the fight the football players and the Palestinians had been friends.

Now all Jazz has to worry about is the court case.

The details are murky but I have heard rumors that the fight was over stolen beer and that the "brass knuckles" may have actually been a gold watch. All rumor so far.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Meet The Accusers

The accuseers in the Guilford College fight have finally met with police.

Last Edited: Monday, 29 Jan 2007, 11:21 PM EST
Created: Monday, 29 Jan 2007, 11:20 PM EST

GREENSBORO (WGHP) -- More than a week after a fight on the Guilford College campus, Greensboro police have interviewed the accusers. Three Palestinian students claim members of the football team beat them and used racial slurs during a confrontation January 20.

After two missed appointments last week, the three accusers met with Greensboro Police and the FBI Monday evening at their lawyer’s office in downtown Greensboro.

This is the first step in the police investigation. The accusers have filed criminal complaints six football players.

Note that the complaints were filed directly with the magistrate bypassing the police, until now.

Normally accusers do not do police interviews with their lawyers present. So that is kind of strange. Waiting a week before making contact (time to get the stories straight?) is also not the regular course of action following an altercation.

Not to worry. The Angry Studies people have it under control.

The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Project chose to enter the public discourse by issuing a news release Monday afternoon.

"May God grant the Guilford College community the courage and wisdom to name, engage, and overcome their own underlying attitudes and cultural prejudices that led to such a tragic event," read the final sentence of the statement.

I wonder if they are talking about prejudice against jocks? Or prejudice against white people?

I suppose it couln't be the white people thing. Half the accused are black.

A look at the Reconciliation Project statement might be helpful.

We pledge to all the members of that college community our whole hearted support as they seek to deal fairly and compassionately with the students involved in this recent event, but also with the underlying spirit of racism and domination revealed in it---a hate-filled spirit from which none of us in this competitive, fragmented, violence-prone society is free.

We pray that God will assuage the wounds of our three young Palestinian neighbors and grant them many friends whose love and support will transcend the barriers of race and culture and hasten their healing in body and soul. May God grant the Guilford College community the courage and wisdom to name, engage, and overcome their own underlying attitudes and cultural prejudices that led to such a tragic event. May God grant the young men who participated in wounding their fellow students the tough love of honest friends and the necessary guidance and support by which they may be freed from the destructive power of the spirit of domination and the exclusive attitudes that drove them into such violent and hateful behavior.

That statement sure looks like a rush to judgement to me. What if it was the Palestinians who did the wounding? What if they started the fight?

What if the The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Project are tough loving the wrong people? What if they don't have a lock on truth? What if they are really bigots in disguise?

Me? I smell a rat.

Here is how The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Project got started. The short version: On November 3, 1979, Klansmen shot and killed five communists.

After digging further into The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Project it looks to me like they are a group of "progressive" organizers. i.e. communists. Although the communists did extraordinary work on civil rights, their goal was never the reconciliation of the races. Their goal was to weaken America in the long cold war between the Soviets and the Western world. I think they are still at it.

I checked out some names mentioned at The Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project

More than 1,000 people -- Greensboro residents and national and international supporters -- took part Nov. 13, 2004, in the the 25th Anniversary March for Justice, Democracy and Reconciliation. The anniversary was marked by a collection of other religious, cultural and educational events featuring distinguished guests including Naomi Tutu, the granddaughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, nationally acclaimed playwright Emily Mann and veteran national civil rights activists including Vincent Harding, Elizabeth McAllister and Ruby Sales.

Vincent Harding had this to say.[pdf]

Don't let people fool you when they say they went to Grenada because the communists were taking over. Don't let people fool you when they say that someday they are going into Cuba because that's where the trouble starts. I know what Cuba was like before Castro came to power. I know what it means to be a slave. Don't be telling me about sending our young men to fight communism in Cuba.

Yep. Cuba is the model. Land of the free.

The other names mentioned don't seem to have any obvious communist sympathies. If fact Naomi Tutu's father Desmond appears to have been anti-communist.

Desmond Tutu was Bishop of Lesotho from 1976 until 1978, when he became Secretary-General of the South African Council of Churches. From this position, he was able to continue his work against apartheid with agreement from nearly all churches. Tutu consistently advocated reconciliation between all parties involved in apartheid through his writings and lectures at home and abroad. Though he was most firm in denouncing South Africa's white-ruled government, Tutu was also harsh in his criticism of the violent tactics of some anti-apartheid groups such as the African National Congress and denounced terrorism and Communism.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Magistration

Now I'm not sure if magistration is a word. At least in the sense I intend to use it. So what do I mean by magistration? Getting a magistrate to swear out a warrant without any input from law enforcement. Basically a way to get a person jailed with out any evidence except a sworn statement.

Why is this of interest? It has just happened for the sixth time in the Guilford College case.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- A sixth Guilford College football player was charged Monday with assaulting a Palestinian student, court officials said.

The arrest warrant states that Rushing hit one of the victims while he was on the floor being beaten by others.

Micah Rushing, 21, of Albemarle, was released on a promise to appear, the Guilford County Magistrate's Office said.

The charges stem from accusations by three Palestinian students who said they were taunted with racial slurs and called "terrorists" as they were beaten by several members of the school's football team just after midnight Jan. 20, according to court documents. Besides assault, the five other players have been charged with ethnic intimidation.

Faris Khader, one of the three accusers, swore out the assault warrant against Rushing, the magistrate's office said. None of the charges against the players are the result of police investigation.

For those of you keeping a race score card, there are now three black and three white defendants. And as this latest report notes: so far there has been no police investigation. Despite the fact that the accuser's lawyer has said that the accusers would meet with police to discuss the matter.

Just a guess, but I think the accusers were jealous of the football guys. What was that old Rolling Stones' song? "I can't get no...."

Here is a recap for those of you who would like to catch up on the case details:
Guilford College Six's Injuries
Palestinians Lawyer Up
Guilford Is A Street In Rockford

H/T reader linearthinker

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Guilford College Six's Injuries

Michael Six's injuries in pictures. Mildly graphic.

In other news on the case doubts about the Palestinian's story mounts.

By BOB BUCKLEY
FOX8 News GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) -- On a campus founded by pacifists, a war of words has broken out.

And as the events of the week since the fight at Guilford College have unfolded, uncertainty over what happened has increased as allegations grew, minor details were revealed and speculation abounded.

That which is known for certain is scarce: The FBI is now investigating a fight involving three Palestinian students and a number of football players. Five players -- Michael Bates, Michael Six, Christopher Barnette, Jazz Favors and Jonathan Underwood -- have been charged with assault, battery and ethnic intimidation. The Greensboro police and Guilford College are each conducting their own investigations, and five unnamed students have been temporarily suspended from the school.

Everyone involved appears to be trying to prevent the rush to judgment and storm of accusations that turned the Duke lacrosse case into a national sensation.

The school's dean for campus life, Aaron Fetrow, acknowledged the lack of certainty about the events early Saturday morning: "There are so many varied things out there [that] I don't know what happened, or I would've decided."

Parents of one of the football players said they know what happened: their son was beaten with a belt by one of the Palestinian students. They have photos taken, they said, by Guilford College security personnel as evidence of Michael Six's injuries.

However, not every one is avoiding a rush to judgement.

More than 250 Guilford College students walked out of class Thursday, protesting what they called racism on campus. The students who walked out of class wore red ribbons and gathered at the campus Quad.

I wonder if they mean racism against white people? What are the odds?

The College has already started doing what neither the police nor the FBI have begun to do. Take some statements.

1/27/2007 4:11 PM By: News14Raleigh

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Guilford College officials have about 25 statements from people who witnessed or participated in a racially-charged fight on campus last weekend, but they haven't determined exactly what happened.

Three Palestinian students said they were taunted with racial slurs and called "terrorists" as they were beat and kicked by several members of the school's football team, according to court documents. Five players have been charged with assault and ethnic intimidation, though the charges were not the result of a police investigation.

Rather, the charges were approved by a magistrate judge after the three accusers reported the incident. Greensboro police have not met with the accusers, and a detective has been assigned to the case, police said Friday. The FBI also is investigating.

Based on eyewitness statements, school officials determined the fight broke out just after midnight Jan. 20 near a residence hall. The fight lasted less than five minutes and possibly involved "hate speech during and after the incident," according to the school.

Those involved in the fight were neighbors in a residence hall, and at least a few of them had been drinking alcohol, school officials found. Aaron Fetrow, dean for campus life, said his staff reviewed the information and tried to piece together what actually happened.

"Finally, we couldn't," he said. "Because if we took a stance, or if we said something one way or the other, it could possibly indict in the court of public opinion. And we can't have a process like that."

The accused football players haven't spoken publicly about the case, though the parents of three players said the team members weren't the aggressors.

The accusers - Guilford College students Faris Khader and Osama Sabbah, and Omar Awartani, a student at North Carolina State University in Raleigh - suffered concussions in the altercation, their attorney said.

In a telephone interview Friday, attorney Seth Cohen also said Awartani has a broken jaw, Khader has a fractured nose and Sabbah has nerve damage in a hand. He said none had been drinking alcohol.

The broken jaw and fractured nose ought to be easy to verify. Nerve damage in the hand will be harder to prove.

However, we do have photographs of Six's injuries. Perhaps the Palestinians might want to see that or even raise it with x-rays and MRIs. We haven't seen picture one of those guys.

An earlier anonymous report said Faris was a hot head

Faris and Osama are good guys, I like them a lot, and no doubt they did not deserve this, but as much as I like them they sometimes tend to look for fights.

Here we have confirmation (non-denial) from Cohen, the accusers' lawyer, that Faris was somewhat of a hot head.

Cohen did not answer questions about Faris Khader's suspension from Guilford College last semester or whether any of the Palestinians clashed with members of the football team before Jan. 20.

Palestinians Lawyer Up

In an interesting development in Guilford College case the three Palestinian accusers of the five football players have lawyered up.

Three Palestinians involved in a violent incident on the Guilford College campus last weekend have hired attorney Seth Cohen who announced on Jan. 27 that all were cooperating fully with investigators.

His announcement came on the heels of a press release by the Greensboro Police Department stating that the three had cancelled two interviews this week. Cohen said the students had scheduled an interview with the FBI, which is investigating the incident as a possible civil rights violation, and the Greensboro Police Department. He described the police department's statement as "a misunderstanding."

"These are three fine young men," he said of his clients. "Osama is from Jerusalem and Omar and Faris are from Ramallah. They have been caught in a media firestorm."

Cohen did not answer questions about Faris Khader's suspension from Guilford College last semester or whether any of the Palestinians clashed with members of the football team before Jan. 20.

Parents of Michael Bates, one of five football players who have been arrested in conjunction with the incident, released a statement on Jan. 26 accusing the media of prejudging the athletes' guilt. Michael Six has accused Khader of stabbing and belt-whipping him.

Hey, It gets curiouser.

The Jewish anti-Defamation League has come out with a statement.

Washington, DC, January 25, 2007 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has condemned the reported bias-motivated attack on three Palestinian students at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina.

ADL commends the Greensboro Police Department for the arrests of the alleged perpetrators, and calls upon the university administration to continue its efforts to heal the rifts that have been exposed on campus in the wake of this incident.

The warrants were not instigated by the police. Let me quote from Guilford Is A Street....

The charges weren't requested by Greensboro police but instead stem from statements the injured Palestinians made to a magistrate, who issued the warrants. Police said their investigation is ongoing.

So far the police have not interviewed the accusers. In fact other that executing the issued warrants the police have been bypassed.

The ADL may have a lot of egg on its face if this is a hoax.

Interesting comment on the NC legal system at Free Republic:

To: SmoothTalker

I am speaking of personal experience in North Carolina compared to California, Florida, Texas and Virginia where I have seen much more fairness.

I know several people who have experienced similar treatment as the Duke students, but they didn't have the resources to fight it. Several were out thousands of dollars, one went to prison, and one fought a civil case for 5 years before it was finally tossed out.

In North Carolina, any idiot can go down to the local Magistrate and swear out a false complaint with little (if any) legal exposure.

18 posted on 01/24/2007 7:20:29 AM PST by TommyDale (If we don't put a stop to this global warming, we will all be dead in 10,000 years!)

Guilford Is A Street In Rockford

It is also a Quaker founded college in Greensboro, N.C.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) -- Three college students were assaulted on the campus of Guilford College early Saturday morning, according to court documents and the school's Web site.

The Greensboro News & Record reported Tuesday that Faris Khadar, Osama Sabbah and Omar Awartani were the victims of an attack by three others.

According to the newspaper, Khadar and Sabbah are students at Guilford College. Artwani is a student at N.C. State who was visiting friends.

Three football players from Guilford College -- Michael Bates, Michael Six and Christopher Barnette -- were arrested and charged with ethnic intimidation. Bates and Six were charged with three counts of assault and battery each, and Barnett was charged with two counts of assault and battery, according to the News & Record.

Bates is from Reidsville, Six from Greensboro and Barnette from Semora.

Naturally they have the boy's pictures featured at the top of the front page of the story.

Today two more boys were arrested in the case.

From today's News & Record

GREENSBORO — An additional two Guilford College football players were arrested Thursday in connection with a recent attack against three Palestinian students outside a campus dormitory.

The arrests came the same day college officials announced that five people tied to the incident have been charged with violating the school's student code of conduct. And in the morning, students staged a walkout in solidarity with the injured Palestinians.

Police identified the latest people arrested as Jonathan Blake Underwood, of Clinton, S.C.; and Jazz Alfray Favors, of Alpharetta, Ga. Both were released on $5,000 bond.

Their arrests bring to five the number of students arrested in the incident police are treating as racially motivated.

Warrants for Underwood and Favors were issued Sunday but not served until Thursday. The reason for the delay wasn't clear.

Underwood is charged with three counts of ethnic intimidation, two counts of assault and one count of communicating threats. Favors is charged with two counts of assault and two counts of ethnic intimidation.

The charges weren't requested by Greensboro police but instead stem from statements the injured Palestinians made to a magistrate, who issued the warrants. Police said their investigation is ongoing.

Interesting. Police didn't prefer charges.

Here is a press release from the police thinly disgiused as a newspaper report:

The Greensboro Police Department today issued an updated statement regarding the Guilford College case:

As stated in the previous press release, this case was referred to our Metropolitan Criminal Investigation Division and has been assigned to a detective for follow-up. Two interviews have been scheduled with the alleged victims in this case, and the victims have rescheduled on both occasions. As of this time, they have not spoken with us. We have followed up with Guilford College security and have spoken with them about the information they obtained regarding this incident.

On yesterday, warrants were issued on two additional subjects accused of assault. These warrants were not issued as a result of our investigation.

With an assault investigation, we begin by speaking with the alleged victim or victims in the case. At this point, we have not been afforded this opportunity. We will continue to make efforts to interview the alleged victims in this case and anyone who has information that will lead us to the correct version of events. The Greensboro Police Department will conduct a fair and impartial investigation into this matter. We will issue an updated press release as new information becomes available.

You know the police appear a bit sceptical on this one.

Here is a statement from the family of of a football player.

It is very apparent that the media and many uninformed individuals have unfairly prejudged Michael Bates, Michael Six, and Christopher Barnette of the beating of three Guilford College students during an unfortunate altercation involving several students last Friday night. Since media coverage has been so one sided the Bates, Six, and Barnette families issue this statement to allow for more balanced reporting of this event.

None of these accused young men have yet to be interviewed by any college official. The Greensboro Police Department has refused to take their statements and declined to review physical evidence including pictures of a vicious stabbing and belt whipping that was inflicted by Khader (an alleged victim) upon Michael Six during the altercation.

We also believe that a letter emailed on Sunday, by a college official, to all students of color greatly inflamed emotions needlessly. Here is the first paragraph from that letter from the Guilford College Director of Multicultural Education:

"By now, most of you have heard about the situation that occurred on Friday night between some football players and Faris Khader, Osama Sabbah, and Omar Awartini (a student from N.C. State). Faris, Osama, and Omar were defending themselves against students (and possibly perspective students) that were attacking them physically and simultaneously verbally with phrases like "sandnigga," "terrorist," etc. The incident was a hate crime."

We are deeply saddened by the inaccurate portrayal of these young men in this altercation by their school. When all of the FACTS are revealed, we believe that those who are sensationalizing this story will be rightly embarrassed and hope the retractions will receive the same level of visibility as premature and false charges. Under our system of government, our sons are presumed innocent of these charges and we hope that the community and the media will let the system run its course in determining their innocence or guilt.

The Bates, Six, and Barnette families would like to thank those in the communities, who know the true characters of these young men, for their continued support throughout this ordeal.

Isn't that interesting. It appears that the Palestinians may have attacked and then blamed their victims for responding. Where have I heard that story before?

In fact, according to this anonymous reportthat is exactly what happened.

gcstudentathlete, Jan 24, 2007 11:30 PM

As a Guilford College student athlete I have been appalled by the reaction to this incident by not only the student body but also the media. Most of the students that are so intent on screaming hate crime are extremely uninformed about the actual occurance of events that night. No, I did not witness the fight the fight but I withhold judging or condemning the parties of either side until all accounts are fully investigated. It seems that even the news has not refrained from prematurally passing judgement. All of the articles and stories I have viewed on the television have been biased and from the most part over victimizing one party why already passing the other off as guilty. From the eyewitness accounts I have heard it was Osama who struck first, taking off his belt and hitting one of the football player. Osama himself has admitted this Also there were no brass knuckles involved in the fight, these so called brass knuckles were actually a watch. I am not saying that it is ok to beat anyone, I hate violence just much as anyone, but you also have to realize that mistakes were made on both sides. I know both of the parties that were involved. Faris and Osama are good guys, I like them a lot, and no doubt they did not deserve this, but as much as I like them they sometimes tend to look for fights. I also know one of the football players who has been arrested, and he is a good guy. He does not deserve to be slandered all across the news when he has not yet been convicted of anything. So get your story straight, stop being one sided, and stop trying to use this unfortunate event as an excuse to get all riled up and protest a hate crime that didn't occur. Further the student body needs to discontinue their DISCRIMINATION against the athletes of this campus. We are your classmates, and your equals. We get no special treatment, we work hard at our classes, our sports, and our held accountable for all our mistakes just like you. So any divide that has been created on this campus has not been created by me or by any of my teammates. So the question I pose to you is who is hating who right now?

It will be interesting to see if the police get to the bottom of this. So far the accusers don't seem to be very interested in coming forward.

I wonder if the football guys have good lawyers?

This page has a picture of Michael Six's injury alleged to have come from the fight.

Cross Posted at Classical Values