Volume XWIII, Issue 18
Educating Women To Excel
February 22, 2006
ON THE
INSIDE:
Remembering
Coretta Scott
King
Page 2
Announcements
Page 2
Update Student
Activities Board
Page 3
Honor and
Integrity week
Page 3
Exploring Career
Page 4
Meredith’s
Weekly
Weather
WEDNESDAY
Showers
High 55/ Low 42
THURSDAY
Mostly Cloudy
High 59/ Low 40
FRJDAY
Partly Cloudy
High 56! Low 32
SATURDAY
Par ^
Hi^ 60? Low
SUNDAY
Partly Cloud;^
Sunny
High 49/ Low 25
MONDAY
Partly Cloudy
High 47/ Low 30
Students Give Input About Disputable
Cartoons
TUESDAY
Hii
Sunny
49/ Low 33
TERRI RICHARDS
Photographer
On Monday February 20,
2006 members of the Re
ligion Department offered
an opportunity for Meredith
students to discuss the cur
rent events revolving around
the publishing of cartoons
that have offended Muslims
around the world. Dr. Pa
mela Winfield of Meredith’s
Religion Department opened
the discussion with some
background information
about these caricatures of
the Prophet Muhammad that
were originally published in
September of 2005 in the
Danish newspaper, the Jyl-
lands Posten. This informa
tion included the following:
Several attempts at peace
ful protest were made by the
Danish Muslim Commimity,
to include a signed petition
and requests for audience
with the Prime Minister of
Denmark, Anders Fogh Ras
mussen, all of which were
ignored. It was not until a
43 page dissertation was pre
sented to a meeting of Mus
lim groups in Mecca that this
issue erupted in the violence
that has saturated the media
for the past few weeks.
Dr. Winfield was followed
by Debbie Jaxmich, a repre
sentative fi-om the Raleigh
Islamic Center. Ms. Jaunich
informed the attendees that
it is haram(forbidden) to de
pict images of a religious fig
ure of any religion. In Islam
committing this act is con
sidered disrespectful to the
revered individual. She also
wanted those in attendance
to understand that the vio
lent acts focused on by the
media are not a representa
tion of the majority of Mus
lims. Ms. Jaunich she felt it
was important to “.. .get past
the offense and discuss the
issue..,”.
The last individual to speak
was Richard Winfield. Mr.
Winfield has been an advisor
in International Media Law
for more than 30 years. He
also served as the general
consultant for the Associ
ated Press. Currently he is
working as adjunct faculty
teaching both domestic and
international media law at
Columbia School of Law,
Fordham School of Law and
other universities in the New
York area. Mr. Winfield dis
cussed the current lack of ju
dicial action fi:om the Danish
courts governing their, the
Danes, laws on hate speech
^d the perceived lack of
good judgment on the part of
the Danish news media.
When the presentations were
finished a dialog was opened
to allow for discussion of the
matter. One student inquired
as to why it had taken so
long to hear about the car
toon and the offense it had
caused. Her question was
given a unanimous response
from Ms. Jaunich, Dr, Win
field and Mr. Winfield. They
all replied that the moderate
Muslim response had been
“lost in the noise” of every-
Photograph by: Terri Richards
thing else going on. Dr. Fra
zier, a member of Meredith
College’s Political Science
department, inquired as to
if the cartoons were, in fact,
considered hate speech. He
added his opinion that the
caricatures were mild com
pared too many of the others
that are published. Mr. Win
field replied that there was
a difference between fi’ee
speech and speaking freely
with the intent to incite vio
lence. The freedom to speak
allows one to say what they
wish regardless of who,it of
fends, however, if that free
speech is Used to incite others
to violence then it becomes
hate speech. Time ran out as
the discussion began gaining
momentum leaving many
questions unanswered.
U.S. Representative David Price
is Coming to Meredith
on February 22 at 7 p.m. in Kresge.
(Meredith Faculty, Staff and Students only)
Brought to you the Meredith College Democrats
Photograph by: Terri Richards