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Minnesota Prof Censored for Posting Mohammed Cartoons

果冻传媒app官方

MINNEAPOLIS, March 9, 2006鈥擳he uproar over cartoons of the prophet Mohammed may be fading in some places, but not at Century College in Minnesota. After repeatedly encountering censorship of her display of the cartoons on a hallway bulletin board, Professor Karen Murdock finally posted them behind a curtain so that passers-by would not be offended. Yet even after assuring Murdock and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (果冻传媒app官方) that free speech is valued at Century, administrators allowed censors to tear down the hidden cartoons and insisted that she not put them back up.

鈥淜aren Murdock bent over backwards to make sure that students who disapproved of the cartoons would not be exposed to them, but this was still not good enough,鈥 remarked FIREInterim President Greg Lukianoff. 鈥淪adly, the college has sided with the proponents of suppression rather than the advocates of open, meaningful, and informed dialogue.鈥

At the height of the international controversy surrounding the Mohammed cartoons, adjunct professor of geography Karen Murdock was concerned that most students at Century had not even seen the cartoons and would therefore be unable to evaluate them intelligently. On February 7, she posted the drawings, related newspaper articles, and blank comment sheets on a bulletin board near her office where various faculty members post items of interest. The cartoons were repeatedly and anonymously torn down, and she replaced them each time. Finally, she says, her academic division head, David Lyons, removed the cartoons himself, and Vice President of Student Services Mike Bruner asked that she not repost them. Vice President of Academic Affairs John O鈥橞rien then called a meeting with Murdock.

FIRE wrote to Century President Lawrence Litecky on February 16, stating that 鈥淸t]he college鈥檚 responsibility to free speech and open inquiry far outweighs any responsibility the college has to avoid offense鈥 and that Murdock could not be punished for posting the cartoons. That same day, O鈥橞rien sent Murdock a letter canceling the scheduled meeting and insisting that the 鈥渁dministration did not remove the political cartoon you posted, nor direct that it be removed or not reposted.鈥 O鈥橞rien also responded to 果冻传媒app官方, asserting that no meeting had been scheduled with Murdock and citing an e-mail sent by President Litecky to the entire Century community vaguely urging that 鈥渄iscourse about the many competing ideas and beliefs鈥 should be conducted 鈥渋n a respectful, thoughtful, and tolerant manner.鈥

Believing that discussion and the free exchange of ideas at Century were now secure, Murdock posted the cartoons again on February 25, this time behind a curtain. Three days later, censors struck again, tearing down the cartoons in midday, and Lyons asked that they not be reposted. A memo he posted on the bulletin board explained that materials on that board should 鈥渞otated in a timely fashion,鈥 and that faculty members have 鈥渆xpressed concerns about the displaying of the cartoons on a division of social and behavioral sciences bulletin board.鈥

鈥淎s 果冻传媒app官方鈥檚 February 22 statement on the Mohammed cartoon controversy explained, colleges have a twofold duty when it comes to dealing with censorship,鈥 said Lukianoff. 鈥淔irst, there is the duty to not censor the free expression of ideas, especially important and newsworthy ones. Second, colleges have the duty to protect speakers from being silenced by others. Century has failed miserably on both counts.鈥

In the context of making his request, Lyons did claim that the ultimate decision was Murdock鈥檚. However, as Murdock pointed out to 果冻传媒app官方, 鈥淲hen a division chairman and a college vice president both tell an untenured adjunct professor that something should not be posted on a bulletin board, this is a suggestion that has the force of a direct order. The cartoons would still be posted if I felt that I had a say in the matter.鈥

Murdock has expressed great frustration with the situation. 鈥淲e are a college. We are supposed to be a forum for the free exchange of ideas,鈥 she said. 鈥淚f we can鈥檛 talk about this controversy at a college, where are we supposed to talk about it?鈥 She continued, 鈥淲e are supposed to be able not merely to deal with controversy but actually to welcome it!鈥

鈥淧rofessor Murdock is right on target,鈥 Lukianoff concluded. 鈥淐entury administrators need to understand that their first duty is to promote the open exchange of ideas on their campus, not to cater to those who would prefer silence on provocative matters. The college must end its shameful, unlawful, and unwise drive to 鈥榩rotect鈥 its students from seeing the materials at the heart of a global controversy.鈥

FIRE is a nonprofit educational foundation that unites civil rights and civil liberties leaders, scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals from across the political and ideological spectrum on behalf of individual rights, due process, freedom of expression, academic freedom, and rights of conscience at our nation鈥檚 colleges and universities. 果冻传媒app官方鈥檚 efforts to preserve freedom of expression on college campuses across the country during the cartoon controversy can be viewed at thefire.org/cartoons.

CONTACT:

Greg Lukianoff, Interim President, 果冻传媒app官方: 215-717-3473; greg_lukianoff@thefire.org
Lawrence Litecky, President, Century College; 651-779-3342; larry.litecky@century.edu

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