Political events converge at UCI

UC IRVINE — Three self-proclaimed former terrorists visited the Bren Events Center on Wednesday night to urge students to condemn Islamic fundamentalism, comparing America's modern enemies to the Nazis and calling on Muslims to take a stand against human rights abuses in the Middle East.

The appearance by Walid Shoebat, Zak Anani and Kamal Saleem, who bill themselves as the "3 Ex-Terrorists," capped a day when UCI held events centered around tolerance and racial and religious differences.

The speakers at the Bren center repeatedly denounced Islam and terrorism — often combining the two — and said they favored any belief system that respected differences.

"Do I promote hate speech? Sure," Shoebat said. "I hate terrorism. I will speak against terrorism my entire life."

Shoebat, Saleem and Anani have spoken on television and a number of college campuses nationwide. The former two call themselves ex-members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and Anani says he joined a Lebanese militia as a teenager and killed 223 people — although some critics have questioned the truth of his stories and debated whether his alleged actions qualify him as a terrorist.

Marya Bangee, the spokeswoman of UCI's Muslim Student Union, didn't attend the 3 Ex-Terrorists' appearance but said she was dismayed that the College Republicans had invited them to campus.

"I think it's a disturbing event," she said. "The College Republicans should know better. From what I hear, the Ex-Terrorists are against Islam, and they try to equate Islam with terrorism."

Wednesday's presentation drew an enthusiastic response from the crowd of several hundred, which repeatedly applauded the speakers' comments and gave each one a standing ovation. At one point, Saleem did an impression of what he called America's response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks: He lay on the stage and pretended to snore, eliciting laughs from the audience.

"When 9/11 happened, America woke up, only to hit the snooze button and go back to sleep," he said.

The 3 Ex-Terrorists' appearance marked the third politically themed event held at or near UCI on Wednesday.

At noon, the Academic Senate hosted a rally in Aldrich Park titled Stand Together for Tolerance, with more than 200 students and faculty joining hands in a circle to honor religious diversity.