Maryam Namazie
Human rights activist and secularist Maryam Namazie was due to give a speech about the ‘rise of Islam’ at the Society for International Affairs at Trinity College Dublin today.
Ms Namazie has pulled out after she claimed conditions were imposed by organisers following advice from ‘college security’.
On her blog Ms Namazie writes:
I wrote a blog post earlier about my refusal to abide by conditions imposed by Trinity College Dublin for my speech on Apostasy and the Rise of Islamism which I am to give this Monday.
Aoife, the chair of the society which had invited me is contesting my version of things so I find it necessary (also for transparency’s sake) to post all correspondence below.
There is not much since Aoife only contacted me last night after things came to a head. Another student organiser has been in touch with me the whole time and been arranging my visit. If there is any miscommunication, it seems to have been promulgated by Aoife to “manage” the situation in the same way that they were hoping to manage me.
Even if it was Aoife who suggested a moderator, it has come about as a result of “pressure”. Also security concerns of my antagonising the “Muslim students” and being “one-sided” which were raised with student organiser have nothing to do with student security no matter how many times Aoife says it does. [email correspondence at link below]
Aoife is trying to manage a bad situation by blaming it on miscommunication but you know what folks, I was not born yesterday.
Trinity College: I was Not Born Yesterday (Maryam Namazie)
Activist claims Trinity speech on apostasy and Islam cancelled (Aine McMahon, Irish Times)
PIc: Patheos
TCD: censoring people since 1592.
…sad but true
Not to mention the Sandrine Brisset case where TCD bookstore wouldn’t stock her book.
I only read her blog post, so may not have the full picture, but it seems like she’s objecting to having a Chair/Moderator involved. She still seems to be the only speaker, I think. And I’m sure a professor of ecumenics is a fairly benign presence.
Seems to be biting off her nose to spite her face. But I don’t know.
She objects to the fact that everyone who goes to her talk has to turn in their TCD card and collect it once the talk is over. This is unprecedented for a TCD talk. Also, the vast majority of TCD talks are open to all TCD members and the public, this one isn’t.
Thanks. I didn’t pick that up.
Open to the public? That’s complete BS
Not all are open to the public, but a huge amount of them are. This time people who were to attend this meeting were told they must hand over their TCD ID cards for the duration of the lecture. This is unprecedented. When a certain speaker was invited to TCD (a speaker who advocates the stoning of women for infidelity), it was open to all TCD students, not just society members, and students were not forced to hand up their ID cards.
That’s fupping shocking
And I would not feel so all alone
If everybody must get stoned
No its not for this particular society its standard. They require you be a member in order to attend. Three seperate events from the society in question all members only.
https://www.facebook.com/events/263263820520021/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1538616706356742/
https://www.facebook.com/events/543832999027641/
Handing up ID cards until the end of the talk is standard? Really? Can you provide examples?
I can’t reply to your last post. I did not say handing in id cards till teh end was standard for this society I said it was standard for this society to reserve its events for members.
You are the only person who has talked about having to hand over ID cards in order to attend the event. Its not in her blog. Its not in her tweets. Where are you getting that from?
What difference does it make whether you have to hand in your card? People are way too bloody precious these days. If having to hand over your card offends someone than I think they need to re-evaluate their stance on life
While many societies have a nominal membership requirement, the reality is that cards are rarely checked, unless the event is likely to be oversubscribed. There are several non-TCD members of the public who will be seen regularly at debates and guest speaker events hosted by societies and by the College itself.
Any TCD talk held by a society that is likely to cause controversy is usually a member only event. Loads of examples of that throughout the years. Issue with letting non-students in is that people often use these events to stage political protest or in order to shut the events down. Not unusual to have to have a student card to get in, was the same for Amy Poehler
When Amy Poehler spoke no students were asked to give up their cards until the speech ended. No names were taken. Why the surveillance of students?
And again Where does it say the college wanted students to turn over their ID?
When Amy Poehler was about to come on the students were asked to “give it up” – what exactly it was no one as of yet has been told, possibly this is because of censorship due to TCD dhimmitude. One thing is for sure though, those god damn students gave it up.
Surveillance of students? LOLOLOLOL!! Perhaps it is just to ensure that everyone in there was actually associated with the university and wasn’t just some crusties using the theatre to have a kip
Will Aoife give an assurance that the lecture will go ahead in the future, this time without any constantly changing conditions?
There is nothing in her blog post about people having to turn over their id cards before they can attend. The society has a policy that its events are only open to its members and it is making the speaker aware of that fact.
Security confirmed that they would take names and cards. Security put pressure on her because they thought her talk would ‘antagonise’ religious fanatics. Who’s putting pressure on security is another matter.
Security confirmed where? its not on the blog?
Aoife, I think you need to get in contact with security. Also, maybe invite the speaker back, next time without conditions. And invite anyone who wishes to attend, like you did initially, before banning them.
I was involved in TCD event organisation for years and it is this simple:
1. The Society did not tick the bureaucratic boxes
2. The Speaker was informed that a few issues had arisen in this regard
3. The Society deployed a fairly clever solution to get everyone on board
4. The Speaker jumped to the conclusion that this was censorship
5. The Society tried to explain to someone not familiar with the byzantine bureaucracy what was actually happening
6. The Speaker threw a hissy fit.
Sounds to me like a publicity stunt by the speaker.
As she said herself – nothing to see here.
Have you ever come across a TCD event where those attending have to hand up their TCD ID cards? Does this have anything to do with TCD not wishing to offend those who do not think that women’s rights should not be represented in TCD? Why does TCD have no problem with certain people who advocate stoning women for infidelity speaking at TCD, but puts massive restrictions on a woman who’s done so much for human rights?
No I’ve never attended an event where I had to hand in my id card. I have attended many events where I had to produce a membership card and have found myself turned away from a debate because I did not have my card.
So, why are TCD insisting that cards be handed in and kept until the speaker finished her talk? Why are they taking names?
Could you quote where you are getting that from because for the life of me I can’t see it in her blog.
Yes, I’ve gone to events where I’ve had to show my card. But my card has never been kept. Why is TCD insisting on keeping the ID cards? Do you feel uncomfortable with this?
And again no one except for you has said anything about students having to surrender their cards.
If it was a request I would be pissed but so far its just you repeating the claim over and over again.
I think the mistake here is to think that it is anything to do with the content of the event. As it appears from their perspective it was an event being organised by a private individual and open to the general public. While normal practice is not to prevent members of the public attending college events they are not normally welcomed to them either. It was not (in their view) a normal TCD event. This all happened since Friday so a lot of hasty solutions had to be cobbled together. I have been at events that required such levels of security, but they were much more contentious and actually they were ticketed. The Society (for numerous reasons) dropped the ball, but that is a long way from the claim “TCD IS CENSORING ME!”
Well, let’s see if TCD invite her back without unusual conditions.
All she seemed to say was ‘Aoife’ a lot
“I however, was born yesterday” – claims baby in Rotunda.
” I particularly insist on being able to do so in light of the fact that only last month – 25 February – Kamal El Mekki who advocates the death penalty for apostasy was given space to speak at an event hosted by the “Muslim” Student Association. No conditions were placed on his talk and security did not threaten to cancel the event nor inform the Association that the speakers’ position on death for apostates would “antagonise” ex-Muslim and Muslim students who do not support apostasy laws. “
+ 1
– Political Correctness
It’s not a case of political correctness. It’s a case of a woman being forced to not speak in TCD because certain right-wing nutjobs are threatening violence if she’s allowed to speak.
Whose threatening violence?
Islamic State in South Dublin City Centre.
People who regard women’s right in the Muslim world as a bad thing.
I meant in terms of the backing down of the people orgnaizing. Political Correctness among presumed liberals staging this talk is making them bend to the notion that the Muslim minority couldn’t handle this kind of talk without trying to attack the speaker or something.
The rise of fascism right under our very noses.
Moustacholini!
Watch Irish Mommy LOSE it during Six Nations
tcd are afraid some irate religious fanatic will bomb the place and they’ll have to replace the front gate again.
Or, rather the Provost is afraid of alienating certain sections of the global community that he’s trying to get funding from.
Many a true word was spoken in jest.
Publicity stunt by a not-very interesting speaker. Her correspondence is virtually unintelligible, so skip the chances of debate you could make sense of.
MEH.
Note the timeline. Last minute gig.
Not very interesting? This woman has risked her life continually in the fight against the stoning of women, the discrimination against women, female genital mutilation. It seems that TCD after treating her appallingly is now throwing her to the dogs.
That society’s Facebook page makes me want to punch the wall.
Hi
Maryam is a well known and intelligent critic of Theocratic totalitarianism
It should come as no surprise that she would have a critical view of Islam as she did experience the oppression of theocratic rule herself
She is not speaking from the position of an observer rather from lived experience
She is entitled to express that lived experience and warn of the dangers of Theocracy
Regards Peter