As’salaamu alaykum,

Our brothers and sisters in New York desperately need our help and support.

On March 29th, this Wednesday, an event is being held by a student organization at New York University called the Objectivist Club. The event’s purpose is to analyze the issue of free speech with an emphasis put on the vile cartoons published in Denmark that depicted the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and Islam in a highly offensive manner. This little known student group is also planning on displaying the cartoons at the event.

I joined Muslim students in an emergency meeting with the university and its administration on Friday to ensure the display will not go ahead. We did not get assurances we needed and the university hierarchy is still considering the issue. While the event itself poses no problems the pictures, as you know, are racist, offensive and will breed hate against Muslims as well as ridicule our beloved Prophet (pbuh).

The students at NYU need our help to stop this disgraceful exhibition. Can we all send a simple, polite email to John Sexton john.sexton@nyu.edu, the president of NYU, as well as Bob Butler bob.butler@nyu.edu, the director of student activities as NYU, letting them know your concerns.

I did tell the students that I would try and rally support overseas – so let’s show the NYU administration that if they mess with our brothers and sisters in New York they mess with all of us. The following is a letter that has already been sent to President Sexton earlier by the imam of the Islamic centre.

Your sister in Islam

Yvonne Ridley