In a country that sets its democratic ideals as precedent for the rest of the world, one would assume that its constitutional rights would prevail under any circumstances. Regretfully, all of this has changed, as the verdict of the "Irvine 11" case was guilty on Friday, Sept. 23, 2011.
In February of 2010, 11 students from both UC Irvine and UC Riverside heckled Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren at UC Irvine.
Almost a year later, the students were criminally charged with one misdemeanor count to disturb a meeting and one misdemeanor count of a conspiracy to disturb a meeting. The defendants and supporters had faith that despite the energy, time and money wasted in the case, in the end the justice system would prevail and grant the defendants their constitutional rights.
To hear that they were found guilty on all counts was shocking and gravely disappointing. According to the Orange County Register, their punishment is three years of informal probation, 56 hours of community service and an assortment of fees.
It is no secret that protests are a common practice among college campuses. If students were criminally charged for every university protest that took place, our jails would be filled with undergraduate students. The prosecutors argue that the protestors heckled Michael Oren and were disruptive to the meeting.
Sure the student protestors were rude, but since when did being rude become a crime in America? Israel is responsible for abusing international human rights laws and committing genocide against the Palestinians for decades. For these students to speak truth to power was an act of bravery.
The right to free speech was infringed upon these students because they were Muslim. The Prosecution had dubbed this case as the "UCI Muslim Case," as reported by the OC Register.
The OCDA has attempted to intimidate the views of Muslims regarding the Israeli-Palestinian issue. If it were students of any other race or faith group they would not have been selectively targeted and prosecuted. The "Irvine 11" were scapegoats for the Orange County District Attorney to demonstrate that all criticism of Israel should be silenced. Despite the motives for this prosecution, one thing is for certain; such a case was unprecedented and the outcome of the case was a travesty of justice.
In order to bring about change, historically, a triggering event must take place that cannot go unnoticed. The verdict of the "Irvine 11" was just that. We should be worried about the democratic future of America if we do not at least acknowledge that a great injustice has taken place and we are still far from achieving justice and equality for all.
Had the outcome of the case been in favor of the defendants, we would not have been as committed and passionate about bringing about the positive change that needs to take place.
The verdict of the "Irvine 11" was not the end, but the beginning for all people of conscience to fight vehemently for justice, to speak in the face of oppression, and lastly, to strive to help establish a process where all American citizens, regardless of race or religion, are treated with due process of law.
Ojaala Ahmad is a senior International Studies Major and contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.
is a member of the 
