"Tears were flowing out of my eyes as I was reading." Should a student Muslim Association be allowed to censor the campus newspaper in Oregon?

Hattip: LGF

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) -- A student's column in the Oregon State University campus newspaper has prompted protests by Muslim students, who say it is offensive to their faith.

   The piece headlined "The Islamic Double Standard" was written by OSU microbiology student Nathanael Blake and published in the Daily Barometer on Feb. 8.

   The column accused Muslims of expecting special treatment after a Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. Riots over the cartoons amounted to "savagery," Blake said. "Bluntly put, we expect Muslims to behave barbarously," his column said.

  
Playing the victim card, was Nada Mohamed, the vice-president of OSU's Muslim Student Association, who stated: "It was amazing that they (the campus newspaper) were allowed to publish this kind of stuff"..."Tears were flowing out of my eyes as I as reading..."I felt like somebody was ripping my heart out."

Now the "Senior editors" of the Daily Barometer meeting with the Muslim Student Association to edit items about Muslims and Islam. The editor-in-chief states that "editors have been checking copy with Muslim students and on Tuesday deleted one paragraph from a piece to be published the next day."

Naturally the Muslim Association "fired back" with an editorial of their own: "Whose double standard? A response on Islam, Muslims."

"It is quite sad to see the Daily Barometer follow our less-than-civil European media outlets...There is a lack of distinction between orthodox Islamic values and the actions of a minority of Muslims."

The student editor published a piece defending her columnist and the paper's decision to publish the column:

"For me," she wrote, "it would be journalistically irresponsible to only print columns with which no one disagreed."

Whose double standard indeed? Muslims do expect special treatment and accommodation. In a secular society to forbid the publication of material that points out unflattering characteristics of any religion and the censoring by a religious association is an example that double standard.

The Muslim Association, a campus group, has the right to submit articles to refute what was published but should not have the right of censorship.