bserver THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM COLLEGE tit LINCOLN CENTER April 12, 2002 www.fclcobservef.com VOLUME XX, Issue 12 Catholic Fordham Students Remain Faithful Despite Church Scandal By Susanna Haunter, FCLC '03 Bernard Law, who, along with other church leaders, knew of Geoghan's histo- Many Catholic Fordham students ry of sexually abusing children while remain loyal to their religion and to the they transferred him from parish to Catholic Church despite the sexual abuse parish in the 1980'sand 1990's, accord- scandal that has engulfed the Roman ing to the New York Times, lrt response Catholic Church over the past few to the allegations and subsequent investi- weeks. Many students express feelings gations, Law has apologized and given of hurt, sadness and betrayal in response local prosecutors the names of more than to the scandal; but their fundamental 80 priests accused of sexual abuse over faith in Christ, as well as in most aspects the p^ast 50 years. ofthe.church, have not been shaken. Sihce January, at least 80 Catholic Allegations of child sexual1 abuse priests Out of more than 47,000 nation- vtifftift tiie Catholic CHtircri garnered wide have been removed, Suspended, put national attention in January when The on administrative leave, or forced to ffiMw Qfohe reported that Boston resign <jf retire, according to The New chttfch officials had' ignored allegations Ydtkftttiei. Nfosifoftiiepriesttremoved of abuse against a former priest who has had been involved' in old cases, but new since been convicted of child abuse. The accusations have recently been made, former priest, John Geoghan, has been the media continues to report new cases accused of molesting more than 130 of priests accused of pedophilia and children over a SO-yeaf period. cases of cover-ups on ah almost daily the scandal has severely damaged the basis. By Rita Brunolll St. Paul's, a center of worship for Fordham Catholics reputation and credibility of Cardinal But many (continued to page 5) Fordham Students Counter-Protest INSIDE Hate Protests COMMENTARY: day irt protest of the F.D.N. Y. outside The Church: No Longer a of the Fire Department at 9 Metro Place to Hide teen Center in Brooklyn, according page 7 to Michael Keefe-Feldman, FCLC '02. "There were about 15 of them, FEATtJ&ES: Phelps and his family, and maybe 40 Who Needs Gay TV? or so of us. they were just walking pages 10 & 12 around with signs and some of them didn't make any sense, like* one that said 'Daniel Pearl is a fag.' the rea- Why Do We Root for son they went to protest the F.D.ft.Y Underdogs? was because in Phelps' sermons he page 27 says that gay people are the reason that September 11 happened," Keefe- Feldman said. "I found out about [the protest] from a friend of mine, ft "UrWetown" Pees on the Hand upset him that a person could preach that feeds that kind of hate." Mark Durbak, page 14 FCLC '04, and other students found out about the protest from Keefe- VOX: By Danytl Grelllch Feldman, who helped organize the group from Fordham that counter- Liza Minelli and the Wu Tang Clan: A New Collaboration By Laura Ralph, FCLC'03 Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) on protested. Saturday, March 9. Phelps and the "I decided to go to the protest - Students from the Fordham com- WBC, who oppose the homosexual because first of all, it is despicable munity attended a series of counter- lifestyle and claim that September 11 that anyone would use September 11 protests against Reverend Fred Phelps was an act of God to punish Amerioa, in hate or to play their political agen- and His Topeka, Kansas-based held their first demonstration of the da. Also (continued on page 2) News April 12, 2002 page 2 An American on Muslim American Life By Jason Ferrante, FCLC'05 following the attack "I got a call from up and then tears it in half) can say justify a certain kind of behavior," a friend of mine, a Rabbi, who wanted 'take it all off baby, take it off... and said Malib. At-7 p.m. in McMahon hall on me to come down to the site. I went, that is acceptable for us- that is a con- Malib began his lecture talking Wednesday March 19, the Stein and I was with some of the members flict for me! As a Muslim, for me... to about the present condition of life in Scholars Program, a program that acts of the clergy. I cannot believe all the see women being degraded to that America and life in general that out of Fordham Law School, provided negative things they were saying... extent... [that] being portrayed as a Muslim people face. He ended by cul- the Fordham community with an they did not realize I too was statement of freedom is not a state- minating the effects of the negative evening of insight into the present Muslim." ment of freedom!" campaigns on Arab Muslims. "You Muslim condition, post 9/11, with In the lecture Mr. Malib admitted, He talks about the true nature of have Muslims today that don't even guest speaker Abdul Malib. that like all societal groups' religions, Jesus. "From Jesus we have been want to be who they are because they "Our country has be founded upon his has its own short comings. He made to believe that... he came into have been made to feel so ashamed of those people who stood up for truth stated that "the majority of people in the city and blessed everything and themselves that they hate being who but [who] were often dislike[d] in their the world of Islam, like that in the forgave everything and everybody. I they are." times, such as Dr. King," Malib said. world of Christianity, are not in tune don't know why people think that! If Malib says in order to understand, Malib is an African American who with what god has to say... there is a you read the bible you will see that society must learn and evaluate the was raised as a Christian and convert- difference between what the Koran is Jesus is a revolutionary human past history of his religion. He wants ed to Islam when he was a student and teaching and what the people are prac- being." Malib went on to discuss how students to stand up for people who he was later enlightened as he studied in ticing... but one of the things the Jesus fought for social justice and says "are being slandered [which] in Mecca. Today he attempts to right media is good at doing is portraying equality, and about the bible and how religion is the worst thing that one can some of the wrong misconceptions of Islam as oppressive." it teaches us not fight against our own do... If your name and picture goes his beloved religion and its people. In respect to the coverage of the flesh and blood but against rulers of up... with 'child molester' or 'rapist' He analyzes the problem with reli- female body he states that "In our darkness and people in high places. on the front page of the Post or NY gions today and hones in on topics of society if we see a woman covered she "You see most people don't really Times, they can apologize all they cultural and religious bias and bigotry, is oppressed... but Mother Teresa was understand what is going on... want- you're finished." that he believes are as present today as covered no one made fun of her... we because we have been deceived... So Malib challenged students to read they were some forty years ago. protest coverage as oppression of now terrorism, Muslims, they will kill in order to understand, question them- At one point he talks about a per- women but in our society men for this you! What is the purpose of this kind selves, and realize that only 15% of all sonal experience of this bias the day paper (he is holding a five dollar bill of boogey-man scare tactic? It is to Muslims are Arabs. • is There Such a Thing As A PUBLIC FORUM AND DIALOGUE Thursday, April 18 at 6 p.m. Oscar Htyuelos, winner of the Pulteer Prize for Fiction for The Mambo Fordham University School of Law Kings Played Songs of Love, a national and international bestseller and later adapted into a major motion picture. Hijuetos has written McNalty Amphitheater, 140 West 62nd Street four other critically acclaimed novels; his latest novel, A Simple Habana Melody, will appear in May 2002 and wilt be published by Speakers HarperCollins. Oscar Hijuetos Piter Quinn, winner of an American Book Award for his critically Peter Quinn acclaimed novel, Banished Children of Eve (1994 Viking: 1995 Penguin). Formally the head speechwriter for Governors Hugh Carey and Mario Moderator Cuomo, Quinn is currently the corporate editorial director for AOL Rev. George W. Hunt, S.J. Time Warner. His latest novel, None But Executioners, will be pub- lished In autumn 2002. For more information, contact the Archbishop Hughes Rev. George W. Hunt, S.J., Director of the Archbishop Hughes Institute Institute on Religion and Culture at (718) 817*3185. for Religion and Culture at Fordham University and author of two Uterary studies: John Updike and the Three Great Secret Things: Sex, Religion, Admission is free. Ughf refreshments and Art (1980); and John Cheeven The Hobgoblin Company of Love will be served before and after the event. (1983). Father Hunt served as the editor-in-chief of America, the Jesuit weekly magazine, from 1984 to 1998.