The Volokh Conspiracy - University of Chicago Mohammed Cartoon Panel:

The Chicago Tribune reports:

The three-man panel discussion, organized by the university's chapter of the Objectivist Club, mainly focused on the U.S. media's reluctance to reprint the cartoons, first published in Denmark in September.

Panelist Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said the issue was simple: Journalists are afraid....

There was little disagreement among the panelists, ... [Lukianoff], Yaron Brook, president of the Ayn Rand Institute, and Tom Flynn, editor of Free Inquiry magazine.

Discussion organizers said they invited Muslim students, activists and faculty to participate, but they all declined. The Muslim Student Organization arranged a showing of the Palestinian film "Paradise Now," which is about suicide bombers, in another building at the same time as the panel's talk. The group's leaders repeatedly declined to comment Tuesday night.

About 60 people attended the discussion in the Kent Chemical Laboratory building's lecture hall. U. of C. spokeswoman Julia Morse estimated that about half the attendees were students....

Brook suggested that U.S. media were right to be afraid of publishing the cartoons because there are violent strains of Islam in the United States, as there are worldwide.

Flynn disagreed, saying that the unique freedoms and social makeup of the United States precluded any violent outburst over the cartoons, such as seen elsewhere.

"I think the American-Muslim community is dealing with this in a mature way," Flynn said....

Thanks to reader Ben Wilson for the pointer.

	[Eugene Volokh, April 26, 2006 at 12:50pm] Trackbacks University of Chicago Mohammed Cartoon Panel: The Chicago Tribune reports: The three-man panel discussion, organized by the university's chapter of the Objectivist Club, mainly focused on the U.S. media's reluctance to reprint the cartoons, first published in Denmark in September. Panelist Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said the issue was simple: Journalists are afraid.... There was little disagreement among the panelists, ... [Lukianoff], Yaron Brook, president of the Ayn Rand Institute, and Tom Flynn, editor of Free Inquiry magazine. Discussion organizers said they invited Muslim students, activists and faculty to participate, but they all declined. The Muslim Student Organization arranged a showing of the Palestinian film "Paradise Now," which is about suicide bombers, in another building at the same time as the panel's talk. The group's leaders repeatedly declined to comment Tuesday night. About 60 people attended the discussion in the Kent Chemical Laboratory building's lecture hall. U. of C. spokeswoman Julia Morse estimated that about half the attendees were students.... Brook suggested that U.S. media were right to be afraid of publishing the cartoons because there are violent strains of Islam in the United States, as there are worldwide. Flynn disagreed, saying that the unique freedoms and social makeup of the United States precluded any violent outburst over the cartoons, such as seen elsewhere. "I think the American-Muslim community is dealing with this in a mature way," Flynn said.... Thanks to reader Ben Wilson for the pointer.