ep 13, 2002 
Demonstrators mar memorial service 

Our View:

The Peace Forum and the Muslim Students Association
should have promoted their agendas somewhere other than
the Sept. 11 vigil.

Wednesday's vigil was a quiet affair, the kind that
didn't throw itself in the faces of people who did not
want to be there. The unimposing banners, the respectful
reading of victims' names, the entire atmosphere was
intended to invite anyone who wanted to share their grief
while not alienating those who did not.

Unfortunately, the Sept. 11 vigil had some unexpected
visitors.

Both the Peace Forum and the Muslim Students Association
members chose the vigil as a forum to further their own
agendas. The Peace Forum held signs declaring their
stance against a war on Iraq; the MSA handed out
literature explaining the tenets of Islam.

The validity of these causes is not in question. At any
other time, at any other place, the activists would have
likely been welcomed, even encouraged, to spark open
debate. The memorial on McKeldin Mall, however, was not
the proper forum to play politics.

A vigil is a public convergence of personal reflection.
It is meant to facilitate the grieving process in order
to encourage healing. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11
were the first, and hopefully last, great tragedy shared
by this generation.  Students sought out the
university-sponsored event in an attempt to connect with
others who have had to cope with feelings of loss and
violation. It was supposed to be solemn.

Instead, the presence of the Peace Forum and MSA
encroached upon some students' meditations. Some might
say they cheapened the experience by forcing their
agendas into the minds of the suffering. Had the groups
merely moved from the mall to the Student Union, just a
short distance away, they would have found a more
appropriate, and accepting, audience.

Members of the Peace Forum and the MSA certainly had the
right to attend the vigil, and they also have the right
to do their best to educate university students about
their respective concerns. However, the members should
have used a little discretion before they decided to
politicize solemn affair.