UT students and civil rights activists said Friday they fear that a U.S. Army investigation of a law school conference on Islam was a discriminatory attempt to stifle freedom of speech.
Two Army intelligence agents visited several offices Feb. 2, looking for a roster and videotape from the conference, titled "Islam and the Law: The Question of Sexism." They were investigating allegations by two Army personnel who attended the symposium. The attendees had said they were approached by three "suspicious" Middle Eastern men, according to Commander Demetria Marria.
Jessica Biddle, a law student, was approached by Special Agent Jason Treesh in the office of the Texas Journal of Women and the Law.
"He was aggressive and very blunt," Biddle said. "I think he was using the element of surprise to get what he wanted."
Biddle said it seemed "obvious" that the conference was targeted because it dealt with Islam.
"I'm really disappointed and outraged," Biddle said. "It's gotten to a point where any time there is a meeting with an exchange of ideas concerning Islam, it's deserving of investigation."
Treesh was looking for the conference's organizer, law student Sahar Aziz, but she was out of the office.
"This was a very intimidating and frightening experience for me," Aziz said. "They could have discretely requested this information rather than going to the office searching for me and the roster, creating a frenzy within the school."
Aziz had a list of some attendees who ordered lunch, but no full roster. The agent had no subpoena or search warrant, so she would not have given him the information if she had been there, she said.
The conference featured scholars from across the country speaking about women's rights within the Muslim faith.
"There was nobody there that was controversial or suspicious or pushing the envelope in any way," Aziz said. "We didn't venture into foreign policy or international affairs. That's what left us all baffled."
Deborah Parker, chief of public affairs for the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, told The Associated Press Friday that the allegations were under review.
The U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command would not comment to The Daily Texan Friday regarding the news conference.
Carlos Villarreal, regional vice president for the National Lawyers Guild, compared the incident to federal prosecutors ordering Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, to turn over the name of students attending an anti-war protest Nov. 16. The request was dropped Tuesday after pressure from civil rights activists.
"The actions at this law school have had a chilling effect on students' rights to freedom of association and freedom of speech," Villarreal said. "This is a part of what appears to be a growing movement by the federal government to stifle any activity that appears to go against their agenda."
The law school is holding another conference Feb. 26 entitled, "Terrorism and the War on Civil Liberties, Civil Rights and Immigrants After 9/11."
Aziz said she will continue to exercise her freedom of speech by attending and hopes other students won't be frightened away.
"We want to encourage students to come and learn," Aziz said. "They shouldn't be scared that if they come they will automatically be targeted."
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