Eight of the ten Muslim college students from University of California, Irvine charged with unlawfully disrupting a speech by Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. last year, listen to their attorneys speak after they were convicted at a court in Santa Ana, California on Sept. 23, 2011. REUTERS/Alex Gallardo

The Irvine 11, a group of Arab American student protesters, eight of whom were members of the Muslim Student Union, made national headlines after they were charged and later convicted on various charges for speaking out against Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren during a speech.

Beginning next week, one of the leaders of the group, activist and California-Irvine graduate Osama Shabaik, will speak on behalf of the “11” at three separate events in Dearborn and Detroit. 

The Arab American National Museum, Wayne State University, and Henry Ford Community College will all host Shabaik beginning with the museum’s event on Feb. 6. 

The Feb. 6 event is a fundraiser, which is set to begin at 6 p.m. On Tuesday, Feb. 7, Wayne State University will host fundraiser #2 at the Bernath Auditorium on the 1st floor of the David Adamany Undergaduate Library; the event begins at 12:15 p.m. 

The HFCC event will cap off the week with an event from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In Room L-14 of the HFCC Liberal Arts Building, located on the main campus. 

 Shabaik, who graduated as a Regent Scholar with honors from University of California Irvine (UCI), was one of the 11 who held a non-violent act of civil disobedience at UCI on Feb. 8, 2010 during a speech made by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren. Shabaik was the first student who stood up and spoke out during Oren’s speech.

 The Orange County District Attorney filed criminal charges against the 11 students, including conspiracy to disturb a lawful meeting and disturbance of a lawful meeting. This came as a surprise to many human rights activists and legal experts, since the 11 were already reprimanded by UCI officials, as the HFCC press release explains. 

The university’s disciplinary actions included the suspension of the Muslim Student Union for an academic quarter. The 11 students were convicted on Sept. 23, 2011. All of them were sentenced to three years of probation and community service.

Shaibak is now applying to law school while appealing his conviction. 

The campus of Cal-Irvine has a long history of tolerance for such student protests, Jewish Voice for Peace, a sponsor of the Wayne State event, wrote in a statement.

But the speaker was Oren, a high-ranking Israeli official, JVP noted, and all of the arrested and prosecuted protesters were Muslim students. The fundraising events are  also considered important educational events as focused illustrations of how Islamophobia is threatening the careers of some of the country’s brightest and most socially-conscious college students, the released continued. 

At HFCC, Shabaik will discuss the Irvine 11’s plan to appeal the verdict on the grounds of free speech. He will also address the political nature of the charges, especially in relation to the question of Palestine. 

The Wayne State event is sponsored by the Arab Student Union, Arab American Law Student Association, Muslim Law Student Association, and Muslim Student Association on campus. 

Community co-sponsors include JVP-Detroit, CAIR-MI, Friends of Sabeel-North America, ADC-Michigan and the Palestine Cultural Office. 

Donations are requested to defray the students’ legal expenses on appeal. All donations are tax-deductible. Checks may be made payable to the Muslim Legal Fund of America, with Irvine 11 in the memo line, or simply to the Irvine 11.  Those not able to attend the event may send their donation c/o Jewish Voice for Peace-Detroit chapter, 1394 East Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, MI 48207. 

The Wayne State event is sponsored jointly by the Arab Student Union and the Arab Cultural Studies Program. It is free and open to the public. For further information, contact Dr. Michael Daher at 313.845.6457.