Westboro Baptist Church is coming to my school! (Rutgers)

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[h1]Anti-Semitic group to protest at U. Hillel[/h1]
By John S. Clyde

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Published: Sunday, October 18, 2009

Updated: Sunday, October 18, 2009
Picketers from the infamously anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic and anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church are scheduled to protest Oct. 28 at 8:45 a.m. outside Rutgers Hillel.
"[The University is] aware that a small protest has been planned. We have been in contact with both the protesters who informed us of their plans and with Hillel," said Director of Media Relations E.J. Miranda, who declined to give further comment.
About 10 protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church, which tries to spread their message through protests around the country, are expected to protest outside Hillel, said Shirley Phelps-Roper, a member and attorney for the group.
"The Westboro Baptist Church is an extremist organization that espouses the most despicable forms of anti-Semitic hate speech," said Student Board President Hilary Neher on behalf of Rutgers Hillel. "Rutgers Hillel abhors their message, which is based entirely on condemning and attacking not only Jews, but homosexuals, Catholics, and other Christian denominations. "
Rutgers Hillel will announce details of a counter protest later in the week and invites the University community to join together against the Westboro Baptist Church, according to the statement.
"Hatred like this has no place on our campus," Neher said in the statement.
The Westboro Baptist Church has engaged in more than 41,000 protests, some of which have taken place near the funerals of American soldiers, according to the group's Web site.
The group is scheduled to protest at 11 other New Jersey locations, including New Brunswick High School on Oct. 27-28, according to their Web site.
"Rutgers is a fluffy house of idols. It's a place where the arrogant, stupid doomed Americans … send their children to educate," said Phelps-Roper when asked why the group chose to protest at the University.
Phelps-Roper said children anger God with filthy habits, false gods and a belief that they can do whatever they want.
"You're going to get some edumacation [sic] at Rutgers and you're going to be so fluffy and smart when they get done - I'm being completely sarcastic," Phelps-Roper said. "It's a place where the children of this nation are taught rebellion against God and they have a name in this country and God hates them."
Phelps-Roper said the 36,000 students at Rutgers-New Brunswick have the right to be told the truth about what God requires of them.
Members of the community expressed disappointment and anger that members of the Westboro Baptist Church are coming to the University.
"This organization's values [are] inconsistent with the mission of the University," said Student Representative to the Board of Governors Eric Kaplan, an active Hillel member. "Let's be clear about this, [Westboro Baptist Church] is a hate group. Their values are not consistent with the values of the Rutgers community."
Rutgers has always been about diversity and Rutgers Hillel has always been embracing that mission, said School of Arts and Sciences senior Yonaton Yares, an active Hillel member.
"It is very disheartening to see that [the Westboro Baptist church] would go and do that," Yares said.
Kaplan encouraged students to remain peaceful when advocating for their views.
"I think peaceful, respectful protest is the best way to express your opinion," Kaplan said.
The Executive Board of the Rutgers University Student Assembly intends to present a resolution condemning the actions of Westboro Baptist Church to the general body at their Oct. 22 meeting in the Visitor Center on Busch campus, said RUSA Chair Werner Born.
"It's something they have every constitutional right to partake in, but at the same time it's almost as if these people go out with the pure intent of just bothering people and just trying to agitate the community," Born said.
Born said there needs to be a police presence around the group because protests like these agitate people.
"Especially at a school as diverse at Rutgers, it is really alarming and it could easily escalate to something that would not be a good situation," Born said.
The group should protest outside Brower Commons on the College Avenue campus if they want to express their viewpoints, Yares said.
"I do believe it is inappropriate to be protesting outside of a student center [such as] Rutgers Hillel," Yares said.
Hillel is a place that is open to all ideas regardless of where people come from, Yares said. This week, Hillel is participating in a dialogue between Christians, Muslims and Jews.
The dialogue is scheduled to take place Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Graduate Student Lounge of Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus.
Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, Kan., has about 50 members and about 70 people attend their Sunday services, Phelps-Roper said.
Phelps-Roper said members of the community who did not want the group near campus should, "Shut the hell up and obey your God."

Part of me wants to engage one of them in conversationwhen they're here. Most of me just wants to bring my camera along and snap pictures of the spectacle.

10 NT points for anybody that can come up with the funniest slogan, which I will then put on a giant poster board and use at their protest.