News-Record.com

Allen, along with some Quaker principles at work there was also another faith tradition that greatly assisted to calm the climate and begin some healing. That was the Greensboro Muslim community, especially the Palestinian Muslim community. Badi Ali's kind words of friendship and healing about the incident helped guide the way towards reconciliation.

Badi Ali's words:

Imam Badi Ali, president of Greensboro’s Islamic Center of the Triad, said he believes Guilford College should address the behavior of its football team, but said he does not blame the institution for the violence.

“This has nothing to do with the college; it has nothing to do with the Quaker community,” said Ali, who is Palestinian. “I am really sorry that this happened at Guilford College. I know the Quakers. They are our friends. My heart goes out to them in this crisis.

“In all the colleges here in Greensboro, they recruit students from Palestine,” he added. “They open their doors, their hearts, their pockets. What else? Do we see other colleges doing that? No. Do we see other countries doing that? No. The Quakers were able to help other communities here in Greensboro. Now they are opening their arms to Arabs and Muslims. Their reaction, their politics are my own.”

Good point, John. I spoke to Ali early during the controversy and he cautioned patience. He said he'd learned an important lesson from the scuffle between police and an elderly Egyptian woman a couple years ago.

“This has nothing to do with the college; it has nothing to do with the Quaker community.”

What a profound statement.

Even when something bad happens in a community, it does not mean it is because of the community.

One bad person in a good environment can achieve horrible things.

The school or the community needs to respond adequately when bad things happen, but we need to be careful about blaming a community for isolated incidents involving misguided individuals who would probably behave poorly in any environment.

What happened to being beaten by as many as 15 people with bricks and brass knuckles? As I have contended from the start it appears this was an alcohol fueled brawl amongst college students. Shameful and idiotic but no more. Of all the entities involved Guilford appears to have got it right.

Now unloose the unshaven hippies on Guilford brandishing "Cover Up" and "Hate Crime" poster boards.

Despite the lessons of Duke, their assumptions do appear to have been naive and premature.

If I understand today's article right, two of the students' charges were dismissed becuase they were never involved to start with. Does this not undermine the charges against the others?