Freedom of expression and freedom of conscience are not respected at Berkeley's University

The essential purpose of a university, to be a true center of knowledge, is to be an open arena for the free exchange of ideas, one that promote research and structured and weighted debate that opens the doors to a synthesis of progress.
That is not what we are witnessing at the University of California, in Berkeley, at one time, long past, a center of knowledge proudly standing for free speech and freedom of thought. Those days are long over. Students now must completely conform to all kinds of political and moral orthodoxy or face the venomous rage of the student body and/or the disqualification of their professors.

Religious intolerance is now part of the toxic atmosphere that prevails in Berkeley. Students must fold to a forced antireligious relativism that promotes the formation of an entire generation of atheists. That is not the role on any university.

Among the most recent cases of antireligious intolerance we have now Isabella Chow as a victim of such a nefarious tendency. On October 31st, this Christian student choose to abstain from voting for a student resolution that would have affirmed transgenderism as good, normal and true. As a Christian, Isabella firmly believes that transgender ideology is harmful, not only to the individual but to the society as a whole. That is her choice in a free society. Thus, she decided simply to abstain from a vote for the resolution. As a result, Isabella has been ousted by her student party, threatened and mocked. Protests across the campus have called for her immediate resignation or a recall vote.

Organized antireligious groups are responsible for this dangerous trend. It all started when the Queer Alliance Resource Center (QARC) asked the student senate to condemn the Trump Administration’s “proposed definition of sex under Title IX” defining individuals as being male or female as fixed from birth.

But, what was Isabella's crime? This is simply what Isabela said at the open debate on this issue:

“I cannot vote for this bill without compromising my values and my responsibility to the community that elected me to represent them. As a Christian, I personally do believe that certain acts and lifestyles conflict with what is good, right, and true. I believe that God created male and female at the beginning of time, and designed sex for marriage between one man and one woman. For me, to love another person does not mean that I silently concur when, at the bottom of my heart, I do not believe that your choices are right or the best for you as an individual."

Isabella is the daughter of Malaysian-Cambodian immigrants and a junior double majoring in business administration and music. She has a lot to lose in refusing to compromise on her convictions. However, I've heard Chow telling Fox News she now has her friends walk with her to class for fear of safety amid the backlash, but she doesn’t plan on resigning.

“No matter how difficult this has been, if I don’t represent the Christian perspective – the minority perspective – there won’t be anyone to represent these views. I’m doing this for the Christian community. I know that I was called for such a time as this…backing down is not an option, especially when backing down means giving in to political pressure and political correctness.”

Unfortunately, other important networks have not found this case interesting for their news. I've monitored them and I can attest to the fact.

In the midst of so much hatred on campus, Isabella says that she’s been deeply encouraged by Christians from across the country reaching out to her in support. “I’m reminded the rest of the world is not a bubble the way Berkeley is, and honestly that gives me hope.”

It doesn't matter if we're religious or Christians. The important thing is that we are members of a free society that we must defend, raising our voice of condemnation before all these cases of intolerance and repression.

<More in Spanish HERE >