University Gets Muslim Funding; Drops Coat of Arms

From WND, hat-tip to Lansing.

Look at the timing on this one. Another example of "bought and paid for" in the USA:

"Another university is dropping a cross from its historic imagery, saying it creates confusion and sends the wrong message.

The announcement from Simon Fraser University near Vancouver, B.C., about the school's Coat of Arms brings it in alignment with a precedent set earlier by the College of William and Mary, which said in a story WND broke that a historic cross in a structure built as a Christian chapel hundreds of years ago would have to go because it offended some people.

A spokesman for Simon Fraser said the two crosses on the 40-year-old emblem are a problem. Warren Gill, the school's vice-president of university relations, said the school doesn't want people to think the wrong thing.

(....)

"Gill said a new coat of arms will replace the crosses with emblems of books, although the old coat of arms, which has been used since 1965, will remain on university buildings. It was approved by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the custodian of and the authority for Scottish Heraldry, and was based on the personal coat of arms of the clan chief, Simon Fraser Lord Lovat.

Gill said the new design has taken officials 18 months to develop, and it is expected to be approved by the Canadian Heraldic Authority by summer.

Notes of a formal meeting of the school's Board of Governors said the change will replace each "crosslet" with a book, so "the top part of the shield (the chief) would contain three matching books."

The school said the "crosslets" are representative of those crosses used by crusaders on their travels.

At virtually the same time, the school announced that was creating a center for the study of Muslim issues.

It is being funded by $1 million from the Amin Lalji family and $250,000 from school Board of Governors chair Saida Rasul and her husband Firoz.

"We have already a very strong program in Middle Eastern and Islamic history, an endowed lectureship in Iranian and Persian studies, courses in Persian, and soon, Arabic and other languages," said SFU President Michael Stevenson. "These activities are a strong base for building an internationally recognized center for scholarship that embraces the full diversity of Muslim societies and cultures."

In a months-old controversy that still is reverberating, the president of the College of William and Mary College ordered the removal of a donated cross from the historic Wren Chapel."

Even when not folding due to Political Correctitude, you can always follow the money trail. Read the rest.

Technorati Tags:

Simon Fraser University
Crosses
muslim funding
Christian symbols