Beyond the Bubble
International News
French officials deported Islamic cleric Abdelkader Bouziane Wednesday for stating in a monthly magazine that the Koran permits men to beat their wives if guilty of adultery.
"We cannot tolerate comments made in public that go against human rights, damage human dignity â€" particularly that of women â€" incite hatred or violence, or justify terrorism,'' government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said in an article for Bloomberg News.
French Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin made the decision to deport the Algerian cleric after Bouziane also expressed his support for polygamy and segregation of the sexes in schools and the workplace in an interview for the magazine, Lyon Mag. Bouziane, 52, says he has 16 children from two wives, which should give him residency rights in France.
Muslim leaders criticized Bouziane's comments, though some felt the deportation might not have been the best decision.
"The real sanction should come from the (Muslim) community," said Mohamed Bechari, head of the National Federation of French Muslims, as reported by Reuters.
National News
A mock graduation ceremony was conducted on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Tuesday in hopes of pressuring the Bush administration to pass the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act.
The DREAM bill, as it is called, is intended to address the struggles faced by the estimated 65,000 illegal immigrants who will graduate from high school this year. Among the measures included in the bill is extending college tuition rates for students without legal U.S. status, according to the Washington Post.
Hundreds of supporters gathered to watch the ceremony consisting of more than 80 high school students dressed in graduation caps and gowns. The mock commencement was complete with an address by a designated valedictorian and a traditional cap tossing at its conclusion.
"Under current law, these young people generally derive their immigration status solely from their parents," the National Immigration Law Center said in a statement for MTV News, "and if their parents are undocumented or in immigration limbo, most have no mechanism to obtain legal residency even if they have lived most of their lives (in the U.S.). The bill provides a mechanism for those who are able to meet certain conditions."
College News
New York University administrators have just begun an intense process of "self-assessment" in order to find an explanation for the student deaths that have taken place since September.
The most recent death took place on March 6 when Cupertino-native Diana Chien, 19, stepped backwards off of a building, in an apparent accidental death. Two out of the total four deaths have been ruled suicides. 18-year-old Stephen Bohler's October death was ruled accidental due to intoxication.
After each death, NYU officials asked psychological experts for advice on how to deal with the situation.
NYU biology professor David Scicchitano said experts told them to try and keep the story quiet in order to avoid sensationalism â€" a move some have criticized.
"Entertainment News
Production for the 16th season of Fox's animated sitcom, "The Simpsons" has been suspended, as six members of the cast have refused to go to work in hopes of pressuring executives to issue pay raises.
The six actors provide the voices for essentially the entire cast of dozens of characters. None of them have shown up to work for over a month.
A total of six episodes have currently been finished for the next season â€" an amount that would allow networks to run the show from November to January.
Fox is considering alternative options for dealing with the absence of "The Simpsons," including moving "American Idol" or "That 70's Show" to Sunday â€" both unfavorable moves to Fox executives.
Another possibility is simply replacing the voices, a precedent set in 1999 when one of actress Maggie Roswell's characters, Maude Flanders, was eliminated from the show after Roswell demanded more money.
"The Simpsons" is Fox's second highest rated show and pulls in approximately $2.5 billion for the company each year.
-Compiled by Lance Dwyer