While violence in the Middle East reached a fever pitch yesterday, tensions were felt half a world away on Penn State's own campus when what some considered inflammatory fliers concerning Israeli violence toward Palestinian civilians were handed out in the HUB.

Sobia Chaudhry, president of Penn State Muslim Student Association, said her organization along with some members of the Islamic Center of Central Pennsylvania handed out the fliers.

The material in the fliers accused the Israelis of using excessive force against the Palestinians, violating human rights and religious freedoms, and violating the sovereignty of Christian and Muslim holy sites.

Also included are quotes from Muslim and Arab-American leaders that read, "Scores of civilians, including children, have been killed and hundreds wounded by Israeli troops. Regrettably, American taxpayer dollars are being used to finance this mass murder. . .."

The Muslim and Arab-American leaders whose quotes were used were not specifically named in the flier.

The flier also contained information from CNN regarding the 12-year-old Palestinian boy who was shot by the Israeli army in Gaza earlier this month.

Tuvia Abramson, executive director of the Penn State Hillel Foundation, said he was shocked when the fliers were first brought to his attention.

"I feel at the campus, we try to build civility and equality and it's no place to publish this kind of flier," Abramson said.

Abramson also said nothing was published regarding Palestinian violence, citing the three Israeli soldiers that were killed by a Palestinian mob yesterday.

Although the Penn State Muslim Student Association and Islamic Society of Central Pennsylvania took responsibility for distributing the fliers, they were not listed as a contact on the information handed out, which frustrated Abramson.

"When people publish material like this and don't give names. . .they have one goal in mind — they want to incite hate," Abramson said.

Churches for Middle East Peace director Corine Whitlatch was listed as the sole contact on the flier handed out yesterday.

Whitlatch said a portion of the information included in the flier was taken from a newsletter her organization sends out, but was not intended to cast blame on one group more than another for the conflict in the Middle East.

She added, however, that Churches for Middle East Peace, whose members include some Protestant mainline denominations, Roman Catholic groups and traditional peace churches such as the Mennonites, are deeply concerned by the level of force being used by the Israelis and said their recent actions have been a "huge error."

She said many people receive her organization's newsletter via e-mail and it is not unusual for portions of it to be taken and used for the efforts of individuals not formally affiliated with Churches for Middle East Peace. She said has not discouraged this kind of activity.

Daryl Byler, director of Mennonite Central Committee's Washington, D.C., office said no Muslim organizations are permitted to be members of CMEP.

He added, however, that Churches for Middle East Peace has worked in the past with a variety of Muslim and Jewish organizations.

Chaudhry said Muslims associated with CMEP produced the flier and it was distributed to Muslim organizations across the country.

"Our main purpose is to educate on both sides about what is going on," Chaudhry said.

She said her organization is planning to distribute the fliers again.

Abramson said he is hoping to organize a dialogue with a Muslim organization, but was unsure whether it would be the Penn State Muslim Student Association.

Hillel plans to publish an advertisement in The Daily Collegian next Tuesday that includes the organization's statement concerning the violence in the Middle East.

"We have to talk about it, it's happening there, but it shouldn't happen here," Abramson said.