Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: Forum

As an American who believes in free speech, I support College Republicans' right to invite David Horowitz to speak on our campus. However, I cannot allow my fellow students to be victims of the deception and misinformation created by David Horowitz's remarks at last night's event.

Although the topic of Horowitz's speech was "threats to American freedom," it seemed more like an hour and a half filled with blatant lies about Islam, aimed to instill fear and incite hatred toward Muslims. He claimed that "very few Muslims would condemn genocidal attack on Jews." Let me make clear that Muslims vehemently reject the use of violence in the name of our religion and don't support the killing of innocent civilians for any reason.

Rather, we wholeheartedly embrace the American ideal of peace that Horowitz claims to defend.

More personally, we take issue with Horowitz's outrageous assertion that "every Middle Eastern Studies Department and every MSA (Muslim Student Association) is a supporter of the jihad." As co-President of the Northwestern Muslim-cultural Students Association, it disgusts me to hear someone so drastically misrepresent the constituency that I serve.

We hope that our fellow students know better than to believe these lies based on their everyday interactions with Muslims at Northwestern. From handing out hot chocolate at the Rock to holding academically informative and culturally enriching events, members of McSA contribute a great deal to the Northwestern experience. We strive to unite with our fellow students, not wage "jihad" against them. We hope that College Republicans will not repeat the mistake of bringing such an offensive and divisive speaker who attempts to alienate an integral part of the Northwestern community.

-DANA SHABEEB
Weinberg junior
Co-president, Muslim-cultural Student Association

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