Temple Students Protest Anti-Islam Speaker

Some Temple University students are fuming over controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders visit to campus Tuesday night. He was in town to speak to a student group about his views on the Qur'an.

The Dutch Parliamentarian best known for his criticism of Islam, which includes the opinion that the Koran promotes violence against “infidels,” likening it to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, was invited to speak by the student organization Temple University Purpose and is being funded by the California-based David Horowitz Freedom Center.

Because Wilders, who proclaims “I don’t hate Muslims. I hate Islam,”  is not exactly popular -- especially among Muslims -- students protested his speech throughout the day and into the night.

"This is religious racism in the name of free speech," said one student.

"The Muslim population at Temple feels attacked, threatened, and ultimately unsafe that Mr. Wilders has been invited to voice his hate-driven opinions,'' the Muslim Students Association wrote in a letter to university officials.

Brittany Walsh, the president of Purpose,said that her group respects Muslim students' opposition. Purpose does not necessarily share Wilders' opinions, she said, but feels it is important to discuss them.

“It's an opportunity for the students to really express and practice their freedom of speech,” Walsh said. “We want them to feel like they've been to given the opportunity to grow as individuals and as students.”

Temple officials issued a statement saying the university “is a community of scholars in which freedom of inquiry and freedom of expression are valued.”

“We respect the right of our student organizations to invite people who express a wide variety of views and ideas,” the school said in a statement.

British officials once banned Wilders from visiting for fear it would spark violence. He successfully sued the government and visited Friday.

Wilders is scheduled to speak at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday.

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