TEMPLE U: NO FREE SPEECH

Jeers Cut Short Temple University's Event With Anti-Islamic Dutch Lawmaker

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

AP

Oct. 20, 2009: Dutch politician Geert Wilders speaks at Temple University in Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA — An anti-Islamic Dutch lawmaker's visit to Temple University was cut short after a question-and-answer session turned nasty.

Geert Wilders was escorted from the Philadelphia university's lecture hall as some in the crowd of several hundred students began shouting jeers at the Dutch politician.

Wilders' previous 30-minute address was met by a mixture of applause and boos Tuesday night at the public university serving about 34,000 students.

He touched on common themes in his speeches, including calling the Muslim holy book, the Koran, "an evil book" that promotes violence and intolerance.

The event was organized by a student group called Purpose and is being funded by the California-based David Horowitz Freedom Center, a foundation that promotes conservative scholarship .

Wilders has outraged Muslims by comparing their holy book, the Koran, to Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and for his calls to end Muslim immigration to the Netherlands.

Muslim students at Temple, a public university serving about 34,000 students, and their supporters protested the event.

"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, didn't immediately respond to messages left by The Associated Press. She told the Philadelphia Daily News that her group does not share Wilders' opinions, but intends the event as a forum for students to "hash out unconventional views."

"I respect their opposition to it," she said of the Muslim students. The goal is to "promote freedom of speech and give students an education opportunity of a lifetime to raise concerns and issues with a prominent international figure."

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.