The Badger Herald

OPINION & EDITORIAL

Lichtenheld’s criticism ignorant

by Letters to the Editor

Monday, October 22, 2007

In his recent attack piece on our upcoming Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week — a campus protest which will take place Oct. 22-26 on over 100 college campuses nationwide — Adam Lichtenheld reveals his immense ignorance, both about the Muslim religion and the reasons for our protest week (“Awareness’ weak on Islamic reality,” Oct. 17).

The term “Islamo-Fascism” was not coined by myself or by “radical Zionists” as Mr. Lichtenheld claims. It was originated by Muslims in Algeria who were attacked by religious fanatics who now call themselves the al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb. They slaughtered nearly 200,000 Muslims in the years 1990-2002. In fact, Islamo-fascists have killed more Muslims than any other group, making the very use of the term a statement of support for peaceful Muslims everywhere.

Ignorant of this crucial point, Mr. Lichtenheld goes on to demonize several of the experts and scholars participating in Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week, using ad-hominem attacks and isolated quotations in an effort to discredit them and claiming that they “lack the qualifications or general credibility to foster intellectual discussions on Islam, terrorism, or women’s rights.”

Well, let’s see: Daniel Pipes, one of the scholars he decrees unworthy, received a Ph.D. in history from Harvard and has written twelve books and hundreds of articles on Islam and related topics. How many books on Islam has Mr. Lichtenheld written?

Far from perpetuating “intolerance,” Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week will offer support to peaceful Muslims against the forces that have hijacked their religion and will defend women, gays, Christians, Jews, Hindus, and other groups who face attack from Islamic radicals.

I encourage Mr. Lichtenheld and all UW students to attend my campus speech tonight and other Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week events to obtain a more nuanced perspective on these crucial issues and the stakes in the War on Terror.

Sincerely,

David Horowitz

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