In his letter on Tuesday, Professor Steve Howard questions the decision of the Baker Peace Committee to invite Ayaan Hirsi Ali to deliver the keynote address for the 2010 Baker Peace Conference. Prof. Howard labels Ms. Ali's views grossly misleading...bordering on silly and nonsense. He writes that both his own conference, and a panel to be organized by his students, will provide an alternative forum to correct Ms. Ali's supposed misinformation.
To my way of thinking, if not to Prof. Howard's, this demonstrates the university operating as it should: Offering a wide diversity of views and hosting spirited debates. Prof. Howard is free to express his opinions secure in the knowledge that he will suffer no harm for doing so. Unfortunately, in his intemperate letter, he refers to Ms. Ali - who has never committed an act of violence, but is herself subject to repeated death threats merely for speaking her mind as a stealth bomber. Given the circumstances, this is a peculiarly tasteless metaphor.
Steven M. Miner is a professor of history and director of the Contemporary History Institute, which sponsored the event.
4 Opinion
Letter to the Editor
