UW-Madison will host a controversial speaker on Islam and feminism Tuesday who has stirred significant debate among students and faculty on campus.
Tuesday's speaker, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has publicly rejected many aspects of Islamic culture, was chosen in December by a student committee to speak as part of the Wisconsin Union's Distinguished Lecture Series.
The committee's decision to bring Hirsi Ali to campus, however, has caused some concern from the UW-Madison Muslim Student Association.
""We are disappointed that university funds are being used to fund such a speaker,"" MSA President Rashid Dar said.
Dar said although he acknowledges that Hirsi Ali is entitled to her own beliefs, he is afraid her lecture will leave students with the wrong message about Muslims in America.
""That leaves a suspicion of Muslims, a hatred of Muslims, a prejudice against Muslims that in the end can become a slippery slope that can lead to many things,"" he said.
Reid Tice, director of the DLS committee, said UW-Madison does not take a stance on any of the DLS speakers and that the goal of bringing Hirsi Ali to campus was to spark discussion among students and faculty.
""Without the controversy, not that many people would pay attention, so it's a trade-off,"" he said. ""But it has worked out well in terms of getting people to pay attention to what the committee feels is an important issue.""
Tice added that many UW-Madison organizations have co-sponsored Hirsi Ali's visit to campus, which has generated even more discussions about the issue.
""There are a lot of groups that do support her for a lot of different reasons, and that is something we don't think we could have gotten with a less controversial person,"" he said.
Dar said although he is still against Hirsi Ali coming to campus, he and many other members of MSA will still attend Tuesday's event.
