Conservative activist David Horowitz will not be speaking at St. Louis University this month after school officials raised objections about the title and content of his speech, "Islamo-Fascism Awareness and Civil Rights." The SLU College Republicans, a student group, had invited Horowitz to speak on campus. The event would have been paid for out of student activity fees.
SLU said in a statement that it did not "ban" Horowitz from campus. Rather, the school was concerned that the event could be viewed as "attacking another faith and seeking to cause derision on campus."
Horowitz, reached by phone on Friday, called the university's decision "outrageous." He said his speech is about what he sees as a campaign against Jews and the state of Israel on many college campuses.
"I have spoken at 400 universities," he said. "This is the first time my speech has been censored and stopped by an administration. And they are supposed to be the guardians of intellectual discourse."
The school's action also prompted a sharp rebuke from Cary Nelson, the president of the American Association of University Professors, which found itself in the unusual position of defending Horowitz. The AAUP often does not see eye-to-eye with Horowitz, who criticizes college campuses for their women's studies departments and for allegedly stifling conservative opinions.
Nelson said in a statement that in canceling Horowitz's speech, SLU "joins the small group of campuses that are universities in name only."
"The free exchange of ideas is not just a comforting offshoot of higher education; it defines the fundamental nature of the enterprise," Nelson wrote.
SLU said it suggested students modify the proposed event to, for example, include scholars on Islam with different perspectives.
Danny Laub, a SLU junior and vice chairman of the College Republicans, said the group was open to some changes, such as a title more like "Terrorism Awareness" but said other suggestions would have diluted the program.
"We're not saying that David is 100 percent correct, but we think that stopping students from hearing what he has to say is not acceptable," Laub said.
His group met with university officials earlier this week to discuss the issue. Laub said he is especially interested in having the university review its speaker policy, which requires the university to approve all speakers who come to campus.
Horowitz spoke at Washington University in 2005 as part of the school's Assembly Series.
Protests often greet his speeches. And Horowitz said he knows that many people are particularly upset by the term "Islamo-fascist" but he said he does not insinuate that all Muslims are fascists.
This is not the first time SLU has objected to a speaker or event. "The Vagina Monologues," a play that touches on homosexuality and that is often attacked by Catholic groups, has been held on campus in the past. But in recent years, the school has refused to sponsor it, sending the student performance off campus.
Still, SLU's president, the Rev. Lawrence Biondi, has often spoken in favor of intellectual diversity.
"Sometimes that means hosting speakers, events or plays that some may find inappropriate on a Catholic college campus," he said in a 2006 speech. "But as soon as censorship begins at any university, where does censorship then end?"