Controversial speaker Daniel Pipes addressed both supporters and protesters in his discussion of Islam and the War on Terror yesterday.
Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, sought to explain that the enemy in the "war against terror" is not Islam itself, but a terroristic interpretation of Islam. His presence on campus was not welcomed by all, however, as many students present at the speech were in fact protesting Pipes' appearance at Penn.
"He stigmatized the Muslim community in a way that we are not," said Muslim Student Association President Amir Memon, who is a Wharton and College junior. "His work reveals that many Muslims are militant and radical and that's not the case."
The student group prepared for Pipes' arrival by posting flyers around campus which attempted to discredit him by listing his previous statements about Muslims and immigrants. In addition, 45 to 50 members of the MSA and allied groups were in the audience, Memon said.
Yet, despite the protesters' efforts before the speech, Pipes gave his lecture without interruption.
Pipes began by stating a clarification: "The American response to attacks in the past was to see this as a criminal problem. It was not seen as war," he said. "No attempt was made to undermine the enemy. Individual perpetrators were simply tried in court."
He went on to state that instead of just carrying out police actions, the United States. needs to fight a war against the ideology behind terrorism.
Pipes traced the roots of radical Islam to the early 20th century -- a time when totalitarian regimes such as communism and fascism were proliferating.
"Currently, radical Islam fosters a hatred of the West," he stated. "It is a misanthropic, misogynistic, jihadistic, suicidal version of Islam."
He "guesstimated" that the group that he terms "radical Islamists" comprises approximately 10 to 15 percent of the Muslim population. Yet he admitted that there was no concrete evidence to support this claim.
Pipes classified this group as a "small but very active minority, in a position to dominate." He also warned that their appeal was spreading, especially in countries such as Bangladesh and Indonesia.
His solution to the problem? "We need to come up with an alternative to radicalism in the Islamic world by working with non-radical Muslims," he proposed. "Radical Islam has become central. We need it to return to obscurity."
Pipes concluded the speech on a positive note, declaring, "I am confident that we will win the war" -- although he remained uncertain about the time frame for an eventual solution.
Pipes summed up his speech by quoting a Penn professor, whom he did not name. "This time we have already paid the price for victory. It remains for us to win it," he said.
Despite the large number of protesters at the speech, Memon was unhappy with the choice of speaker.
"What we really hope is that the Middle East Center doesn't bring people of similar sorts in the future," Memon said. "We hope that by showing our disapproval, that will send a message."
