Dear Editor:
I was somewhat unimpressed at Tufts' response to "Islamo-facism Week" this past week. I have always felt that protesting someone's opinion was one of the best ways of making that opinion legitimate. The campus saw exactly that happen last week.
By giving Daniel Pipes so much attention, the Tufts community gave Mr. Pipes everything he wanted. Furthermore, by even considering his ludicrous opinions, they made his outrageous statements about Muslims seem like a legitimate part of the discussion about terrorism in America. The event made me wonder just how accepting the Tufts community is of alternative views.
When I noticed an event listed on TuftsLife.com yesterday called "Disturbing Documentaries: Hell House and Jesus Camp," I began wondering whether the Tufts community is accepting of all views ... that a majority of Tuftonians believe. The brand new Freethought Society at Tufts, the event's sponsoring organization, apparently views religion as "scary" and documentaries about Christianity as "terrifying."
Yet that the society's event (of course funded by the money the group receives from the TCU Senate) was full of hateful undertones (and overtones, for that matter) went unnoticed. I did not receive multiple pleas asking me to protest the Freethought Society. I saw no fliers expressing the hate the society exudes.
Was it because no one noticed? Or because most people at Tufts agree with the minority view that religion does not exist? I think not.
For now, I will have to assume that the Tufts community is accepting of beliefs that a majority of the community holds - because protesting the Freethought Society would legitimize their vastly less-than-legitimate views.
Matt RiezmanClass of 2008
