Hate speech is not protected

Xenophobia, as defined by The American Heritage Dictionary, is “a person unduly fearful or contemptuous of that which is foreign.”

Over the past several years, our nation has become victim to this sentiment, but until recently, our campus has been exempt. We can thank members of the “Warriors of Truth and Freedom,” for shattering that despicable barrier. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, let me recap on what’s been going on.

Last week, posters entitled “Islam – Religion of Peace” were put up around campus with quotes from the Quran, which seem to speak about subjugation of nonbelievers and women (some of which were taken out of context). A deliberate attempt to defame the religion of Islam, these inappropriate posters must all come down for they do nothing but lead to abhorrence of Muslims.

For one to profess to Islam is not synonymous with professing to violence and hatred. Believe it or not, not all terrorists are Muslims. Now, I know the defense of these vile actors will include the clich‚ argument of “freedom of speech.” I agree, by all means, freedom of speech is a valued piece of our nation and institution but we must not confuse what is our right to express and what is leading to flat out hatred. There is a fine line between the two, and it does not take one much to realize when they’ve crossed it.

It would be the same if I went around campus posting a Neo-Nazi poster defaming Jews. Not only would an act like that be immoral, but would also not be protected by our right to free speech. For those participating members of “Warriors of Truth and Freedom,” hate speech is NOT a protected form of speech.

Kayvan Chinichian
Political science sophomore