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UNC to bring imam of ground zero center

Speaker likely to bring controversy

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Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf will serve as the 2011 Weil Lecturer.

UNC officials said they know this year’s Weil Lecturer will draw controversy.

But they hope that he will be better received than a controversial speaker who visited last year — former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo — whose speech was attended by three dozen police officers, a mobile command center and shouting students.

On March 16, UNC will host Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf as the speaker for the school’s annual Weil Lecture on American citizenship. Abdul Rauf is the imam of the planned interfaith cultural center that is to be built near Ground Zero.

The Weil Lecture was established in 1915 by Henry and Solomon Weil as a means of expanding discussion surrounding what it means to be an American.

Abdul Rauf was selected by a committee of faculty from across the campus, said Bill Balthrop, interim director of the Institute for the Arts and Humanities and professor of communications at UNC.

“The committee believed that the imam would be an appropriate person to bring to campus,” Balthrop said, adding that the committee hopes the visit will create debate and more open dialogue about the issue.

Balthrop said the committee does recognize the controversy that surrounds Abdul Rauf’s visit to UNC. But he said his confidence increased after learning that Anthony Dent, chairman of the UNC College Republicans, said his group would not condemn the speech. Tancredo was invited to campus last year after his initial on-campus speech with the College Republicans was halted amid a raucous protest.

“We do recognize that UNC is a liberal arts university and think getting all of the opinions represented is important,” Dent said.

Dent said his organization won’t co-sponsor the event because Abdul Rauf made a comment suggesting that the U.S. brought the 9/11 terrorist attacks upon itself.

But both Dent and members of the speaker selection committee said they think Abdul Rauf will be better received than Tancredo.

“We expect everyone to be respectful of each other’s right to express himself or herself, including the imam,” said Michael Gerhardt, a committee member.

He said that the committee hopes Abdul Rauf’s lecture will be an opportunity for attendees to reach a better understanding of what it means to be an American citizen.

“Students, faculty and the community will all benefit from his perspective and the conversation that ensues,” said committee member Andrew Perrin.

Balthrop said the committee hopes that the lecture will generate greater awareness — but not necessarily agreement.

“The ability to have that dialogue and to listen to differing voices and opinions seems to be among the most valued principles of American citizenship,” he said.

Members of the UNC community can pick up tickets using their OneCards starting Feb. 28 at the Memorial Hall box office. Tickets will be made available to the general public beginning March 3.

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.

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