Students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have used a controversial speech at the school to launch a broader conversation about feeling unsafe on campus.
The UNC College Republicans invited conservative writer David Horowitz to speak at the school on April 13. In his speech, Horowitz said the Muslim Students Association and Students for Justice in Palestine are associated with terrorist organizations, reports the campus newspaper, the Daily Tar Heel.
Horowitz added that SJP and the MSA -- along with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Fatah, Iran and Hezbollah -- intend to "kill the Jews, to push them into the sea."
"These accusations are harmful not only to members of these organizations but also to our community as a whole," student body president Houston Summers wrote in a letter to the editor.
After Horowitz's speech, some UNC students began an online campaign called #NotSafeUNC to show how they have felt discriminated against on and around campus. The campaign is not just for Arab and Muslim students, but for any student who identifies as a marginalized person.
Horowitz's speech came two months after members of a Muslim family -- Deah Barakat, 23, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Razan Abu-Salha, 19 -- were killed in Chapel Hill by Craig Hicks, who will face a death penalty trial. The killings caused a strong reaction among Muslim and Arab students nationwide, who saw them as an indication that they may not be safe, even when on or near a campus.
The speech also comes during a school year that, nationwide, has seen increased attention to marginalization and microaggressions -- for example, though the proliferation of the #BlackLivesMatter movement on college campuses.
Farris Barakat, brother of Deah Barakat, responded to #NotSafeUNC by tweeting that his brother died because "freedom of speech has been used to defame Muslims through lies. Speak up."
"In no way did the UNC College Republicans intend to cause feelings of fear for any student," the College Republicans said in a statement. "Being uncomfortable with something that’s said does not equate with being unsafe, and we intended to do nothing more than cause academic discomfort by inviting David Horowitz to UNC."
The statement also listed five former MSA affiliates who were connected to terrorism since the early 1980s.
"Let it be published, that UNC Muslim Students Association (UNC MSA) is not a terrorist group, nor is it affiliated with or funded by any terrorist groups," the MSA said in its own statement. "It is absurd that we even need to make this statement."
Following Horowitz's comments, UNC College Republicans' chairman, Frank Pray, suggested that the school's MSA and SJP be reformed, according to the Daily Tar Heel. Pray did not respond to The Huffington Post's request for comment.
In response, SJP leaders wrote, "Pray’s call for MSA and SJP to be 'reformed' in light of Horowitz’s unsubstantiated assertions is paternalistic and groundless."
"[Controversial speakers] create a hostile learning environment for Muslim and Arab-American students, and that's what they're designed to do," Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told HuffPost. "They’re designed to demonize Muslim and Arab students."
Students who have participated in the #NotSafeUNC campaign are facing backlash on Twitter from people arguing their points, calling them weak, and generally trolling.
Hooper said CAIR supports the students' campaign.
"We support anyone, anywhere, who challenges bigotry and intolerance," he said. "It seems wherever Mr. Horowitz goes, bigotry and intolerance follows."
See examples of #NotSafeUNC tweets below, and read more at @NotSafeUNC:
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.