Georgetown University

The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS), and two student organizations -- The Lecture Fund and the International Relations Club -- are co-sponsoring a videoconference lecture and queston and answer discussion with Muammar Qaddafi, the de facto head of state of Libya. He is, frankly, a dictator known for decades of shocking brutality, state-sponsored terror, supporting violent insurgents in other countries and, in recent years, positive actions like destroying the country’s weapons of mass destruction and voicing opposition to Al-Qaeda.  The purpose of the lecture is for Qaddafi to discuss his ideas for resolving the Israel/Palestine tragedy and to take questions from the audience on any topic, moderated by a CCAS faculty member.

The University has been criticized by members of the Libyan exile community who are survivors and witnesses of human rights violations by Qaddafi’s regime. And, we have been asked to cancel the lecture by some family members of civilians killed in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 -- for which Libya has paid compensation to families and formally “accepted responsibility for the actions of its officials.”

The requests from the families have been especially personal and especially painful, because they come from members of our community. These are families with longstanding, multigenerational ties to Georgetown, a respect for our values, and a history of engagement and support of the University.

I know that Condoleezza Rice, Tony Blair, and Nicolas Sarkozy have gone to Tripoli and met with Qaddafi. He is credited for making a turn toward the West in recent years and for improving the Libyan diplomatic stance.  But that doesn’t change the fact that Qaddafi has destroyed lives and ruled unjustly, and that his tele-presence in fact causes pain and dismay to people of principle and integrity.

The question of what constitutes appropriate speech and expression is among the most important questions that an academic community faces.

I am pleased that we have handled the matter with real care and attention. The Committee on Speech and Expression has looked carefully at the event and found it falls within our guidelines. The organizers of the event have responded to legitimate expressions of concern and coordinated closely with colleagues on matters ranging from security to our expectation that Qaddafi take questions on any topic. University officials will be at the event and to ensure that the forum remains open and civil.

I want to make clear that just because the event is taking place on Georgetown’s campus, the University does not endorse the speaker nor his ideas. In fact, I will be disappointed if members of the audience fail to ask Qaddafi about Lockerbie and other matters of historical record and grave concern, because he should and must be held accountable. That is very definitely part of a University’s role -- to ensure that crucial questions get asked and that falsehood and evasion are shown and seen and differentiated from truth.

I expect that the event will be conducted openly, effectively, and with academic integrity. I can anticipate that, as a result of this event, there will be other fora on terrorism, Libya, or free speech itself. Our deep conviction here is that the best antidote to offensive speech is more speech.

I also know that our convictions will be of no consolation to the families of the Lockerbie victims, and to others Qaddafi has harmed. And that is something we all need to remember too.

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