Central to the university experience is exposure to a variety of perspectives, including controversial ones. In my three years as an undergraduate, I have learned that it is necessary for students to become comfortable with other opinions, especially those that come as a shock or that make them question everything they know — however difficult it may be.
Such a predicament occurred last Tuesday for many Muslim students at UTM’s annual Snider Lecture. This year’s lecture featured controversial figure and award-winning author Ali A. Rizvi, whose talk was entitled, “The Muslim Enlightenment: The rise of secular thought among young Muslims.”
Rizvi openly talked about his journey from being a Muslim to becoming an ‘ex-Muslim.’ Many students, including myself, were apprehensive about Rizvi speaking at UTM, a campus that is known for its cultural diversity and large Muslim population. Many students believed that UTM was wrong to invite Rizvi, under the perception that he held anti-Islamic views. Being a Muslim, I too disapproved of this invitation, yet was curious enough to attend the lecture. [The Varsity] Read more
