Each year, Marquette University's Intercultural Programs hosts a variety of heritage celebrations that aid to expose students to social, political and cultural dimensions of societies across the globe. As president of the Arab Student Association, I am honored that Marquette has allowed us the forum and resources to celebrate Arab Heritage in the month of April.

While Arab Heritage Celebration has incited comments from certain faculty, staff and students and rightfully so, considering its controversial nature, the most hurtful accusation has deemed events "anti-Semitic" as a recent Viewpoint contends ("Sponsorship of speakers is unacceptable" on March 21). This is a comment that neither our organization nor our members take lightly particularly because it accuses Marquette University departments that support our programming and our own leadership of intentionally sponsoring hate-speech.

We explicitly draw a line between anti-Semitism, which would entail excluding speakers, members or attendees of events by virtue of their religious affiliation, and programming that explores a variety of dimensions within the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Events such as Dr. Norman Finkelstein or Julie Enslow (an event we co-sponsored during Islam Awareness Week) are no different. We do not feel that we should censor the works of Jewish scholars such as Dr. Finkelstein because the mainstream disagrees with them. That would mean marginalizing a large portion of the Jewish people who feel just as we do that Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory is wrong. That would entail anti-Semitism.

In working with such programming through the years, we have found support from the university administration, the Office of Student Development and the Marquette University Student Government because our work lies within the Marquette mission in attempting to prompt the search for truth and knowledge. It further fulfills the mission of any university education: first by providing a "global" dimension to enrich growth and understanding, and second through the exploration of ideas, concepts or beliefs so that students can enhance their personal convictions, whatever they may be.

In essence we feel our role is to provide a perspective that we feel is underrepresented in the global media. As Arab Americans concerned about social justice, we hope to incite discussion with students not only about Israel and Palestine but also about Iraq, Sudan, Syria, the Western Sahara and far-reaching transnational trends. The only way to develop an educated discussion is through awareness and this is precisely what speakers provide through their personal experience and commentary.

This year, we hope to continue to provide quality programs for students interested in learning about the Middle East. I would also like to personally invite students who believe our programming may be biased to attend and give our speakers and us, the benefit of the doubt. While we do not claim amnesty from bias because after all, our contribution stems from our personal historical consciousness; we are firm believers in racial, religious, ethnic and gender equality.

Please contact [email protected] for a full list of events this upcoming April or visit the Office of Student Development Web site, www.maruqette.edu/osd. You can also drop by AMU 121 for a paper copy of the Arab Heritage Celebration calendar.