Received April 15, 2011, from Aaron Preston, economics sophomore. The UP did not alter the contents of this letter.

“An Open Letter to Joe Kaufman”

Dear Mr. Kaufman,

Recently, I and several other students had the displeasure of your presence on the Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University. While I did not personally attend your protest, the news reports speak for themselves. I will not beat around the bush here: you, sir, are a bigot. I do not personally know you; I do not personally know Professor al-Halabi. From the media reports and firsthand accounts from my friends and colleagues in the College Republicans, it would appear that you, and not Prof. al-Halabi, are in the wrong here. Your personal vendetta against the Professor has no place within the public arena. Your hate and intolerance have no place upon the hallowed ground of university, or indeed within a free society.

I recently visited your group’s webpage, in the interest of seeing what you and your supporters are “really about.” Upon thorough examination, it appears that Americans Against Hate would be better named Americans Against Islam. For a group which purports to be against hate, your site seems peppered with it. What exactly is your agenda, Mr. Kaufman? Are you anti-hate, anti-Muslim or anti-Professor al-Halabi? For as long as you continue to pursue this gentleman with the intent of destroying his career, simply because he chooses to worship in a manner different from your own, you sir are a hypocrite.

If your vendetta against Professor al-Halabi is truly borne of evidence of illegal activities, bring forth the evidence in its entirety. If it is simply a vendetta based on a personal altercation or a personal dislike of his religion, stop hiding behind the banner of “Americans Against Hate.” It is quite obvious at this point that you are not against hate, and that you do indeed hate Professor al-Halabi. Waging your hateful campaign behind the veil of a group called “Americans Against Hate” is nothing more than a feeble and dishonest attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of those whom you attempt to influence into your own deluded, hateful worldview.

Regards,

Aaron Preston