Sponsored by the Viking Conservatives, Harvey Kushner, professor of criminal justice and security administration at Long Island University, gave an address titled “Radical Islam and What to Do About It” to the Lawrence community Wednesday, April 9.
Kushner is considered one of the world’s leading experts on terrorism and security matters. He has been an advisor to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Customs and Borders Protection agency.
Kushner also served as an expert witness in several prominent court cases involving international terrorism. His most recent work includes “Holy War on the Home Front: The Secret Islamic Terror Network in the United States” and several other books on terrorism.
Kushner emphasized in his address that Americans need to become more aware of the serious threats posed by Islamic extremists. “The spread of Islam into western culture is a problem the western world needs to face,” Kushner said.
Jerald Podair, associate professor of history and Robert R. French professor of American studies, thought the lecture was interesting.
“I think it’s interesting [that Kushner] obviously feels that we’re, as a nation, missing some clear signals from our enemies that we should be paying attention to,” Podair said.
Podair added that Kushner’s “lecture was a wake-up call to Americans, generally to the threat he [Kushner] feels they face. We live in a part of the United States where it’s extremely unlikely to be directly affected by terrorism.”
Sophomore Christopher Hagin, a member of the Viking Conservatives said, “Kushner’s main point about America having to wake up to this problem is definitely the most relevant point of his whole speech.The ‘Lawrence Bubble’ effect here on campus doesn’t help either.”
Hagin said, “Just because this issue is so unpleasant and fairly complex, many people do not want to acknowledge it or even discuss it. Students should come to the realization [that]…We can’t just sit back and allow extreme Muslims to take over our liberal democratic society.
Viking Conservatives Sponsor National Security Speech
