According to Dr. Barrett's bio on the Muslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance for 9/11 Truth (MUJCA) website:
Kevin Barrett has taught English, French, Arabic, American Civilization, Humanities, African Literature, Folklore, and Islam at colleges and universities in the San Francisco Bay area, Paris, and Madison, Wisconsin. He grew up in a family of lapsed Unitarians (which is about as lapsed as it gets) and reverted to Islam in 1993, a move that gradually impressed upon him the gravity of the moral choices we make in this life. Barrett’s dissertation is on Islam and Moroccan legend. He is also the author and illustrator of the cult classic A Guide to Mysterious San Francisco, published under the pseudonym of “Dr. Weirde.” (He begs Allah’s forgiveness for that slightly twisted book.) Barrett became a 9/11 truth activist in 2004 after reading David Griffin’s The New Pearl Harbor and conducting follow-up research that convinced him Griffin had accurately summarized evidence indicating 9/11 was an inside job. In the summer of 2004 he founded 9/11 Truth Squad, a local group based in Madison, Wisconsin. In July, he rashly rejected a plum post-doc at the University of California because it was funded by the 9/11-disinformation-sponsoring CIA-linked Ford Foundation. Barrett has led several 9/11 Truth Teach-Ins at the University of Wisconsin, including a 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Truth Marathon on the third anniversary of the attacks. As of January 2005, he has made six guest appearances on local radio and television to discuss 9/11 truth. He is currently working on university research projects, writing and editing for the Muslim magazine al-Jumuah, and spearheading MUJCA-NET.
And now, the news. Dr. Barrett made headlines when he eloquently professed his views on 9/11 on June 28 on Jessica McBride’s local WTMJ-AM (620) Wisconsin radio talk show. In this interview he skillfully fielded all of Childgirl McBride's childish questions and accusations. ("Do you think Osama bin Laden is good or bad?", "Do you sympathize with the terrorists?", "Does this dress make me look fat?", "Who's cooler, Superman or Batman?", etc.) (Okay, so she didn't ask those last two, but she should have.) He also - and this is what set off the headline splash - explained how exactly he will be introducing his findings in a class he will teach this fall at UW Madison. The class is called Islam: Religion and Culture, and will cover a wide range of topics, including the so-called War on Terror. Although a few hundred pages of required reading will reflect the official lies we hear about all the time, about 72 pages of reading will include 9/11 truth. The students will be expected to weigh and consider both sides of the "argument" (if you can call a stand-off between ignorance and curiosity an "argument") and then come to their own conclusions. You can listen to the interview here, here, here, and here (4 parts, each about 5-10 minutes in length).
Upon hearing this interview, a number of government neocons immediately called for Dr. Barrett's summary dismissal from his upcoming fall semester post. The most vocal of these ignorance lovers were State Rep. Stephen Nass (R-Whitewater), U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-Wisc.), and Democratic Governor of Wisconsin Jim Doyle. UW Madison Provost Patrick Farrell released a statement the following day (June 29) promising to review Dr. Barrett's "fitness" to teach.
For almost two weeks, we all waited and bit our nails. In the interim, many compared Dr. Barrett to one Ward Churchill. Churchill was the University of Colorado at Boulder professor who was fired for referring to some of the victims of the World Trade Center attacks "little Eichmans." The comparison is unwarranted, as Dr. Barrett himself explained on Childgirl McBride's radio show. Whereas Barrett is trying to find and share the truth, Churchill was just a coldhearted jerk making politically stupid and mean comments for its own sake.
Yesterday came great news, not only for the 9/11 truth movement, but for academic freedom in general. Provost Farrell released a decision to let Dr. Barrett stay on, stating, "Kevin Barrett can present his view as one of many perspectives on the event when he teaches the introductory course as scheduled this fall." Of course, the heads of Nass, Green, and Doyle all exploded in one gigantic blast of frustrated doublethink. You can bet they will continue to rail against free speech and free thought, especially since Green is running for Governor for the upcoming term.
Last night, Hannity and Colmes tried to make Dr. Barrett look stupid. It backfired:
I wrote Dr. Barrett a letter of support via email (kevin@mujca.com). I recommend you do the same. He's a real trooper, a courageous beacon of light, and a man who deserves great praise and positive attention. This is a time of real advancement. Don't let this candle burn out.
Meanwhile, perhaps it's time to play a little political hardball. The three horseman of the apocalypse du jour, Nass, Green, and Doyle, should all be targeted from now on. It's time to go Ken Starr on their ass. It's time to pull out your inner Karl Rove. It's time to sabotage them. We must destroy their reputations before they can do anymore damage. We must raise these three men up as sacrifical lambs to all those who would stand between us and the facts of reality. So I hereby declare an all-out political war on these three gentleman. If anyone has any dirt on these guys, please share it with the world. Be sure to forward me any information you might have. Together we can bury these assholes' political careers in one big unmarked grave. We have to discredit them beyond all repair. Do you know of any instances of child abuse, child pornography, child custody scandal, or anything else child-related about these guys? Do you know if any of these guys has ever been involved in any insider trading or lobbying scandals? Do you have any photographs of them picking their nose, grabbing their crotch, or the like? Any recordings of them swearing or taking the Lord's name in vein? Perhaps one of these guys has had a secret boyfriend, or committed adultery. I wanna know about it. Nobody's reputation is perfect. Let's find their fatal flaws, people.
It's time was stopped playing nice with these sons of bitches. The gloves are off.
