Student Life at DU is requesting that Menorah Ministries no longer hand out specific pamphlets, after an official complaint was filed by the Muslim Student Association last week, according to Carl Johnson, director of Campus Activities.
“Yes, [Menorah Ministries] will be allowed to come back to campus,” said Johnson. “[However], we are reaching out to Menorah and asking them not to pass out specific pamphlets.”
The change of policy came under a recent clarification from the university attorney’s office regarding the 1995 settlement with Reuben Drebenstedt, the head of the messianic religious organization.
Before last week, Menorah was permitted to operate an information booth at Driscoll. Now Student Life will treat Menorah Ministries as an outside vendor which must pay DU to setup a booth on the Driscoll Bridge.
Menorah Ministries was passing out controversial fliers and pamphlets that targeted Muslims and the COEXIST movement on the Dricoll Bridge on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Student Life has a policy stipulating that groups must have a general constintuency or a student member-base to be active on campus, which Menorah does not have.
The leader of the organization, Drebenstedt, sued DU in 1995 for the right to come onto campus. DU settled the case and Menorah Ministries was allowed to hold a booth on campus.
“We were not implementing our policy because of the prior agreement with Menorah,” said Johnson. “In light of the new understanding of the settlement with Menorah, we are now treating them like an outside group.”
Menorah Ministries did not answer multiple phone calls for comment.
Student Life will allow Menorah on campus so long as they do not pass out pamphlets that they deem offensive. Fliers such as the ones that lead with the paragraph, “Muslims want to kill Jews, Christians and peace,” have already been considered too aggressive for the DU campus, Johnson said.
“We had no reason to think that this group was going to be this antagonistic,” said Johnson. “They are not a member of the community, but they are visitors. They will follow by our policy and procedures.”
The change comes after an open letter to university administrators from the Muslim Student Association (MSA).
“We really hope that the university takes the necessary measures to stop the spread of these hateful messages on campus in order to create a safe environment for all its members,” said the MSA in the letter.
“I’m glad the university is limiting discriminatory speech to minorities on campus,” said junior Sam Jewett, who received the controversial pamphlets on Tuesday, Oct. 11, while crossing the bridge to meet his French study group.
