Were legalized abortion, gay marriage and other liberal ideologies steps down the road to Sept. 11?

On Friday, April 18, Binghamton University students will have the opportunity to hear one answer to this question from prolific conservative intellectual Dinesh D’Souza.

D’Souza, who has been invited to speak in the Mandela Room by the College Republicans, has courted controversy for more than two decades with a series of opinions that some might call provocative, and others incendiary. His views generally align with the prevailing opinions of the conservative movement, although at times he has clashed with his colleagues in the right-wing intellectual establishment.

During D’Souza’s speech, entitled “What’s So Great About America,” he will present many of the ideas that can be found in his 2007 book, “The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11.” He will make the case that the foreign policy of the United States in terms of the Middle East only partially explains the motivation of the Sept. 11 attackers.

“Contrary to what we often hear, [Islamic extremists] don’t emphasize just American foreign policy,” D’Souza said. “They have a very well-developed and strongly worded critique of American society and American morality.”

He claims liberal social forces such as sex and violence in Hollywood — which are unacceptable to many Islamic people — along with perceived liberal social policies like gay marriage, are among the main stimulants to Islamic extremists.

Brian Young, the political director of the College Democrats, dismisses such notions as pure partisanship.

“Look at Fox — they have more programming on Fox, which is supposed to be the conservative network, that garners parental guidance warnings than any other network,” Young said. “If he wants to blame the media, why doesn’t he look at his people first?”

Young also disputes the idea that liberal social policies are a main impetus for anti-Americanism.

“Canada has legalized gay marriage, a lot of Europe has legalized gay marriage, yet we were the ones who got attacked,” he said. “So I don’t necessarily know if it’s that much about gay marriage.”

College Democrats and various cultural groups are likely to host an event around the time of D’Souza’s speech to provide an alternative set of opinions.

Although some individuals on campus take issue with D’Souza’s ideas, others seem to agree with Rob Menje, editor of the Binghamton Review and a member of the College Republicans, that D’Souza should be allowed to speak.

“He has the First Amendment on his side,” Menje, who played a role in inviting D’Souza, said. “It’s his right to write anything that he wants, and if that’s his belief, he is entitled to say or write what he believes.”

Carlos Ali, director of the Rainbow Pride Union, echoed these sentiments in his advice to the student body.

“I would say to go to the lecture and listen to what has to be said,” Ali said. “Keep an open mind with it and it’ll probably spark some good debate on campus.”