A group of seven students posted inflammatory fliers Monday morning with the intention of spreading awareness about another student group’s upcoming event. It is unknown if they strategically played to people’s emotions or could not have fathomed the reaction across this campus, but regardless, the words and images should be condemned for their extremism.

Unfortunately for the entire University, their goal of satirizing the conservative Young America’s Foundation at GW and their “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week” went too far and was misconstrued. Indeed the possibility for rational discussion during the week was squandered by extremism. The seven-member Students for Conservativo-Fascism Awareness, whose de facto leader is graduate student Adam Kokesh, did a disservice to the entire GW community, not just its Muslim segment.

The flier depicted an Arab man flanked with descriptions such as having a “peg-leg for smuggling children and heroin,” with its title proclaiming hatred for Muslims. While the fliers did spur discussion about a questionable awareness week, the fact remains that the content is offensive – regardless of the rationale behind it. This feeble attempt at political satire prompted campus unrest and national media attention to spiral out of control.

While the sponsors of the poster said they wanted to help the Islamic community by exposing the extremism of YAF, their actions ultimately defeated their well-intentioned goal. The central issues both sides want to debate – hate, racism and the threat terrorism poses to America today – were lost in a blame game.

Despite the hyperbolic manner in which the seven students broached the YAF’s views toward Islam, they do have the right to express themselves. This page adamantly defends the right to free speech in a fair and open forum. Yet the manner in which the seven students presented their opinion – through the incendiary rhetoric and images of the fliers – was far from such a forum.

Many critics are calling for the expulsion of these students but the only technical offenses they are guilty of is the improper use of the University logo and of not obtaining permission to post the materials. Such an extreme act as expulsion would be inappropriate and only further exacerbate the situation.

It is understandable that YAF, both at GW and nationally, is upset at the misuse of the organization’s name in the fliers. However, further accusations will do little to put the hurtful issue behind the campus community and will do even less to facilitate a fruitful discourse on the issues.

In the first step towards a productive discussion, on Monday night more than 100 students joined administrators at Marvin Center to talk through their concerns about the hateful rhetoric and images. Although heated at times, the discourse was peaceful and healthy.

YAF President Sergio Gor, a senior, disturbed the Islamic community by asserting: “Not all Muslims – most Muslims – are not terrorists, and most Muslims are not fascists.” Gor was quickly rebuked by the audience for implying that many Muslims are in fact terrorists. A group of concerned students approached him after his speech and asked about his opinions directly.

This is good. A back-and-forth discourse is the type of healthy debate the University was denied by the overly provocative nature of the fliers.

This page commends other acts of unity in the wake of the detestable fliers. Wednesday evening’s Iftar dinner beautifully symbolized the coming together of students across faiths and ethnicities at GW. This celebratory breaking of a Ramadan fast has been an annual staple on campus since 2001, and this year’s garnered the highest attendance ever. Breaking bread, enjoying conversation and learning each other’s prayers knocked down the barriers of religion and eased the tensions of the week.

This is the type of communication our community should be striving towards. When we come to a college for its diversity, students have the desire to learn and grow based on shared experiences.

Former Student Association President Omar Woodard spoke of the need to find common ground. The collective conversation among disparate groups at the Iftar and other forums of discussion this week is free speech at its best. This should serve as a guiding light to Kokesh and the other six creators of the flyer.

Learning and debate are core elements of living in a community and participating in the college experience. Compromising this by engaging in extreme and overly provocative acts is both unwise and unfair to all of us.