That’s what you’ll learn if you take Kevin Barrett’s introductory class on Islam at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The school decided yesterday he can teach the class:

Barrett said he was “very pleased” by the decision. He said students in his fall course, “Islam: Religion and Culture,” would spend one week studying a variety of viewpoints on the 9-11 attacks, including the theory that “9-11 was probably an American operation to launch a war on Islam countries.” He said he would not tell his students that he subscribed to that theory…

Well, he won’t need to tell them. He’s been broadcasting his views everywhere. Barrett says he’ll include opposing opinions. Wonder if this will be on the required reading list?

Ann Althouse suffered through Barrett’s appearance on Hannity and Colmes last night to give you a blow-by-blow of the 9/11 denialist’s performance. A snippet:

From the moment he begins speaking, Barrett twitches and jerks around quite oddly and speaks in a breathless, excited way. He tries to unload a torrent of words about the theory and won’t stop to give Colmes a chance to get through his series of questions, which are quite clearly designed to put Barrett in a positive light. Barrett, however, is so keen on his theory, he’d rather spout conpiracy. He looks nutty even before Hannity starts the questions that are meant to trash him. That is, Barrett’s a witness who mucks up the direct examination. It doesn’t take cross-examination to bring out the problems.

When Hannity takes over, Barrett interrupts him in the middle of his first question. When Hannity insists on finishing the question, Barrett smugly goes “Yeah, yeah, finish up.” On Hannity’s show! As if he thinks the only people who are watching are folks who think Hannity’s a jackass. Hannity asks him if he really believes 9/11 and other terrorists attacks were “an inside job.” Barrett, inspiring no confidence that he will allow students to debate with him, says sharply, “I don’t believe, I do know that 9/11 was an inside job.” Barrett then tries to lay out the details of the theory. The word “thermate” comes out of his mouth. (It’s supposed to be “thermite,” but why be precise?)

Hannity breaks in to say, “All right, so you believe that the buildings came down in a controlled demolition.” Again, Barrett excludes the possibility of alternate theories: “Well, I don’t believe it. I’ve looked at the evidence, and the evidence is overwhelming.” Hannity’s response is perfect: “All right, the evidence is overwhelming to you because you’re a conspiracy nut.” Hannity tries to set up his next question: “But putting that all aside…” That’s perhaps the funniest line of the night, but it’s stepped all over by Barrett, who motormouths conspiracy theory. Hannity goes ahead and asks his question with Barrett yammering over him. Hannity finally just lets the man babble. Then, he mutters, “Okay, I wish I had the ‘Twilight Zone’ music.”

Meanwhile, of course, everyone’s missing the obvious question: If this is what he teaches about 9/11, what kind of unreality-based propaganda will he teach his students about Islam?

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Jessica McBride has background, audio of interviews, and more on UW-Madison moonbattery.

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