The crisis in Libya has ignited a number of controversies over the past three weeks. The roots of the conflict tie into a myriad of different legal and sociopolitical issues and raise questions about American foreign policy and freedom of speech in a globalized world.

“A business man makes a film, and these protesters blame the American government,” said senior environmental studies major, Christiaan van Zyl. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Members of the media have posed the question that, if this is a religious issue, why have Muslim Americans not reacted with the same type of violent outrage exhibited by Muslims across the Arab world.

“Here, we talk about every religion,” said senior childhood education major Sam DeCrescenzo. “We say stuff about everything. They are used it.”

The #muslimrgae Twitter is hashtag mocking  the News Week’s controversial “Mulsim Rage” cover would only seem to confirm this idea.  With nearly 2.5 million Muslims currently living in the United States and no protests, violent or otherwise, to report, the reaction in the Middle East cannot be entirely attributed to religious outrage.

“It’s cultural,” said junior English major Marc Damon. “We don’t have violent protests here anymore. We did in the sixties and seventies, but what did they really do?”

“Violence is never the answer,” said van Zyl.

NPR’s Terry Gross suggested last Wed. that the protests reflect a clash of eastern and western values.

“American democracy can’t be exported anywhere,” said professor of political science Dr. Gregory Julian. “The Muslim American people’s ability to understand our constitutional right to free speech is learned from experience…being on American soil allows you to say pretty much anything as long as it does not directly contribute to a violent act. The degree of toleration of free speech is something that you know by being in America—and you don’t have to like it all. I don’t like it all, but you have to understand that alternative, the government suppressing free speech might be a remedy that is worse…”

“In our society, being offended is a part of free expression, and the government cannot control this,” said fellow political science professor Prof. Picoulas. “Freedom of expression is for people to have the right to express things, but the second part is to have the right to hear what people have to say, and I insist on the second part because I don’t want anybody to censor what I have a right to hear…even if it is a stupid video, I want to make the judgment that it is a stupid video and reject it. I don’t want anybody else interfering and making the judgment for me. And that is, again, a part of democracy.”

With the presidential election looming so close to these events, the question is whether or not it will influence voters. When asked if this situation in Libya had effected how he would vote this Nov., Damon replied, “No, why would it?”

However, according to Dr. Julian, the issue is something to which voters should pay close attention.

“Foreign policy is a vital part of the American presidency’s function,” said Julian. “What we are seeing here is two different approaches to foreign policy.”

In a statement given the morning after the attacks, President Obama said, “Make no mistake we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people…No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.”

Romney criticized the Obama’s foreign policies during an unscheduled press conference held before the President had addressed the nation, stating, “When our grounds are being attacked and being breached that the first response of United States must be outrage at the breach of the sovereignty of our nation. An apology for America’s values is never the right course. The President and his administration have done something that is inconsistent with the principles of America.”

“I believe that Governor Romney is trying to project out, what we call in political science, a paradigm of power,” said Julian. “In that he is trying to assert the supremacy of America’s military power…to accomplish foreign policy objectives….Obama’s approach is a more interdependent paradigm in being that he is trying to establish America’s role-relationship with other countries in an integrated world.”

Romney came under fire for his comments, members of the both the Obama campaign and the media accusing him of politicizing a national tragedy.

“Romney did not handle [the situation] very well,” said Prof. Picoulas “It was not because he politicized it. He made some statements that leaders should not make…Romney has said Muslims hate America because of their religion, and you can’t say this because if you are the President, you can’t alienate a huge number of people on actions of few.”

However, Prof. Picoulas maintained that while the crisis in Libya “reveals something about their leadership qualities and even their temperament,” he does not believe it will significantly impact the result of the election.

“I don’t think that this will push the election one way or another in any sizeable manner,” said Picoulas. “I don’t think most Americans are focused on those events.”