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MILWAUKEE - A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student group that's invited a speaker who's raised the ire of some Muslim organizations elsewhere because of his anti-Islamic message is objecting to a school demand that it post extra security fees for the appearance. UWM's Conservative Union said the university is trying to kill the Dec. 4 campus appearance by Walid Shoebat, and to stifle free speech. "We wanted to bring him in as an example of how a person can change and bring him in to speak about terrorism," Conservative Union president A.J. Piwarun said of the former Palestinian Liberation Organization member who speaks on "Why I Left Jihad." Piwarun said the $2,500 fee is exorbitant and the need for security is overhyped. He accused the university of discriminating against his group for its views. "They've been creating many hoops and hassles for us," Piwarun said. "We believe they're picking us out because of our political beliefs." UWM Union director Scott Gore acknowledged that security fee was unusually high but said is required to pay for extra security, including campus police and metal detectors. "The idea that we're trying to impede the process is wrong," Gore said. "We have to maintain some level of security in case there (is) a protest." Administrators said Shoebat had drawn large crowds in the past. Tyler Draheim, chairman of UWM's student-run Senate Appropriations Committee, said the price varies for what student organizations must pay to bring in a speaker. He said the "usual" price is between $300 and $500. The price "kind of does surprise me. It's good that they're looking at security, but forcing the group to pay this out of pocket kind of hinders this event from happening," he said. Muslim Student Association president Mohamed Elsayed and Palestinian Student Organization president Lina Abdulkarim wrote a Nov. 20 e-mail to UWM administrators demanding that they cancel the Shoebat program, describing it as a "direct attack" on Muslim students. "(Shoebat's) writing and speeches have deliberately rotated around inciting Americans with fear of Muslims and Arabs, associating them with terrorism," they said. Elsayed said that, if the Shoebat program takes place as planned, the Muslim Student Association will not protest but plans a forum after the lecture at which speakers will address questions on Islam. (Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)