Al-Ahram Weekly | Readers' corner

		3 - 9 October 2002 Issue No. 606 Readers' corner	Current issue Previous issue Site map
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875		Recommend this page

All possible means

Sir-- For almost two years the Palestinian people and their leader have been under siege. We are fed up with international condemnations of Sharon who always hold Arafat responsible for any attack against Israeli soldiers or settlers.
Sharon is using the US war on terror to swiftly carry out his war of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians. It is better that Arafat becomes a martyr than hand over any of his people to the butcher Sharon, because all Palestinians are wanted by Sharon -- whether they are children or farmers.
The Palestinians are left with no options but to fight through all possible means.
Ahmed Nouby Moussa
Luxor
Egypt
Two-sided argument

Sir-- Your article 'Pertinent questions' (Al-Ahram Weekly, 26 September-2 October) is very interesting, but one-sided. In my opinion, both sides are guilty.
So far most of the Arab world cannot accept the fact that only through negotiations can peace be achieved; not by tanks, suicide bombings or teaching children to hate. One must remember that killing -- especially of innocent people -- is unjustifiable. Two wrongs don't make a right.
Peter A Dvorak
Leavenworth, Kansas
USA
Reality check

Sir-- I do not know if the Arab countries and their media are ignorant or just misleading their people. Confronting Israel is a joke repeated by the Arab media.
Israel's military spending is 167 times more than the spending of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq combined. So stop talking about destroying Israel, and talk about the threat of Israel destroying the Arab/Muslim civilisation.
T L Zharan
Dubai
UAE
Vulnerable regimes

Sir-- In 'Can the catastrophe be averted?' (Al- Ahram Weekly, 22-28 August), Hassan Nafaa takes for granted that vulnerable Arab regimes such as the House of Saud and Assad's Syria should remain intact.
In light of decades of political repression and support for international terrorism, shouldn't Arabs reconsider this assumption?
Daniel Horowitz
Ottawa
Canada
Send the money back

Sir-- This letter is a response to many letters I have been seeing in your letters to the editor section week after week. I have seen a multitude of anti-American letters from Egyptian readers. If your negative opinions towards the US represent the majority of the Egyptian public, you can just go ahead and start sending all the money back.
Egyptian citizen, did you get sick and had to go to the hospital? My country, America, the world's peacekeeper paid for that; Egyptian citizen, have you had to use a road or a highway in the last 20 years? My country, America, leaders of the free world paid for that; Egyptian citizen, I implore you to state your views and express your thoughts, for that is the action of a truely free person. Just know what you speak of. If you hate America so much, you may start dismantling and sending back all that we've paid for -- you should stop coming to our universities too.
Please stop speaking out of both sides of your mouth. America has been extremely kind to you, giving you hundreds of billions of dollars to make your great nation function again, and it does. If you do not wish to say thank you, we understand -- we are merely doing our job to provide for the those in need.
Just don't tear us apart when you no longer need us. America and Egypt have much in common, the sooner the Egyptian people realise this the stronger both nations will be.
Jason Kennedy
Boston, MA
USA
Not so innocent

Sir-- I can't thank you enough for publishing all those wonderful letters that your overwhelmingly patriotic American readers send you. I hope you will continue to do so. They are extremely informative and quite valuable as educational tools to enlighten the unenlightened.
As you may already know, for nearly three decades now we have been forcibly fed the demented notion that the United States is a friend (chuckle, chuckle) of the Arabs. And although this brilliant notion has occasionally come into question owing to the "benevolent", "surgical" and very "democratic" violence unleashed by the United States against Arabs, this "behaviour" has been exonerated in a rather ingenious manner.
There is after all a widely held notion that Americans are not a particularly bright people. However, morally reprehensible and inhumane may have been the actions undertaken by various US administrations against backward people (such as us Arabs), there was nonetheless a recognition that this came as a result of American "ignorance" or "innocence" (let's be kind). On the whole it was to be understood that if the US has repeatedly missed the mark, their intentions were nonetheless "noble" and were intended for the "greatest possible happiness of the greatest possible number" (of oil companies?).
During the Cold War the necessities of confronting the threat of communism (help) was the most common excuse. This has been primarily the argument by which American liberals defended the policies of their government by the people, for the people, etc. But the letters you have been receiving from your American readers tell a different story. In this global village that is connected in such intricate ways, there is no longer any excuse for "ignorance" -- unless of course all those who have chosen to be integrated in that American dominated global village are actively engaged in competing for the role of village idiot.
The letters demonstrate that even among the Americans who have the opportunity to read something other than the Zionist-dominated press, there is the same self-congratulatory genocidal mania that characterises the American psyche. Where does one begin? The extermination of the native American population, the enslavement of Africans, the exploitation of South and Central Americans, the death squads, the dumping of two nuclear bombs on civilian populations in Japan, the use of chemical weapons and defoliants in Vietnam, the bloody military coups in every corner of the world, the bombing of Baghdad, Libya, Sudan, Afghanistan, the war of genocide waged against the Palestinians. Where does one stop?
The US achievements in the genocide department are certainly not to be taken lightly, they are the uncontested champions of the Free World. I am now fully convinced that the US is indeed a democracy and that the Bush administration is truly representative of American values and of what they cherish most as a people.
So keep up the good work and go on publishing those letters from the "land of the deaf and the home of the blind".
Mahmoud El-Lozy
Cairo
Egypt
The Weekly's turn

Sir-- Many of us in the US hope to see a day soon when we will see the editorial staff of Al- Ahram Weekly hung from lampposts. In our opinion you represent the corrupt class of gangsters and Islamicists who work together to keep your region the most backward and violent in the world.
Hopefully the removal of Saddam Hussein will be the first step for a campaign -- call it a crusade if you want -- in the Arab world.
Stefan Ambert
Santa Fe, New Mexico
USA
Paper and coffee

Sir-- I read your newspaper every week after buying it at my local Borders bookstore along with a cup of coffee.
Your articles are very good. Keep up the good work.
Stetson H Clark
Greensboro, NC
USA
Simplistic truths

Sir-- My appreciation is for the article by Salama A Salama 'The image thing' (Al-Ahram Weekly, 12-18 September). He calls on the Muslim people to take responsibility for their own actions and stop blaming others for what they are not willing to change themselves. Assigning blame anywhere else will not change the power, it only gives away your own power and makes you and your country weaker.
I am a non-Muslim American who reads your paper to stay informed on what is happening in the Arab world from an Arab perspective. Most of what I read appears pro-terrorist, and anti- American -- blaming America for almost everything. You seem to be fair to the American people, but not the government. America is seen as the perpetrator of evil, while we see ourselves as the defender of the defenceless (except Israel which is not defenceless). However, what would happen to Israel if the Arab world had its way?
I don't believe it would survive as a nation. Why haven't the Arab nations embraced the Palestinians? Arab countries seem to be willing to fund terrorism, by why not use the money to rebuild the nation from where it stands now? Why not make what is of Palestine now greater than Israel? Would that cost any more than the destruction caused by terrorism? Wouldn't it be better to have the heroes be the builders rather than the destroyers?
I can hardly believe that the whole mess today is because of a brotherly feud that has lasted 4,000 years too long. It all started in the Arabian peninsula, not in America. Simplistic? Yes. True? Yes. None of the religions are following the mandates of their religion's greatest teachers: "Forgive your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Learn to love yourself, for you can only love another to the extent that you love yourself."
Madelynn Moran
San Jose, CA
USA
Trial by the people

Sir-- I think that it is about time that the Israeli people ask their leader what he has offered them so far, and which of his promises has he kept. Sharon promised them security and safety but did not deliver. I suggest that the Israeli people take Sharon to court for delivering horror and terror, turning their lives into permanent hell and destroying their economy.
I call on the Israeli people to express their opinion, impose their will and set up an emergency trial for Sharon, to avenge all the innocent Israelis and Palestinians who were victims of Sharon's policy.
Ahmed Abdel-Tawwab
Cairo
Egypt
Paying the price

Sir-- "Do unto others before they do unto you" is the current mindset of some prominent world leaders. Control through instability based on innuendoes and conjecture create an environment ripe for "herd poisoning" and misguided action.
The world has seen the leadership of the USA fail miserably in its ideals to promote peace. It is my belief that "world peace" has been interpreted as getting a "piece of the world". As anyone who has been involved with decision makers knows, "rocking the boat" is met with reprimands and reprisals. Maintaining the status quo is sometimes necessary for survival, but at what cost? Do we keep walking on eggshells trying to avoid the wrath of the controller or do we speak out and suffer the consequences?
When President Mubarak visited the USA last summer, his suggestions had a humanitarian basis which made sense in providing dignity and a national pride for the Palestinians. Not soon after this visit, two things happened. The issue of human rights concerning an Egyptian sociologist was challenged by the US and was followed by a denial in monetary aid to Egypt from the USA. The following observation and conclusion are defined by the suggestion that control was effected by the denial of aid. Upon hearing these events, it was apparent that President Mubarak and Egypt were summarily being punished for speaking out in favour of the Palestinians. The human rights case of the sociologist was a veiled excuse for the US to deny aid. As we know from the past, the US does not intercede in the personal affairs even of it own citizens -- as in the case of the death of Mr Daniel Pearl.
I applaud President Mubarak for speaking up. I also hope that one day "human rights" will be accorded equally to all.
R Akana
Nevada
USA
Sharon's slaughterhouse

Sir-- At this time when all of America is afraid and tense that yet another attack will occur, I must speak out as an American who has lived in the Middle East for almost three years.
The threat is minimal now, compared to what can be in a decade because of the attitude of President Bush toward Palestine and Sharon. Daily, innocent women, men and children are murdered by Sharon's Israeli Army and our president calls this a war on terror. If I lived in Palestine and suffered years of oppression and deprivation and then see my innocent family annihilated in front of my eyes, I would certainly learn every technique of revenge and use it. Sharon is a mass murderer and I am not alone in this view.
President Bush speaks of attacking Iraq pre- emotively, but for the sake of our children he must re-reassess his vision of who is terrorising and who is being terrorised. To effectively prevent the need to use such tools against America or any other country, Sharon's slaughters and occupation of land belonging to Palestinians must be terminated once and for all. I am sure that "shoot first and think later" is only a fast stopgap and not a safety solution.
I am proud to be an American, but the goodness of my people is being conceptually lost by the present American Middle East policies. Mr Bush pre-empt Sharon's slaughters.
Martin H Platt
Cairo
Egypt
Why war?

Sir-- Do any of us stop and question the information we are fed by our media and so-called leaders, or do we just follow blindly? When they used four planes to kill innocent people in the USA, President Bush pointed his finger at Afghanistan and said "Terrorists; Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qa'eda is responsible; let's go to war;" and we did. One year later, and we still don't have proof who "they" are, apart from one French citizen Zacarias Moussaoui.
Now he wants the world to back him and go to war with Iraq. Why? Because he said so. Tony Blair in Britain and John Howard in Australia are with him as usual, but there are a large number of MPs in Britain against a war with Iraq, and seemingly so is most of the world -- not just because of the loss of life, but the possible escalation of the conflict and cost in dollars.
The Gulf war cost $61 billion, mostly paid by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Japan. I have read that a war today would cost $80 billion -- who is going to foot that bill? The Middle Eastern countries don't want a war, nor do Europe or Russia, and I'm not sure about China and Japan. If Iraq let the arms inspectors in, will that stop Bush? Who knows. Did Bush want to go to war, when Israel refused to let the inspectors into Jenin? No. Why?
Ken Murphy
Alexandria
Egypt
Iraqi self-help

Sir-- I find it interesting that Saddam Hussein is not thinking of his people and the State of Iraq. All he has to do is retire and live to a rich old age as an Eastern Potentate. All he has to do is go to the Kurdistan Democratic Party-Iraq and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) for help regarding setting up the new government of Iraq.
With his retirement and a new government run and controlled by Iraqis is in place, President George W Bush will not invade Iraq and establish a permanent settlement regardless of the hidden agenda. The UN and world won't let him. He needs a reason to invade. Deny him the reason, and he can't invade. Without changing the current course, disaster awaits Saddam Hussein and Iraq.
The situation reminds me of an old adage: manage your affairs or someone else will manage them for you.
David Chambers
Glendale, AZ
USA
No comparison

Sir-- Regarding Tarek El- Beshri's article 'Reclaiming history' (Al-Ahram Weekly, 12-18 September). Regardless of how he wants to justify or spin it, comparing what happened on 11 September and what happened on 28 September, 2000 is outrageous.
I understand that it is an important day in Arab history, since it basically kicked off this latest Intifada, but having people crash aeroplanes full of people into skyscrapers and government buildings is not the same as having a person of Jewish descent walk into a sacred mosque.
Bobby Thomas
Dorchester
USA
False analogy

Sir-- In 'Reclaiming history' by Tarek El- Beshri (Al-Ahram Weekly, 12-18 September), the author claims that the events of 9/11 were just as important to the Americans as the entrance of Ariel Sharon into the Al-Aqsa Mosque on 28 September 2000 were for the Muslims.
Get real. More than 3000 people died as a direct result of 9/11; no one died as a direct result of Sharon's visit. (Yes, yes, people got upset and started fighting, and then they died, but no one died when Sharon walked down a hallway.)
I don't always agree with Sharon, and I don't always agree with the editors of Al-Ahram Weekly. However, let's not do something foolish and compare a stroll down a hall with a terrorist act that directly killed more than 3000 people.
Steve Miller
Washington
USA
Stop and reassess

Sir-- I read with great interest Bahey El-Din Hassan's article 'The prisoner as message' (Al- Ahram Weekly, 5-11 September). I believe that the fuss made by the US lately over the case of Saadeddin Ibrahim was without much reason. The man was tried and found guilty, this has absolutely nothing to do with the issue of human rights or with the fact that Dr Ibrahim holds American citizenship. Everybody knows that there are human rights violations in Egypt under the Emergency Law. However, everybody also knows that there are innumerable examples of human rights violations within the US itself. Minority rights are being violated nearly everyday. At the international level, the US practices what is called 'state terrorism' against countries such as Libya, Sudan, Iran, Iraq and others.
The problem is that the US interest in human rights does not emanate from a real belief in such rights. All the US wants is to protect its own interests worldwide. The US is always trying to intervene in the affairs of other countries under the pretext of preventing human rights violations, promoting democratic regimes and enhancing free market economy, but needless to say, this policy will do more harm than good to US credibility worldwide. In the long run it will escalate world conflicts rather than resolve them, and may even create more serious conflicts. The US has got to reconsider its foreign policy or it will have to face catastrophic consequences.
Essam Hanna Wahba
Assiut
Egypt
Back and forth

Sir-- The other day I watched a recording of the three tenors Domingo, Carreras and Pavarotti's performance in 1998 during the World Cup in Paris. I remembered how happy the world was at the time and this year during the Japan/Korea World Cup. I could not help comparing the happy thousands I watched under the Eiffel Tower, joyfully cheering these three gifted tenors with the terrified thousands I watched on 11 September 2001, running away in horror or falling from the World Trade Center towers to escape the scorching fire.
I watched the beautiful broad smiles of the tenors who sang harmoniously to please millions in Paris and all over the globe, and remembered the peaceful athletes who took part in the World Cup and could not help but wonder if they and the Bin Laden gang were created by the same God -- the God of love. How can it be the business of some people to make the world happy, while others toil to make the world miserable.
I just read that Pavarotti will sing to raise money for the World Health Organisation to feed the hungry of the world. The diabolic actions of 9/11 did not harm only America but the whole world, including Egypt. God knows how much Egypt had already suffered from these terrorists; but God has blessed Egypt a long time ago and therefore our government and police forces succeeded to contain these maniacs.
Sophie Ragheb
Heliopolis
Egypt

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