Letters to the Editor, October 1, 2003

At least on my computer, your site is being censored. I tried to access the Eric Miller article on Bush''s swindle of the American and Iraqi people to payoff corporations. A rectangular white screen with the notice-this file is not accessible and cannot be found-appears. The block cannot be clicked away and can be gotten rid of only by turning the computer off and restarting. The same is true for the first and second interview with the Arab spokesman (Al-Sahaf).

Freedom of speech is supposedly cardinal law on the internet, I mean, all kinds of porn pours across the screen galore. Why cannot fascists stay out of news sites with their attempts to block out information about their exploits.

If your protest of this abuse is better than the consumers, can you please tell internet monitors to stop making your site inaccessible?

Editor: I checked the three pages you're referring to and found them functioning. Readers are urged to let the editor know if there's something wrong with any link.

I don't know who is doing this to your computer. I join my voice to yours demanding respect for our constitutional right for freedom of speech.

I was recently browsing through your site on one of my daily visits when I accidentally stumbled across your creative writing section. I was particularly impressed by the content tackled by the various publications and rather moved by a particular poem called Palestinian cities. I believe the writer was named Amany Yassin.

As someone who has recently returned from Palestine where I was fortunate enough, notwithstanding the roadblocks, to visit relatives in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Al-Quds, there was something magical about this poem in that it allowed me to relive my recent trip in a strange sort of storybook way. The stories I heard at each of the aforementioned cities seemed to be re-echoed in my mind as I skimmed through the lines of Amany's heartfelt poem.

I am happy that you included this creative piece in your paper and I hope to see more of Ms. Yassin's work as well as the creative work of other Freedom loving Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and people all over the world.

Please feel free to forward this email to the aforementioned author if you like. She, like al-Jazeerah, deserves praise and adulation for her talents and courage. Thank you and God Bless you.

yours,

Ribhi Huzien

1. He voted AGAINST the war in Iraq.
   2. He has already intruduced a bill in the House of Representatives for PEACE, NOT WAR.
    3.   He believes that NAFTA should be rescinded and jobs brought back to the USA.
     4. He believes in a women's right to choose.
     5.   He has intruduced several letters to the President and Vice President for them to justify the false information that they have fed to the American people.
     6. He voted against the Patriot Act which (if you read it you will see) deprives you of many of your civil rights.
     There are many other plus marks that make Dennis Kucinich my choice. I admit that the media never gets to the bottom of the list of candidates, but in reality Dennis should be at the top of the list. He stands for the things I stand for. It's true that all of us have different priorities, but if you go to www.kucinich.us you can find out just why I support his candicy.

Kelowna, BC Canada

Iraq costs worry Americans

I was so glad to read that Americans are finally getting worried about the cost of their aggressive, illegal and immoral war in Iraq. They must at last – I imagined - have remembered the thousands of ordinary Iraq soldiers slaughtered at the push of a button in the horrific shock and awe bombardment, recalled the harrowing scenes of anguish and agony in the shattered Baghdad market places, the innocent families ‘humanely’ decimated by ‘precision’ laser-guided missiles, the orphaned children now shorn of limbs. Maybe they even recollected the thousands of Iraqi children killed by punitive sanctions before the war even began? Or perhaps they had cast their minds back to the millions of ‘grateful / liberated dead’ in Vietnam?

Then, to my sorrow, I realized it was NOT the human cost that was the prime US concern, just good old fashioned money. Clearly chaos and death can escalate at will but not costs. The neo-con (neo-fascist?) imperialist policy of endless war dictates the further expansion of an already grossly obscene US ‘defense’ (sic) budget to permit the invasion of any poor, impoverished nations who happen to displease the Washington hawks. And – of course - the US colony of Israel requires yet more WMD, main battle tanks, Apache helicopter gunships etc. to crush any vestiges of dissent from its unfortunate victims so cruelly robbed and dispossessed. How else, I suppose, could the US and its client states continue their delightfully ‘humane’ and sanitized hi-tech killing if costs are not strictly controlled? Indeed, it would be shocking if such unimaginable wealth were diverted to peaceful uses! Fat chance!

Let’s hope Iraq is the political nemesis of the Bush /Blare warmongers.

Phil, Hong Kong

"Portents of the Future"

This message pertains to the editorial from the Arab News titled "Portents of the Future" dated 09/29/2003 as published on the AlJazeerah.info web site.

At first glance, the observations by the author appear valid. I have not researched all of the details of any agreements between Israel and the United States, and I cannot cite any reasons why the United States has not put more pressure on Israel, or Palestine for that matter, in working towards a solution for their dispute. That said, I would like to thank the author for giving me more reason to do so.

However, I do take issue with the editorial's final remark, "short of this, there will be little US engagement — and if there is, it will be more to Israel's benefit." The author has drawn a conclusion solely based on assumption. Furthermore, she/he has given no evidence that would suggest this. While it is prudent to have such cautions in any political dealing, it is in no way constructive to make such confounded allegations. If the author wishes to make a point, and be taken seriously, I would suggest that in the future they be more cautious about using informal fallacy to do so.

Sincerely,

Dan Fields

Editor:

Dan, you're too cautious. You're probably the only one in the world who doesn't know that the US sides with Israel, right or wrong. The most recent event was the resolution passed in the UN General Assembly condemning Israel for its decision to assassinate or exile President Arafat. Do you know who voted against the resolution? Israel, of course, the United States, Micronesia, and the Marshal Islands. Caution is good but not to this extent.

Launch of First English Language Islamic

TV Channel Moves Closer

Islamic media took a step forward today with the vision of an English language Islamic channel, Ark Television. "We are here to convey Islamic values to every household and to remove the misconceptions," stated Salauddin Ali, spokesperson for Ark TV.

The lack of Islamic media is a major concern for all sections of the Muslim community, especially those residing in the western hemisphere. Almost everyday there is an occurrence in the global socio-political arena that Muslims are unable to address. In this age of misunderstanding, there is a growing need for these concerns to be heard and understood. Only with the airing of accurate perspectives can we hope to bring about cultural awareness to produce a peaceful and harmonious co-existence amongst communities.

Muslim parents are also facing the difficulty of providing their children with an Islamic alternative to popular media. Programmes aired for children do not teach and promote the values that Islam upholds, impacting upon our children's development into responsible and upright members of the community.

ARK Television will address these issues by providing a platform for Muslims from all walks of life to share their experiences and express their views, as well as providing family oriented television viewing to bring an Islamic atmosphere into every home. By producing and broadcasting a diverse range of programmes from children's entertainment to news and current affairs, Ark Television sets out to become the standard bearer in Islamic media.

Omar, UK

Indian Muslim Council-USA condemns ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Rajasthan villages by Bajrang Dal.

Sept. 29, 2003. Chicago, IL. Indian Muslim Council-USA strongly condemns the subversive and terrorist activities of hindu nationalist organizations Bajrang Dal and World Hindu Council (known as VHP in India) in the Indian State of Rajasthan.

On September 25th Bajrang Dal activists, blasted a mosque in Iklera, Rajasthan forcing Muslims to flee Iklera. Bajrang Dal and the VHP had been active in the area after Gujarat carnage. According to press reports, the past 10 days have seen armed Bajrang Dal and VHP activists on the rampage, driving out about 25 Muslim families from their homes, ransacking their houses and setting them on fire. The village of Mishroli now has a welcome sign on a bright saffron board displaying the "Ideal Hindu Village".

Expressing concern over the recent incidents, Mr. Rasheed Ahmed, vice president of IMC-USA said "Incidents in Iklera very much reflect the threats made after the Gujarat carnage that "Gujarat experiment will be repeated" in a smaller scale and also demonstrates a dangerous trend that is undermining the pluralistic and tolerant ethos of Indian Society. We urge the government of Rajasthan to bring the culprits to justice and take full measures to ensure the safety and protection of basic human rights of all citizens."

Another IMC-USA volunteer said "These type of terror tactics by VHP and Bajrang Dal have been increasingly reported across the country, which are a threat to the very values of freedom, justice and equality that the country has been founded upon"

International groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused India’s Hindu nationalist government of failing to curb violence by Hindu hard-line groups against Indian minorities. These same groups were responsible for the murder of Christian missionary Graham Staines, lynching of Dalits and Gujarat genocide in 2002, which saw the ethnic cleansing of Muslims and the glaring state collusion in the carnage.

Contact: Rasheed Ahmed (708) 466-0244

I was, I'm ashamed to say a long time coming to the position I now hold concerning Palestine. I guess all of us grew up with a saturation of terrible stories about the Nazi death camps and the Warsaw Ghetto.

I was for years so consumed with the injustice toward Jews that I did not understand that when the chickens came home to roost and the price had to be paid it was the Europeans that made Palestinian Arabs pay the bill.

My husband retired from Chrysler in Detroit at Christmas 1999 and in April of 2000 we moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to escape the long winters in Michigan. We thought (like most people I guess) that Florida was going to be the place but after a very short visit of only 3 days we decided on Albuquerque. We love the climate, the mountains and the change of seasons that is not too drastic. No grass to cut, no snow to shovel , it's just the ticket.

It was after we got settled in that I got set up with the computer and it was the fact that my son's father-in-law is Palestinian from Ramallah that I started to look up things on the internet concerning Palestine and its history. That coupled with the fact that I now had family members who could tell me their own stories has turned me into a advocate of the Palestinian cause.

All of my sons' inlaws on his father-in-laws side are wonderful people and it certainly makes a difference to ones outlook to know Palestinians in the flesh. The home that they were all born in is still in Ramallah and one unmarried sister is still living there. I had the pleasure of meeting that sister at a couple of family functions when she came to visit for a few weeks. She is afraid to leave for too long incase the house gets taken over by the Palestinian Authority.

The Israelis bulldoze so many homes that are substantial that any house left vacant too long might be commandeered by the authority. What a terrible existence they all have and how awful that our tax dollars go toward helping such goings on.

I write letters and contact our government representatives regularly to let them know that some out here are aware of what is going on and decry the fact. I am always glad to hear that despite our age we senior citizens know which end is up and agitate for justice.