Letters to the Editor, June 20, 2004

Thank you for printing the article. I certainly hope it does some good. Not only did I go to school with a number of people of Arab extraction but I have spent some years in Saudi Arabia; long enough to learn that the vast majority of Arab people are decent folk. I also spent nearly ten years in Vietnam and know the insanity of war. I also have an Israeli son-in-law who once said something quite profound. "My family has lived in Palestine for over 150 years. We never had any problems with our Arab neighbors until the outsiders (Zionists) arrived." I am convinced that if good minded Moslems and good minded Jews band together they can over come the hate and violence that is causing so much suffering.

I thank you for writing what you did for the innocent American (Paul Johnson). I just heard they had murdered him and my eyes have many tears to shed. I don't understand how people can do this. I think of the suffering that man went through and his family. He did nothing to hurt anyone. He even had stated he wanted to be a Muslim. So sad these people go around murdering people. I wonder how they would feel if some person did that to their dad, son, brother, cousin or mother. They would be crying and their heart would be broken forever. Thank you Melissa for your point on the whole situation. God Bless you!

Paul Johnson

Sir,

I am a UK citizen who has been ardently against the US involvement in Iraq. I detest George W. Bush and have always suspected the US administration's motives for starting the second Gulf war, particularly it's ruse about WMD's.

However, the latest detestable murder of Paul Johnson - a fellow human being - by men who show no courage whatsoever hiding behind masks the way they do only serves to make me and many like me start wondering if maybe the war wasn't so wrong after all?

Al Qaida's current despicable actions only serve to alienate them from people who under other circumstances would wish to solve these issues on a more reasonable, peaceable, level. No matter what their political stance or grievance, there is no excuse for this barbaric behaviour.

Yours faithfully

John Ward York. UK.

Editor: Wars are always wrong.

Double Bind, Falluja Again

I hope Iraqis realise that Bush is killing them in a civilised manner, obviously for their own good. The whole air campaign has from the start demonstrated this supreme wisdom. Whether it is 10 or 20 thousand, old or young, male or female, makes little difference. It is done remotely at the press of a button and the results are either sanitised or hidden from US public view. Hurrah!

I hope the Iraqis also realise that the correct response to their own demise should, according to Bush, be a carpet of rose petals for the invading, occupying if alien forces.

Thanks to Bush's (negative characteristics), the US is now engaged in a Palestinian type conflict where superrich US and Israel raze towns and countries with their heavy weaponry and then condemn resistance as illegitimate. His mentor Sharon must be laughing, especially as the US has clearly rejected any adherence to the norms of international laws and conventions, jettisoned any pretence of concern for human rights and openly revealed its brutal side. Those who live in glass houses ...

Could Mr Bush please consider some move, however tiny, towards establishing peace and understanding with those of different faiths and cultures (i.e. non-Americans) rather than continuing his aerial bombardments of the poor with the inevitable and equally horrific reprisals. The circle of violence must be broken.

Phil Hong

Zimbabwe’s Tragedy, Arab News (Al-Jazeerah, June 19, 2004)

The Arab news report ( 6-18-04) concerning the politics of Zimbabwe was the type of rubbish propaganda one would expect from the racist Western press.

The peoples of Zimbabwe under the leadership of Robert Mugabe have set a magnificent precedence for Africans, particularly those that have recently acquired their independence from the racist genocidal colonialism of the west. Mugabe was forth right, honest and intelligent enough to have restored Zimbabweans land rights. Never before in the history of Africans under colonialism has a liberation leader restored the land rights of their people. This is significant indeed. The Arab news must be aware of the massive destabilization program of Zimbabwe that has been wage by the racist colonial twins, bush & blair, imf & world bank and other mostly european countries which support this insanity.

Arab news should keep in mind that Zanu-PF under the leadership of Mugabe fought a 30 years liberation war, loosing over 50,000 of it's people to regain what was rightfully (land) theirs for centuries. Mugabe a dictator! I think not. Sure their are problems as their are in most of Southern Africa. However, the dictators are clowns like bush & blair, racist fools trying to dominate and subordinate other peoples from afar (remotely.)

Oh yes, we are aware that some of our Arab brothers had benefited from the colonial era and may have lost ground since the liberation. But, keep in mind that the land belongs to the Africans of Zimbabwe who fought for their liberation from the dictatorship of white supremacy. I can assure you that the Africans of Zimbabwe under the leadership of Mugabe will not be as evil and genocidal as were the white power structure of Zimbabwe.

Finally, if Arab news is concerned with dictators why not take a look at the several dictators in the middle east. It's not necessary to name names, I'm sure you know who the dictators are in the middle east. And let us not forget the biggest terrorist dictator of them all, Sharon. Mugabe is a pussy cat compared to the evil that is Sharon and many of the dictators of the middle east.

Kim Lewis