Letters to the Editor, February 2, 2005

IRAQI GENOCIDE

Why hasn't the word genocide been heard on the killing of the Iraqi people?

THEODORE WILLIAMS

The Vietnam turnout was good as well :

On September 4 1967 the New York Times published an upbeat story on presidential elections held by the South Vietnamese puppet regime at the height of the Vietnam war. Under the heading "US encouraged by Vietnam vote: Officials cite 83% turnout despite Vietcong terror", the paper reported that the Americans had been "surprised and heartened" by the size of the turnout "despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting". ( Sami Ramadani, 02/01/05 "The Guardian" ).

Jim Kirwan

Oppose the Confirmation of Alberto Gonzales!

Sojourners recently launched a campaign urging senators to get tough with attorney general nominee Alberto Gonzales about his stance on torture. The Senate Judiciary Committee has now voted to advance Gonzales' nomination, and the full Senate is expected to vote on his confirmation very soon. Because of his evasive testimony and his record of flaunting international human rights standards, we now urge the Senate to oppose his nomination.

As The New York Times points out, "Mr. Gonzales' record makes him unqualified to take on this role or to represent the American justice system to the rest of the world. The Senate should reject his nomination."

When our country's reputation is already suffering worldwide, the United States must reject a nominee who has undermined international human rights standards. Unless U.S. citizens want to perpetuate the climate in which abuses like the Abu Ghraib torture scandal occurred, we must urge our senators to oppose the nomination of Alberto Gonzales as attorney general.

As a supposedly Christian nation, we can ill-afford to have an actual torture advocate as our top federal law enforcement official.

Ask yourself...Who would Jesus torture?

Click here to learn more and take action:

http://go.sojo.net/campaign/reject_gonzales?rk=FdqgZiK14zLuW

Paul Shoffner

Aljazeera TV For Sale

First of all , I must say I m very proud of Al Jazeera TV and I watch daily (after CNN< BBC< SKY< TV5 , ) to make sure I have all the news . I still find Al Jazzeera has more news worthy stories and more heartbreaking stories like kids dying in UNRWA schools , etc. I'm very proud of Al Jazeera for saying the right thing even against Despots in Arab world and the detention of opposition parties, and the gagging of Human rights people who demand reforms . etc.

Al Jazeera is not popular with the Whitehouse , nor with certain Arab leaders but the people who watch it , approve of it and wish it the best of luck and continuing success.

I'm just worried if Al Jazeera TV gets sold out (from what I read ) who is going to take over ? (I read about an Israeli businessman showing interests ) is it going to be gagged and start resembling other TV channels that praise their government and spend half an hour mentioning the names of princes who attended a major event.

Fatima Lakha, Casablanca, Morocco

Editor: Read Linda Heard's article in the Feb 2 issue. Please note that aljazeerah.info is not related to aljazeera tv.

"Is it a Religious Conflict" ?

Dear Dr. Hassan A. El-Najjar,

This question that Mr. Leo Howell posed in a letter published on your web-site January 31, and your response thereto, I respectfully wish to comment on.

"The conflict is purely secular". Your response to Mr. Howell is true in a sense, but I beg to differ with a slightly different point of view. I do see the conflicts in the Middle-East intimately related, and substantially religious. This may be frightening to accept, as religious war is a most dangerous ignominy.

As I see it, the particular violence that is being seen in the Middle-East started well before 1948, long before there was America, before Islam, before Christ. Someone penned a land claim into the book of Genesis, Joshua invaded Canaan, and then set out to exterminate the locals of the land. In reaction, since ancient Babylon, to Jesus, to Mohammed, on through the Crusades of the middle ages, the violence continues to this day. Religious zealots found a new surrogate in America, and are now in pursuit of yet another crusade.

Yes in a sense the wars are about secular oil and money, but they are driven by much more. Economically they have never made any sense. With the billions of dollars spent on war over the years, it would be much easier and cheaper to simply buy the oil. Beyond that, the belligerents who control already have more oil and money then any ordinary person can possibly imagine. To them oil and money are mere contrivances for manipulating people. I posit that underlying it all is the belligerent’s drive to imbibe their own religious zeal.

There appears a dual nature in all the subject religions. One is of violence, and the other is of Peace. Judaism presents the inherently violent Zionism we have all come to know. However, that is transcended by a deeper understanding of the Torah which is of Peace. Christians justify wars usually with reference to the Old Testament, but that is to the neglect of the Gospels. Islam, so far as I understand, (and please to help me if I am astray), unlike the other religions, presents no inherent aggression, but does call for defense when attacked, which I must add, seems to confuse some Muslims.
As to what nature of his religion a man chooses seems to fall upon the man himself. There are those unfulfilled egos that too readily favor war, and those more enlightened that know Peace is at the deeper thought.
I am a Christian, and an American, but I must say, as to the cause of the current round of conflict, I agree with you. One need only look at who is meddling into and transgressing onto who’s land with Biblical claims aside. One ought put one's own behavior in order before making judgment on others.

We talk of three religions, but to me there is only one; each being but a perspective of the same. It is my hope that all people will one day take time to study their religion more closely, and find within that there are indeed higher understandings that surmount the calls for war, that calls for war are evil prophesies, that it is for man to realize Peace through mutual respect, dignity, and justice with brotherhood.

Most respectfully,

Robert Shule
Virginia, USA

A postscript; The following web-site is just one example of the rhetoric circulating about Christian and Jewish zealots building up fervor for holy war; "The United States in Biblical Prophesy" http://www.mychristiansite.com/ministries/jmccutchan/godcontest.html

Editor:

I pray with you for peace, as you expressed it in your last paragraph. I invite you to think again about the causes of WWI, WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War, just to mention the main 20th century wars. Religion had nothing to do with them. They were all capitalist wars. Germans, Italians, Japanese, Koreans, and Vietnamese were not Muslims or Muslim Fundamentalists. The Middle East is nothing but the new frontier for the EMPIRE. Wherever there are resources, the Empire capitalists will go to capture them. Religion is summoned to mobilize the people to participate, on all sides.