Mon. Jun 02, 2003
Open Letter from an Arab-American Student
Open Letter from an Arab-American Student – It’s not what you probably think, but it is an eye opener.
“Our radical professors tell us that the war on Iraq is racist, while the radicals on campus Show their contempt for this proud Arab people and its liberation. In our history classes We are told to despise our founding fathers and traditional American principles; in our political Science classes we are taught to to fear our president and our own armed forces.”
“They have never known the humiliation of living under the iron rule of an Islamic despotism. I have. They have never tasted the cruel bitterness of forced silence in the shadows of a dictatorship. I have. They have never seen the face of evil. I have. For I was born and raised in Syria, the country enslaved by Hafez El-Assad. I was one of the fortunate victims of this tyranny because my family was able to emigrate to American a land of freedom. Yet in the free universities of this country legitimacy is bestowed on the very forces that oppress my former countrymen and I am instructed to be compassionate towards my own oppressors and to be hostile to the country that has liberated me.”
Published 10:16PM, Mon, Jun 02 2003
Category: Cultural Commentary
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Peanut Gallery
Nothing personal against whoever wrote that letter, but it immediately reminded me of the story of the kuwaiti girl from Gulf War I. I don't doubt for one second that the Syrian government is very undemocratic and oppresive. But it is certainly not alone, and not the worst. I've seen others (with my eyes, not on TV) that are comparable, and some organizations that are far worse (though I don't call them "the face of evil", too dramatic). No one seem to care about those (Bush Jr. even sympathizes with some of them!). Hey, maybe one of those "radical professors" had an explanation for that. When we fight our fight we don't call uninvited third-parties liberators. And one of the fantastic things about "free universities" is that, if you're attentive enough, you can even learn some critical thinking (which this student seems to lack: C'mon, I can't believe anyone told this guy to "despise our founding fathers"!)
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One can critize the government, and still be against Saddam. Accusing people who oppose war of supporting Saddam is stupid. In most cases, some people accuse others to oppress them. If the idea was freedom, people wouldn't have any problem with anti-war views at first place.