Tuesday September 18, 2001

Islam does not ask for the death of innocents

For about three years I have been overindulging on the "Freedom of Speech." This past Thursday I thought that the last day of life had come as I was being beaten by two men in an Arizona State University parking lot. For about five minutes I was being slapped and punched on my back, and heard a comment, "Die Muslim Die! Die Muslim Die! Die Muslim Die! Die Muslim Die!"

I was praying to God to have mercy and if my time has come, then at least give our children the hope of peace. Nowhere in Islam does it say to kill innocent people!

Islam has roots in Judaism, meaning Islam follows the Commandment: "Thou Shall Not Kill!" Islam also has roots in Christianity, and Jesus did say, "love your enemy," and "turn the other cheek." I do not seek revenge or even modern modes of justice. I seek education for my fellow neighbors to respect me and I respect them. A virtuous Hindu once said, "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." His name was Gandhi.

Let's all pray for the victims of terror here and abroad. People of all faiths and ethnicities lost someone!

A Pakistani man was shot in Texas, a Sikh Indian and an Arab were shot in Mesa, and I was beaten in Tempe. I don't know if tomorrow I can safely go to classes or not, maybe I might get shot at some gas station, too! It all depends on fate! But fate does not have power on something like hope, happiness, and love!

Saad Nasim

ASU political science senior/ former ASUA senator

Winsky column is reassuring

I just wanted to applaud Laura Winsky for her commentary (yesterday).

I am a senior at the UA from Seattle, and I feared that the conservative state of Arizona might react vengefully towards the Arab-American community.

I read her article as I passed a hateful sign on the Wall of Expression where someone ignorantly called for the alienation and destruction of the Islamic followers. These types of ignorant cries not only anger me but they scare me. I was so relieved and uplifted when I read her column. As a journalist, she possesses so much power; thank you for using it in a productive and inspiring way.

Erin Souza

marketing senior

Your day is over

Looking at the Wall of Expression it is apparent that there is small body of students on campus that believes that we somehow deserved the tragedy that occurred last Tuesday, and that tyranny is the only way to get America to listen.

This event is truly the definition of punishment. To those who have the heartlessness to argue that we deserve to be punished like this you should be reminded that we never laughed when going to war, we never fought a battle to get even, and we certainly never purposely used innocent people as a way of protesting what we thought was unjust. We were never barbarians. And those of you who would wish such a punishment upon anyone I would ask of you to think about how it would feel if your family was suffocating in a pile of ash while I stood there and repeated statistics about how the U.S. has given aid to Israel, or how we support the Indians in Kashmir, or about how many people died when we bombed Japan.

I can only hope that we will use this opportunity to educate ourselves about what is happening, why mercenaries would look at us with such hatred, and why we looked at the development of terrorist camps in Pakistan with patient eyes never suspecting that they were capable of educating an army which could outsmart us.

We must not acknowledge these acts as a political protest and admit that anyone is justified in doing such a thing. We will never forget the events that took place, but our way of life must go on. We will look at these days not as the days in which we were terrified, but as the days in which we stood up against treachery and showed that tyranny is not a political weapon, and to those who would use it in this way: your day is over.

Henry Johnson

Chemistry graduate student

US should kill Bin Laden

Let's just kill Bin Laden and his gang and be done with it. Yes, I do advocate murder now and then. "Death solves all problems: no man, no problem."--Stalin

Tatiana Covington

Physics senior

The American ideal can prevail

The University Religious Council (URC) represents 19 different faith-based organizations on campus representing many different faiths. At the URC, we understand that we do not all believe the same. However, we also see ourselves as working together to make our campus a better place to learn and live. We acknowledge our differences but we also seek common ground in ethics and values that our faiths share.

Our faith community on campus is united in our condemnation of the attacks against our nation this past week. We now stand united against the threats of violence that have been uttered against our Islamic brothers and sisters who had nothing to do with the attacks.

We understand that the actions of a few represent only those few. They do not speak for the whole community. If we take a look at most of the world's religions, we will find splinter groups who commit atrocities in the name of faith while not speaking for the whole faith. When the Oklahoma bombing happened, all of Christendom did not shoulder the blame. In that case, we understood that Timothy McVeigh did not understand the message of love and peace. Neither should Islam shoulder the blame now because there are a few who do not understand Islam's message of love and peace.

The objective of the terrorists was to rip our nation apart. They bring hate and havoc to our country. If we continue to sow hate in our own nation, then we are aiding the terrorists in the destruction of our nation. If we can show them that we are capable of joining hands and hearts against the hatred, in spite of our differences, then the American ideal will prevail.

We encourage you to seek peace and reconciliation within the faith community of your choice.

Peace,

Rev. Dan Hurlbert

President

University Religious Council

On behalf of Baha'i faith, Buddhist Fellowship, Campus Crusade for Christ, Catholic Newman Center, Chi Alpha Christian Outreach, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Episcopal Campus Ministry, Faith Christian Church, Hillel Foundation, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Islamic Center of Tucson, Little Chapel of All Nations, Lutheran Campus Ministry, United Methodist Campus Ministry, Presbyterian Campus Ministry, Quaker University Organization, Refuge Student Ministry, Unitarian Universalists, and Campus Christian Center.