Wednesday September 26, 2001

Muslims are being treated poorly in Tucson

On Sept. 11, people of many nationalities perished in the World Trade Center atrocity. And many more continue to suffer through other people's rude and violent behavior - just because we are Muslims and believe in Islam. I am a Muslim, and to the best of my knowledge, Islam talks about peace and tranquility and to respect other religions. We live in the world, which can only be peaceful if we respect each other's religions and norms.

My greatest concern is that some Muslims and people from my country, Pakistan, are being harassed. This past week has been very disturbing as one got his windscreen smashed by a baseball bat. Another gentleman was threatened for life at Walmart, not to mention many others who are subjected to rude and harassing behavior almost everyday. We come from a great distance to seek knowledge and education - keeping in mind that the United States has one of the best education systems in the world. We leave our families and friends and come to this place where we do not know anybody. The culture and norms are very different and we make all our efforts to adjust because we think it's worth it.

I am an active member of both a social and a business fraternity and recognize that I have learned a lot from such opportunities. In fact, I feel proud to be part of such organizations as everybody has given a lot of love and has shown great respect and concern. Please extend as such to Muslims and my countrymen as they share the same feelings and emotions that I do. We are all responsible for our individual share to make this world a peaceful and friendly place. The quote of the day is: "I shall pass this way but once." Any good thing that I can do or any kindness that I can show to anyone, let me do it now. Let me not defer it for later for I shall never pass this way again."

Adeel Elahi

management information systems senior

We must protect our nation

In the wake of the extraordinary events that have taken place in the past two weeks, Americans are coming face to face with a challenge. We can either choose to live lives dictated by terror and fear, or we can stand up and define the terms of our existence. In the University environment (far from a representative cross-section of the population), I've heard many people pleading for peaceful resolution to this crisis, and nonviolent means of restitution. Do these people honestly expect perpetrators of genocide to listen to reason or to sincerely participate in negotiations? Will people who have unequivocally demonstrated their disrespect for human life be touched by our emotions and outpourings of grief? If I remember correctly, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, and Stalin were also sentimentalists at heart.

Its time we admit (no matter how hard it is) that envy, jealousy and hate are an unfortunate part of human nature. We'd like to ignore it or pretend it doesn't exist, but it has forever surfaced in every imaginable human habitat, from churches to igloos to huts beside the Congo. We can either live in a world which allows hate and evil to cultivate, or we can take a stand against it.

Pacifists paint touching portraits of people holding hands, walking along in peace and harmony with lions and lambs. In reality, their path is one of appeasement and victimhood, that ultimately leads to tyranny, as discovered by the many nations and peoples who have tried to follow it in the past. Being guardians of a tremendously successful and wealthy nation was never meant to be easy. We can either stand up for the principles and philosophies that pushed this this nation to prosperity, or we can stand 'round and watch the decay begin. Our choice...

Eric Jensen

geosciences graduate student

Wildcat story in poor taste

I am disgusted by the Daily Wildcat's article on Middle Eastern students returning home. I am a UAE national here at the UA and I personally do not feel it is anyone's business if these Arab students chose to go home. It is not news and should not be made news. Those students chose to go home of their own accord, and I am sure they would not appreciate becoming an article because the Daily Wildcat didn't have anything better to write about.

Aisha H. al-Suwaidi

Soil, Water, and Enviromental Sciences sophmore