Comments in article racist, Îdehumanizing'

Your decision to run, unchallenged, blatantly racist comments from Danny Bobman, director of the Tucson Israel Center, was completely irresponsible. Before entering graduate school, I was a print newspaper reporter for six years, and I guarantee you that this type of egregious coverage would not have made it past a competent content editor.

Bobman's comment: "Just as Americans wouldn't want a student affiliated with Al-Qaida to come study here, Israelis don't want someone with pro-Palestinian ties to study there," was completely anachronistic and inexcusable.

It is nothing less than a spurious comment likening an entire nation of people to a militant terrorist group. In the year 2003, these types of comments are not printed in newspapers about African-Americans, Jews, Hispanics, Native Americans or other ethnic groups. Why not? Because they are gross, dehumanizing generalizations, and they are embarrassing to us all.

Wildcat staff embarrassed the more conscientious students on this campus when they decided to run such an inflammatory comment. But far more unacceptable was the decision by Wildcat staff to not counter that comment with a more rational, humanistic remark. Wildcat staff had contact with a former UA student who received United States government funding to attend Bir Zeit University (and she was admitted into the country). She was outraged by the incident and attested to the fact that Bir Zeit is a reputable institution of higher learning. Her comments, as evident, were omitted.

It is my sincerest hope that future coverage of Palestinians does not resort to language that does not demean every man, woman and child of Palestinian lineage. It is an affront not just to this nation of people, but to all of us who are champions of human equality and dignity.

Nesreen Khashan
Near Eastern studies graduate student

APJME statements were intended to deceive

The comments made by members of the Alliance for Peace and Justice in the Middle East in yesterday's Wildcat were not only ill-conceived, but intended to deceive uninformed readers.

The "question of academic freedom" voiced by Carrie Brown and Paul Snodgrass' intention to learn at the university are both ridiculous considering the circumstances. The West Bank is not Tucson; it is a dangerous area and the Israeli government is responsible for his safety. Bir Zeit University, located close to Ramallah, is a hotbed of militant activity in the West Bank.

Furthermore, Snodgrass' intentions are obviously suspect when we take into account his affiliation with the APJME and his pro-Palestinian activities. Israel is under a wave of terrorism and foreign political activists have become both directly and indirectly involved.

I take for example the murderous bombing at Mike's Place on the Tel-Aviv waterfront that was carried out by a British national who had spent time with political activists in Gaza. There are many other examples of foreign activists using themselves as human shields to protect terrorists or even hiding terrorists as members of the International Solidarity Movement did in Jenin.

The assertion by members of APJME that he wasn't allowed entrance because of an Israeli desire to keep their activities secret is vicious and untrue. Israel is a country one-third the size of Arizona with some of the highest international media coverage in the world.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a tragic and sad series of events with much suffering on both sides. The provocative statements made by the APJME do nothing but paint a biased and one-sided picture of a complicated situation.

Ben Pri-Tal
undecided freshman

Tucson, UA police hardly comparable to Nazis

This is a response to Daniel Greenspan's letter yesterday. His idea of history, at least as evidenced by his letter, is very far from the truth. In fact, as a Jew, I was personally offended.

UAPD and TPD are nothing like Gestapo, nor do they employ Gestapo-like tactics. Greenspan claims that the Nazi police force and local law enforcement "both oppress the innocent." Well, definition of innocent notwithstanding, UAPD doesn't go around killing anyone guilty of these "morality crimes." There is nothing in a student's nature or identity that brings on police interest. In Nazi Germany, just being different caused real oppression, torture and even murder.

A few arrests, unjust though they might be, are nothing in comparison to the millions of lives destroyed or ended by a "reign of tyranny" during the Third Reich.

Matt Montgomery
linguistics junior

"Sarape's Grill" comic "racist propaganda"

Today's publication of the comic strip "Sarape's Grill" brings into question the intentions of the Wildcat as a publication that is supposed to address the needs and concerns of a diverse student body ÷ a multi-ethnic group that attends this university for not only the pursuit of a higher education, but also a degree of enlightenment and cultural awareness that promotes the inclusiveness of all within our dynamic world community.

Not only is the comic strip un-funny, it is highly derogatory to all persons of color. The Wildcat treads dangerous waters when it seeks to exploit racial stereotypes of the lowest common denominator. If this pattern of ignorance persists, not only will it bring into light the ignorance of the editorial staff of the Wildcat and the so-called "artist" responsible for publishing such vulgar trash, it will call into question the undeniable racist motives of such actions.

I would be happy to never see "Sarape's Grill" or any comic strip by Arnie Bermudez ever again! Myself and lots of my fellow students hope that this is an isolated incident of racism and ignorance and not the pattern of a new trend in university-sanctioned racist propaganda.

Charlie Touseull
history senior