Bhutto coverage is misleading

Your January headline "Pakistani-Americans look toward bright future" was in extremely poor taste. The message being sent to readers after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, one of Pakistan’s and the Muslim world’s few icons, especially here in America, is that things look brighter after she has been murdered.

Let me assure you that Pakistan was and still is in a state of mourning on the elimination of the leader of its largest political party, the PPP. What a couple of leaders of a few token American organizations of Pakistani or Muslim origin say about Benazir is irrelevant. She was a very brave Muslim woman who has been eliminated. Many Pakistani-Americans supported her ‘til the very end and will miss her dearly.

In [the] future, please exercise better judgment in how you highlight a story.

Ras Siddiqui

Thanks for reporting the positive, too

Thank you for putting out a very positive view on people who are Muslim. And thank you for opening up another window for the reading public so we can read and think.

Pat Berardini

Via email

Why is it haram?!

I read the piece "SoCal Muslims Aim for Youth Revival." (Jan. 2008). I was wondering whether Project Faith in Youth could be considered as a free resource by the youth committee of any OC-based Muslim youth group.

I totally agree with Megan Wyatt, director of the Orange County Islamic Foundation Sunday School, who says that "It’s not enough for the youth to know that something is ‘haraam’ (forbidden). They deserve an explanation of the wisdom behind it."

I am aware that Muslim youth are forbidden to drink alcohol and use drugs, but do they know why? We offer information for them to make wise, personal decisions regarding Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug (ATOD) use. For parents, I’ve conducted an interactive Asset Building workshop in at least seven churches. We still have to reach out to Muslim youth and parents.

Lourdes Gutierrez

Community Service Programs - Project Faith in Youth

Santa Ana, Calif.

Zionist Organization of America maintains MSU is Anti-Semetic

The legal action the Zionist Organization of America brought on behalf of Jewish students at UC Irvine never challenged the MSU’s right to express opposition to the policies of Israel (Probe Clears Muslim Group and UCI of Anti-Semitism, Jan. 8, 2008).

Our objections went to the rank anti-Semitism that the MSU engaged in, which the group tried to portray as legitimate political discourse about the Middle East conflict. The MSU sponsored speakers and programs that demonized Jews and Israel, falsely and absurdly compared them to Nazis, falsely accused Israel of perpetrating a holocaust, and justified suicide bombings and terrorism.

The MSU’s programs proclaim Palestinians have the right to self-determination, yet deny that the very same right belongs to the Jewish people. All of this is anti-Semitism, meaning hatred against Jews "not just by the standards of Zionist groups" as you call them, but also by those of the U.S. government.

The entire UCI community would be far better served if discussion of the Arab-Israeli conflict could be conducted without resorting to lies and the incitement of hatred.

Susan B. Tuchman, Esq.

Director, Center for Law and
Justice

Zionist Organization of America