Letters

Doughnuts show kindness; Christians aren’t
sinister

Andrew Ahlering’s prejudices are exposed in his submission
““˜Free’
doughnuts really filled with Christian commitment“ (Daily
Bruin, Viewpoint, Feb. 8).

As a firm agnostic, I too have my hesitations when it comes to
organized religion, but in my time here at UCLA I have come to know
many Christians who are not dogmatic or hateful, but truly
beautiful people. Somehow I find the possible spiritual baggage
that comes along with a free doughnut less threatening than
whatever expectations come along with the free alcohol that secular
fraternities routinely supply to underage girls.

In the past two and a half years that I have been walking up
Bruin Walk on Friday mornings, I have sometimes accepted Alpha
Gamma Omega’s doughnuts, sometimes not, but I was never once
preached to, or told that only straight, white Protestants were
allowed to have coffee. Ahlering says that in order to be truly
altruistic, Alpha Gamma Omega “should leave them
anonymously.” Who would eat a doughnut that had been left on
Bruin Walk anonymously? Answer: squirrels.

There is a certain satisfaction that comes from helping others,
but if it is done in the name of God’s love does that somehow
make it sinister? Now I’m not so sure about the existence of
God, but I believe in the fellowship of human beings, and I applaud
AGO for their small but significant act of kindness.

Susan Eckerman Third-year Linguistics and
English

Islam Awareness Week does not have anti-Zionist
purpose

While anyone is fully entitled to her or his political
viewpoint, it is important to ensure that no false information is
being spread on campus. James Kim stated the Muslim Student
Association of UCLA renamed it’s imaginary
“Anti-Zionist Week” into “Islam Awareness
Week;” such an allegation is at best comical and at worst
dangerous (“Doesn’t
anyone support U.S.?,” Viewpoint, Feb. 7).

To clarify, the MSA held its annual Islam Awareness Week last
year, as it does every year, during third week of spring quarter.
Islam Awareness Week sought to break stereotypes about Islam and
Muslims with topics such as how women are truly treated by Islam,
Islam and science, and Jesus (who is revered as a true prophet in
Islam).

During Week Eight, a full month and a half later, MSA also held
a series of programs, co-sponsored by other groups on campus,
highlighting the mistreatment of the Palestinian people by the
state of Israel. These were two completely separate programs with
separate purposes.

At a time when the Muslim community in the U.S. has been the
victim of increased hate crimes, racial backlash and jailing
without due process, these false allegations only fuel the flames
of hatred that have seeped into the hearts of some within our
community, and increase the risk of hate crimes on our campus. We
ask the Daily Bruin to ensure these false statements are not made
in its publications.

If any confusion still exists about the Muslim community or
Islam, our door is always open for anyone on campus who has
questions.

Bilal Khan President Muslim Student
Association