Letters to the editor

Palestinian ideology source of violence

Where are you right now? Are you reading this article in the
Kerckhoff Coffeehouse? Are you sitting at a table on Bruin Walk or
are waiting for your class to start in a lecture hall? Well,
wherever you are, stop reading this article immediately because you
have just been killed. Almost everyone around you has also been
killed.

You have just been a victim of a Palestinian suicide bomber. You
did nothing wrong, but now you’re dead. You’re dead
because a brainwashed murderer who prescribes to some brand of
extremist Islamic ideology is convinced that you deserve to
die.

Here’s the truth as simply as I can put it: If the
Palestinians put down their weapons today, there would be peace. If
the Israelis put down their weapons today, there would be a
massacre.

Matthew Jacobs Second-year, European studies and Spanish
linguistics Daily Bruin Advertising Account Executive

Awareness Week cartoon wrong

It is apparent Jason Liu has great artistic talent. However, I
was offended by his recent cartoon in the Daily Bruin (Viewpoint,
April 16). The cartoon makes a mockery of events held on campus,
specifically Palestine Awareness Week. The simulated checkpoint
gave a impression of what really takes place and events we do not
hear much about in the media. I do not think it was a waste of time
or, as the cartoon implies, that it did not have a message.

As a matter of fact, in that same issue, the president of the
Progressive Jewish Student Alliance Allyson Mills said, “I
don’t think it’s a week event, I think it will have a
ripple effect and spread dialogue on campus.” Yet the cartoon
depicts that the people involved did not have a message.

I know The Bruin is a very reputable paper on campus and I hope
that in the future its staff will be more considerate of
controversial events, especially when they are related to Muslims
and Arabs, which are groups that are greatly abused and
discriminated against in the media in general.

Usama Al-Atar Research Associate, UCLA