Support

I’d like to applaud and thank Dr. Asma Barlas for her thought-provoking article in the last issue of the Quarterly. Barlas lucidly explains what Palestinian-American Suheir Hammad says in poetry ("First Writing Since"): we cannot assume "that a people represent an evil/or that evil is as simple as a/flag and words on a page." The heart-wrenching stories of loss of our friends and family must not distance us from the pain and reality that lie beyond our little world.

Barlas’s careful analysis is in direct contrast to the sensational and potentially explosive image of the burning effigy of Bush/Uncle Sam juxtaposed to her essay. If Marty Brownstein’s caveat regarding media coverage in the preceding pages wasn’t enough to stop our drawing hasty conclusions about "those hateful Muslims" from photos such as that one, Barlas gives us enough historical evidence of U.S imperialism, which has led many (Muslims as well as non-Muslims) to resent this country.

In this time of war --- war against an already crushed people, extreme racism, and violence directed against people of color in the U.S. (who are now suspected to be terrorists!) by the state as well as lay citizens --- we need more voices such as Barlas’s urging us to reflect on the reasons behind the madness of terrorism.

Why do they hate us? is perhaps the right question to ask. But only if it leads us to question and condemn the brutalities inflicted by the United States upon millions worldwide, including many who reside within its own borders.

Pavitra Sundar ’99
Ann Arbor, Michigan