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Dear Osama, Your “letter to the American people” arrived on the 24th of November via a translation provided by the Observer in Britain. I had not seen a copy of it in the American press although Mr. Sorensen wrote a column about it in the San Francisco Gate remarking about its absence in our corporate papers.* My apologies for not responding before this, but I’m sure you understand. Please don’t assume that I write this response on behalf of all Americans; each of us cherishes our right to speak for ourselves though relatively few take advantage of that right or, if they do, find it difficult to gain access to the corporate media where they might be heard by their fellow citizens. I do write from my heart with all the sincerity I can muster because your letter deserves a response, if only because you took the time to inform us of your grievances. Let’s hope a dialogue can ensue that might bring an end to retaliation and vengeance executed in the name of God, but serves only to breed devastation, deprivation and despair for the innocent even as those who inflict their will on others reap the harvest of their greed and lust for power. As a man of self determined moral stature, I assume you will agree.
Let me begin with your second point regarding Palestine: “... that the Jews have an historical right to Palestine.” “... this is one of the most fallacious, widely-circulated fabrications in history. The people of Palestine are pure Arabs and original Semites. It is the Muslims who are the inheritors of Moses...” Your contention rests on the proposition that the Semites are the true owners of Palestine. The origin of the word Semite can be traced back to the peoples that inhabited the lands around the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, Ethiopia, Arabia, Palestine, Phoenicia, and Syria. The term refers to the descendants of Noah’s son Shem. These people were nomadic, moving around from the Mediterranean to Egypt. They include tribes that belonged to the Hebrew group of the Semites, the Habiru. Much more could be said about this affiliation of tribes that constitutes the Semites, but I think the point is clear: you and the Israelis are brothers and sisters; you are all Semites.
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I
find three areas of concern expressed in your letter: the first focuses
on the past 50 years of “oppression” in Palestine; the second
on the United States’ support of governments, in both Arab countries
and non-Arab, that bow before American power thereby suppressing and humiliating
their own people and/or capitulating to American interests that exploit
their people and their natural resources; and the third, your contention
that Americans should submit to your understanding of the Quran since
Allah’s command that you cannot fail will result in America’s
destruction. I will attempt to respond to each of these concerns.
As brothers and sisters
from the same family, wouldn’t it make sense to join together to
form a nation-state that incorporates all as citizens with equal rights
for all, with shared resources, with mutual goals, bonded in love, peace
and aspirations? Wasn’t this in fact the way Muslims and Jews lived
together for decades upon decades before the advent of Nazi Germany’s
attempt to exterminate the Jews? Wasn’t that in fact the desire
of most of the world’s Jews as their numbers increased in Palestine
as a result of the escape from Europe? Wasn’t that the expectation
of most of the world’s population before resolution 181 was passed
by the UN General Assembly and proposed splitting the land into two? Can
we not resolve the horrendous conflict that has erupted between brothers
and sisters where internecine warfare cripples families that should be
living as neighbors? If Jews and Arabs attended their respective temples
and mosques in peace in times past, why not now when we purportedly have
risen in civilized stature? The question should not be, “Should
there be an Israel or should there be a Palestine.” The question
should be, “How can we bring our respective families together to
enjoy the fruits of the earth in harmony, mutual respect, and dignity.”