Letters to the Editor [Archives:2001/42/Letters to the Editor]
Dear Editor,
I have been reading your editorials in the last few weeks. I wonder if the people of Yemen and other countries of that area are as aware or unaware of the character of the media the average American is exposed to?
The average American has no clue as how to spell “foreign policy” and much less as it applies to the Middle East.
The media (television really…most Americans don’t read very much) is very biased towards the foreign policy applied to your part of the world; this policy is very easily fed to the masses. Most Americans (and Canadians) are nice people but they are really extremely ignorant vis-a-vis US foreign policy and how it affects the average Arab. Very few people ask themselves why the Muslims are so unhappy with the US-Israel policies.
The other day while waiting for some take-out food I picked the local newspaper. On page 24 was an article about some Palestinians, including a young girl, having been killed. I will bet that if the young girl had been Israeli, that would have made the front page.
I guess what I am trying to tell you is that Americans need to be educated and that if you folks don’t do it, nobody will. I suggest the Middle Eastern countries spend some money, hire a slick marketing company and some TV time and start educating!
Frank Pallares MD
San Antonio, Texas
Response to: “Enough is Enough!”First of all, I am a simple 62 year old farmer in the mountains of Virginia and, thanks to the marvel of the internet, I can read your good paper.
Reading the news of the brutal murder of young Tariq just sickens me. However, please understand that the vast majority of our citizens deplore this sort of action, as I think most of your people do also.
What you see here is a group of thugs acting out of sheer hate. This is evil at its worst and will not be tolerated. But this is very rare in Canada and the U.S. Our laws will not let this go unpunished and this is where we differ from some Middle Eastern states. We live together peaceably with many nationalities, religions, and races. I am a devout Reformed Presbyterian but my neighbors are Methodists, Baptists, Catholics, Jews, etc. We accept each other as children of God even though we differ in our distinctive beliefs. I cannot understand why you make no reference to the two Christian girls who are being tried in Afghanistan just for being Christians. They have devoted their lives to service and were there only to help the impoverished and starving people. Is it right to execute these young ladies for sharing what they believe is Truth? What they believe is their peaceable calling on this Earth? All this is just too complicated for me to comprehend. I hope someone helps me understand this.
Paul Cunningham
[email protected]
About Nadia Muhsen
I wanted to know if you ever did that interview with Nadia Muhsen? If so could you please post it again on your current issues list so that I can read it? I’ve tried searching your archives but couldn’t find it. It’s Nadia’s Birthday on the 13th of October and would like to wish her a “HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ and may all your wishes come true!
If you did an interview with Nadia last year like you said you were going to do, have you thought about doing a follow up, so that we could all read it from your website? Just an idea, as I’d love to read about how you found Nadia. That’s if her husband gave you permission to actually see her, as I’ve read he can be quite stubborn about anyone talking to Nadia at all!
I’d like to send a birthday greeting to Nadia Muhsen who is in the Yemen and I’m hoping that she can soon go home to the UK to visit her family plus get the medical treatment she needs. Of course she won’t go without her children and because of this, she is being hampered in her efforts to leave. May GOD bless you & keep you safe, Nadia. Lots of people from around the world have seen how you’ve been unable to leave Yemen, and they all visit the website to check out how you are! Happy Birthday on the 13th of October. May your year ahead be better than ever!
R. Campbell
Dear Campbell,
Yemen Times published an investigative report and interview with Nadia. It was published in a series and started in issue no. 5 of the year 2000. The issue can be accessed at http://yementimes.com/00/iss05/front.htm. As for the follow-up, we may study the possibility of having more coverage about her story once her husband, who by the way was a true gentlemen, agrees to it. Nadia Muhsen probably reads the newspaper frequently. I hope that by publishing your letter, the congratulatory message would be delivered. Thank you for your interest.-Editor
Dear Editor,
I have just returned from my second trip to your country this year (Sept 23rd – Oct 6th), and would simply like to comment that, despite the current world situation and the tensions that exist between the ‘East and West,’ the welcome and hospitality I received as a visitor from Britain was as warm as ever and I feel sad that our foreign office has ‘strongly advised’ against travelling to Yemen.
I read your newspaper weekly via the internet just to keep myself up to date with information, and would like to commend you and your staff on the quality of your work. I look forward to visiting Yemen again soon.
John Deas
Bristol, England, UK
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