Re: Common Sense, “Americans, look out” [Archives:2008/1153/Community]

By: Michael Reuss
[email protected]
Your columnist Hassan Al-Haifi is known to have extreme views about political situations in Yemen and the region.

However, his April 24 article, “Americans, look out,” is proof that the title of his column requires an urgent change because his views and writings certainly cannot claim to be inspired by common sense anymore.

In his confused logic, he has identified the source of all the plight and grievances of the peoples of the Middle East region as – the International Zionists.

Apparently, he has no knowledge of history that could get in the way of his simplistic and hate-inspired rhetoric. The fact that he draws directly on propaganda that was popular in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s under Adolph Hitler and the National Socialists obviously isn't considered problematic by the Yemen Times editorial staff.

Yemenis have a right to be informed about those topics that influence their lives, but they also have a right to be protected against primitive hate propaganda innocently appearing under the heading of “common sense.”

There are certainly more than a few problems affecting the lives of peoples in this region for which the so-called International Zionist Establishment cannot claim any responsibility: corruption, unsustainably high population growth, poor economic policies, bad governance, discrimination of women and Islamic fundamentalism, to name a few. How about tackling these problems for a change, Mr. Al-Haifi? That would make more (common) sense.
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