Tourism vs Terrorism in Yemen [Archives:2004/785/Letters to the Editor]

Hedar Almaznaai
[email protected]
Texas, USA
Overtime I think about my homeland (Yemen) its beauty, poverty, and vast wealth and I always wonder why, and until when this beautiful land will get its fair share of moving forward and peoples' lives and status will improve. I really don't see anything lacking, excepts “efforts” mainly in the part of the government.
I am currently living in Texas USA, and I see tourists pouring to cities that have no culture or very little points of interest, spending millions of dollars. I started thinking about Yemen, the rich history, and breathtaking scenes of mountains, old cities & villages, diverse cultures, languages, not to mention the level of education most Yemenis.
Who is responsible? Whose job is it, to spread the word that Yemen is safer than ever, and all the past a few incidents that had happened were merely a few mishaps. In comparison to what is happening on a daily basis here in the US or in any western nation, Yemen by far may be the safest country in the world, with the reputation of being one of the worst.
Someone must do something, tourism creates jobs, improves economies and bring life & enthusiasm to the people. You will be amazed of the magic effect of a few ads in the US & western media may bring.
Someone needs to let the world know that we have no terrorists in this country, and our problems are no different than any western nation, if not less.
Our religious clerics must stop preaching hate and start educating people to move on with their lives, their future and the future of upcoming generations.
The government, the Yemen media, and the people of this great country all have an obligation to the future generations. It is not easy, but it is not hard either.
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