Friday, July 29, 2005
Response to St. Petersburg Times Editorial
Re: Video betrays Al-Arian as victim Series: EDITORIALS; [SOUTH PINELLAS Edition], St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Fla.: Jul 15, 2005. pg. 14.A
In following the Sami Al-Arian trial, the word of the week was “redacted”, which Judge Moody instructed the jury means “left out”. In preparing transcripts of telephone conversations, documents, etc. for evidence, the government redacted (or left out) line after line. The same is true of the video that was shown last week of Dr. Al-Arian speaking in 1991. As I watched the video, it seemed that every few seconds, something was redacted, but there was no way to tell how much was left out. However, so much was left out that the context was not readily apparent.
The St. Petersburg Times editorial of July 15, “Video betrays Al-Arian as victim”, did not seem to be concerned with these frequent redactions, and also did not seem to be concerned with the situation in Palestine about which Dr. Al-Arian was speaking. In other words, the context from which he was speaking was also redacted. Thus, the reader does not know that in 1991, the first Intifada, or uprising, against the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine was taking place. The reader also does not know that the first Intifada was largely non-violent, and it was three years before the first suicide bombing occurred. In fact over 140 Palestinians were killed before the first suicide bombing took place. Many of these Palestinian deaths were children, and many were killed with a bullet to the head.
In common usage in the Middle East, while the term “martyr” includes suicide bombers, it is not limited to them. In Palestine, “martyr” also refers to anyone killed by the Israeli army. Thus, all of these children who were killed are referred to as martyrs, and so is British peace activist Tom Hurndall, who was shot between the eyes as he tried to protect school children who were pinned down by Israeli soldiers.
The editorial claims that Dr. Al-Arian is casting “random killing as a form of martyrdom”, but on the contrary Dr. Al-Arian is praising a 5-year-old boy for courageously throwing stones at the Israeli tanks and uzis that are attacking his home. He refers to the 5-year-old boy as a martyr because he is killed by Israeli soldiers, not because the 5-year-old boy was a suicide bomber! (Although I do find it hard to believe that the Times editors were not aware that no five-year-old Palestinians have blown themselves up!) In his book of poetry, Conspiring Against Joseph, Dr. Al-Arian also refers to Rachel Corrie as a martyr. Rachel Corrie was the 23-year-old year American peace activist who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer as she tried to prevent a home demolition.
This context of what was going on at the time in Palestine has as yet not been allowed in the court room, although without the context it will be very difficult for the jury to understand what is going on. This context also has not been provided by our local media. In fact, the media has already contributed greatly to the gross unfairness of this trial, and I was very disappointed to see it continuing as a policy of the St. Petersburg Times editorial board. Dr. Al-Arian has not been tried yet, and he is still presumed to be innocent by thinking Americans.
Since very few people seem to have any knowledge of the historical context of the current situation (including people at the Times), I refer you to the website If Americans Knew www.ifamericansknew.org. This website was started by an American journalist, Alison Weir. Another informative site is B’tSelem – the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories www.btselem.org/English.
Without a knowledge of the facts of the situation, there can never be justice.
Melva Underbakke
In following the Sami Al-Arian trial, the word of the week was “redacted”, which Judge Moody instructed the jury means “left out”. In preparing transcripts of telephone conversations, documents, etc. for evidence, the government redacted (or left out) line after line. The same is true of the video that was shown last week of Dr. Al-Arian speaking in 1991. As I watched the video, it seemed that every few seconds, something was redacted, but there was no way to tell how much was left out. However, so much was left out that the context was not readily apparent.
The St. Petersburg Times editorial of July 15, “Video betrays Al-Arian as victim”, did not seem to be concerned with these frequent redactions, and also did not seem to be concerned with the situation in Palestine about which Dr. Al-Arian was speaking. In other words, the context from which he was speaking was also redacted. Thus, the reader does not know that in 1991, the first Intifada, or uprising, against the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine was taking place. The reader also does not know that the first Intifada was largely non-violent, and it was three years before the first suicide bombing occurred. In fact over 140 Palestinians were killed before the first suicide bombing took place. Many of these Palestinian deaths were children, and many were killed with a bullet to the head.
In common usage in the Middle East, while the term “martyr” includes suicide bombers, it is not limited to them. In Palestine, “martyr” also refers to anyone killed by the Israeli army. Thus, all of these children who were killed are referred to as martyrs, and so is British peace activist Tom Hurndall, who was shot between the eyes as he tried to protect school children who were pinned down by Israeli soldiers.
The editorial claims that Dr. Al-Arian is casting “random killing as a form of martyrdom”, but on the contrary Dr. Al-Arian is praising a 5-year-old boy for courageously throwing stones at the Israeli tanks and uzis that are attacking his home. He refers to the 5-year-old boy as a martyr because he is killed by Israeli soldiers, not because the 5-year-old boy was a suicide bomber! (Although I do find it hard to believe that the Times editors were not aware that no five-year-old Palestinians have blown themselves up!) In his book of poetry, Conspiring Against Joseph, Dr. Al-Arian also refers to Rachel Corrie as a martyr. Rachel Corrie was the 23-year-old year American peace activist who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer as she tried to prevent a home demolition.
This context of what was going on at the time in Palestine has as yet not been allowed in the court room, although without the context it will be very difficult for the jury to understand what is going on. This context also has not been provided by our local media. In fact, the media has already contributed greatly to the gross unfairness of this trial, and I was very disappointed to see it continuing as a policy of the St. Petersburg Times editorial board. Dr. Al-Arian has not been tried yet, and he is still presumed to be innocent by thinking Americans.
Since very few people seem to have any knowledge of the historical context of the current situation (including people at the Times), I refer you to the website If Americans Knew www.ifamericansknew.org. This website was started by an American journalist, Alison Weir. Another informative site is B’tSelem – the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories www.btselem.org/English.
Without a knowledge of the facts of the situation, there can never be justice.
Melva Underbakke
