Editorial: a Letter to the Writer of the Letter to America

Recently, a letter to America appeared in the Guardian’s “Observer” online newspaper:

http://www.observer.co.uk/worldview/story/0,11581,845725,00.html

This letter was supposedly written by Osama bin Laden; however, authorities have no way to validate the source with confidence. At the very least, the letter has been written by and is being distributed to Islamic extremists, and, as such, may only be ignored by the United States and its allies at their peril.

I have read and reread the text of that letter and offer what I hope is an objective response from a concerned American.

Firstly, allow me to remark that I found the letter to be in no way offensive or incendiary. I found the vast majority of it to be correct; however, I disagreed with a few points the writer made. I must also remind the writer of the letter to America to examine his or her own faction’s actions and motivations. With respect to diplomacy versus terrorism, and with respect to society’s treatment of women, Islamist extremists cannot be held blameless. They must remember to examine their own consciences before condemning the actions of others, no matter how reprehensible, lest they lose credibility and drive away those who would otherwise willingly support them.

That said, let me congratulate the writer on his or her accurate—if understated—remarks on the American culture of hypocrisy, sex for sale, greed, and double standards. Sir or madam, you don’t even know the half of it. By and large, this country, which has such vast resources and potential to do good for its sons and daughters at home and its cousins abroad has chosen time and again to pursue the almighty dollar over everything else. Case in point: the homeland security bill. Bush and his wealthy and powerful Republican cronies lobbied hard for and won protections for the wealthy and powerful pharmaceutical industry. These companies may now sell toxic mercury-laden vaccines that hurt and kill American and foreign children and adults with complete exemption from legal redress by the victims—even the cases currently in court will be dismissed in favor of the perpetrators. You rightly decry the double standard American politics applies to its momentary friends or foes. You have seen American billboards, movies, and television—you shudder at the excesses of nudity and violence just as many of us do here. You speak of immorality and fornication. Well, we in my family have a sad joke we pass around to lament the current state of the nation’s morals: “you can tell the fornicators because they wear white at their weddings.” Not even the Catholic Church obeys and upholds honorable moral standards: it, too, is driven solely by money and power. Truly, there are many godly folks here in America, but they must fight an uphill battle to maintain their morals against the onslaught of perverse and corrupt examples set by those in power in government, business, church, and media. And you’re right: the perverse and corrupt do not recognize themselves in the mirror you set before them; those that have the courage to read your letter must surely be howling in indignation. I wish, friend, that letters like yours and mine could teach them to see themselves for what they are and forsake their evil ways. Sadly, it seems far more likely that a major upheaval will be needed to shatter the culture of wealth and power in America and replace it with one of compassion and respect.

Now, please consider these dissenting remarks in the kindly light in which I offer them.

1. You grossly overestimate the power of the average American voter. Surely you remember our 2000 presidential elections: “we the people” couldn’t even elect the president we wanted! That election was bought and sold as many have been since, possibly before. Many of us dissent strenuously with policies and actions of our government: we vote, write letters, make phone calls, send e-mails, sign petitions, and stage protests … all to no avail. It is from this desperate powerlessness that publications like The Scallion were born. It is not as easy as you think for us to change policies or withhold taxes. Don’t you know at least one person who has held a job over here—haven’t you ever heard of payroll deductions? An American worker never has access to most of his or her tax money—it is taken out and handed over long before he or she gets the rest, hoping there will be enough to live on. In this respect, the men, women, and children who died in the attacks of 9/11 truly were innocents. Money and power drive this country, and the American people must actively begin to take their country back. Our energy would be well spent encouraging this nonviolent battle.

2. You and I are children of the same Divine Parent, and I believe that the same laws of right and wrong apply to all of us. There may be differences in the interpretation and the details, but those differences wield far greater power to separate us than they deserve; we should strive to overcome them. That said, I do not believe that Jesus would support my country’s retaliatory bombing of Afghanistan; nor would He approve of threatening to attack Iraq. Furthermore, I strenuously disbelieve that Jesus or Mohammed (God grant them peace) or God Himself rejoices in the 9/11 attacks. Which of your defenseless allies asked you to rescue them by bombing New York and Washington? Have you been appointed World Cop any more than the United States has been? Why did you not write your letter to America before those attacks—why did you not publish it in every newspaper and website before resorting to violence and bloodshed? Why did you not spend those millions of dollars distributing pamphlets instead of planning bloody attacks? Why did you not exhaust every avenue of diplomacy and nonviolent protest before murdering your American brothers and sisters? God-Allah is our Father, and He weeps when we murder each other just as Osama bin Laden would weep if his sons and daughters began fighting and killing each other in his name. The brutal act of murdering 3000 Americans does not endear your cause to us, but your letter to America might have. While your letter carries warnings of further attacks, it also smacks of diplomacy. Please exhaust that avenue before you spill any more blood. Deny just cause to those who would hunt you down. Prove to the world that you are more intelligent and more godly than Mr. Bush. You will find more supporters this way.

3. I do believe that Israel has a right to exist just as Palestine has a right to exist. I strongly agree with you that the way Israel was established was barbaric beyond words. I further agree that the unconditional support Israel has received from the United States since its inception has been criminal. However, I must disagree that the only possible correction for these grave sins is to wipe Israel off the face of the planet. More death and bloodshed would not undo the wrongs already suffered by Palestinians.

4. It seems highly unlikely that Jewish people control as much of this country’s wealth and media as you suspect. Are Bill Gates, the Bush family, or, indeed, most Republicans Jewish? I think there are plenty of WASPs in control of the nation’s information and purse-strings.

5. It also seems unlikely that America actively denies modernization to Arab states. Is it not true that most Muslim states actively resist modernization as a threat to their cultural purity? You know as well as I do that any corporation in America would gladly sell modernization to the Middle East for oil or money. Look to your own leaders before you accuse ours of this wrongdoing.

6. You say that the United States steals the Middle East’s oil. As far as I know, we pay for the oil just like everybody else. Are you saying that the buyers set the price for the commodity? If so, I find that hard to believe. But we can both thank American greed for the high demand of this precious, dwindling natural resource. For example, over forty years ago, the automaker GM made a deal with the American government to eliminate the vast majority of public transportation and cargo rail to force the country into buying far more cars and trucks than were healthy for the nation or the world. Automakers and other wealthy American factions have continued to stymie the transition to cleaner, renewable fuels and more efficient forms of transportation. So, I won’t quibble with you that the U.S. is responsible for the grossly inflated demand, but go point your finger at OPEC if you don’t like the prices we’re paying.

7. If I interpret you correctly, you support the liberation of women. If so, then we agree that women in America are far from liberated. We further agree that American women are shamelessly exploited by entertainment and other industries. Hopefully, then, you do not approve of mummifying live Muslim women in black head-to-toe shrouds; locking them in darkened rooms away from jobs, friends, families, and the life-giving light of the sun; and raping them and then killing them for having suffered rape.

I thank you for the intelligent letter you wrote to America; I hope America listens with all its heart. I also hope that my reply serves you well. May God-Allah bless and lead us all.

The author, Zoe Owens, Ph.D., is a philosophy professor and author of religious and philosophical writings.