Letters and Emails

Action against Hussein urgent to prevent disaster

THOSE WHO OBJECT to our government's forceful assertion that Saddam Hussein be removed from power must be waiting for a good reason to force the issue (note the swing in British opinion after 30 of their citizens died in Bali).

Isn't it enough that the Iraqi government has defied multiple U.N. resolutions requiring it to disarm and has made no real secret of its continued efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction?

Sanctions have failed to thwart the Hussein regime's efforts to increase its inventory of weapons of mass destruction, and the Iraqi government has no public credibility in any statement it makes to convince the world it isn't stockpiling nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. It is time for the UN to step up and bring an end to Iraq's continued defiance. If we continue to stand by and let Iraq defy the UN, the UN will cease to have any clout and peace loving people the world over will be worse off for it.

It was long known that people with the stated goal of eradicating all who don't worship Allah were supported by a pseudo-government in Afghanistan. Little was done about it until many suffered a great deal at the hands of those people. Let's not make the mistake we made in Afghanistan and wait for the problem we know is presently brewing in Iraq to blow up in our collective faces. Let's act now to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

James C. Hatcher, MBA, '04

Misunderstanding of cultures overlooks rich diversity

THREE WEEKS AGO, I was featured in the Spotlight section for founding and creating the first Arab Cultural Society at Santa Clara. However, a critical error was made regarding my heritage. The article mistakenly stated that I was Pakistani. I am not Pakistani. I am Vivian Khoury, a proud Palestinian. Why would I create the Arab Cultural Society if I was Pakistani? Pakistanis are neither Arabs nor Middle Easterners. I bring up this issue because I think that Arabs and the Middle East, in general, are rather misunderstood. The mistake that occurred in The Santa Clara three weeks ago reminds us that it is too easy to confuse countries and/or cultures as one. We need to be sensitive to and recognize the unique differences of every culture in the world. For example, it is not right to say that all Asians are the same just because they are in Asia. Religion is also another issue. Many people have preconceived notions about a particular ethnic group. I am a Christian Arab, and that often seems to surprise some people because they automatically assume that all Arabs are Muslims - but why? Was not Jesus, the founder of Christianity, born and raised in Palestine? Know the facts before you start making assumptions. Ask questions, look at a map, research ... learn more. By doing this, you will raise cultural awareness and help other Santa Clara students to become more global thinkers.

Vivian S. Khoury, combined sciences, '03

Statistics misleading regarding on-campus racial diversity

I WAS READING the article about diversity on campus (Oct. 10), and I would just like to point out that although the Office of Institutional Research has found there to be a 35 percent "minority" presence in the freshman class, some of the these students who identify themselves as minorities are not actually considered minorities on campus.

Identifyng oneself as Hispanic, even if one is only half or a quarter Hispanic, is advantageous for things like scholarships and university admissions. However, in actuality, one could be completely out of touch with his/her nationality and thus, would not be considered a "minority" by other students.

Essentially, what appears on paper is often not representative of what appears on campus. Realistically, minorities probably only make up that 15-20 percent that Ms. Moore described in the article.

Ambar Munoz, communication, '05