Mr. Habib Siddiqui's lenghty letter (Sept 5, 2003) made liberal use of terms like ' this racist, spiteful, disingenuous, biased, bigoted individual...' to describe Daniel Pipes, an Ivy League educated scholar whose expertise in Middle Eastern and Near Eastern affairs is known far and wide. Indeed he is controversial, for true scholarship by nature sparks controversy. Using epithets and volatile language against someone generally reflects more on the user than the subject.
Daniel Pipes is undoubtedly a supporter of a strong American defense, close cooperation with her trusted allies, and vigorous anti-terrorism measures. So am I. And so should be every individual who enjoys the blessings of American opportunity. Unlike most public figures, Dr. Pipes has been painfully honest about where the physical, intellectual, and social sources of terrorism lie. Let us call a spade a spade. It is not Norwegians or Botswanans or Australians who are hijacking planes or blowing up wedding receptions. For good or bad, the Muslim world in general and the Arab portion in particular have become breeding grounds for terrorism. Professor Pipes is simply pointing that out.
He is direct, blunt, and minces no words about it. Rather than shoot down the doctor who diagnoses the tumor, we would do better trying to cut off the cancer before it spreads further.
Mr Siddiqui goes on to re-hash the same leftist propaganda about Israel and the Palestinians. For the sake of objectivity, a few rejoinders are in order. Firstly, it was the Palestinians (not Israelis) who, on advice of their Arab bretheren, who rejected the 1948 Partition of the British Mandate Territory.
Secondly, Israel is the only Middle Eastern country other than Jordan where Palestinians enjoy full citizenship with its attendant privileges. Thirdly, the United States has been the biggest single-state contributor over the history of UNRWA.
Fourthly, Israel does not use tanks and planes against stone-throwing kids-were that the case, any intifada would have lasted no more than a few hours. Fifthly, far more Palestinians have been killed by Jordan and Syria in combat than by Israel.
Now, all those are unpopular observations but true. They are also important to keep the issue in perspective. If all of that makes me a Zionist (another favorite epithet of the writer), then I am a Zionist. Frankly, I would much rather be a Zionist than an anti-Semite. As for being 'renegade and apostate', all I can say is this: Thank God for a country where you can be so and not have a price on your head.
