Inaccuracies Mar Opinions Article
By Daniel Kleinman '06

In his misrepresentative and at times downright untruthful opinion piece Muslim, or Criminal by Default? found in the last issue of TSL, Mr. Kavin Paulraj misled readers by giving them a slanted view of the truth. I am writing this letter to supplement his article so readers can form a more informed opinion on the issue with which his article dealt.

As Mr. Paulraj wrote, the two men arrested on a train on September 12, Indian nationals Mohammed Azmath and Syed Gul Mohammed Shah, were found carrying box cutters. While it is true that they were apprehended largely due to their race and the fact that they carried no identification, they were jailed on a completely unrelated charge: massive credit card fraud. Furthermore, both men were held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, not Guantanamo Bay as Mr. Paulraj claimed.

The "prominent Muslim religious leader" that Britain recently deported was Abu Hamza, who was deported for considerably more than his "outspoken nature," as Mr. Paulraj suggested. Hamza is on record for making statements that promote Islamic jihad as well as killing and other forms of violence. As for his actions, Hamza is wanted in connection with several terrorist acts, among them the kidnapping of sixteen western tourists in Abyan and a failed bomb plot in Aden. Given that true Islam is a peaceful religion, I hope that someone with as vicious an anti-American, anti-Semitic and anti-life streak as Hamza does not qualify as a "Muslim leader."

Sami Al-Arian, the university professor from Florida who was recently arrested by the government, was not hauled away merely "for his support of the Palestinian cause," as Mr. Paulraj wrote. That alone is not, and should never be, a crime. But the US government contends, based on nine years' worth of intelligence information, that Al-Arian is the North American leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a group responsible for deadly terrorist attacks in Israel. Furthermore, Al-Arian faces allegations of racketeering, conspiracy and material support for terrorism.

While I have no quarrel with Mr. Paulraj as a person, I do take issue with his ability to write fair articles. By omitting certain key facts and by stating untruths outright, he has failed to fulfill his duty as a reporter whose job it is to provide readers with an objective version of the truth. I would suggest that Mr. Paulraj consider this point carefully and do his research before next writing an opinion piece of this nature.