OPINION
'Page 4
Wednesday, January 20, 1988
The Michigan Daily
LETTERS:
4
E0e mtu atTenity Mil
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Israel's rights violated
Vol. XCVIII, No.76
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board. All other
cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion
of the Daily.
Degree of democracy
ON THURSDAY THE Board of
Regents gave final approval for a
change in bylaw 9.03 which will, in
the future, allow deserving people to
receive honorary degrees regardless
of whether they can appear in person.
Further, the change institutes a more
democratic method of choosing
recipients.
Formerly, regental bylaw 9.03
permitted the granting of honorary
degrees only to those who could be
present at the graduation ceremony.
Such a policy derived from the belief
that the honorary degree was more a
. way of lending prestige and interest to
the ceremony itself than to pay tribute
to a particular person's accomplish-
ments.
Unfortunately, the bylaw ostensibly
became a political tool in 1986 when
the regents denied honorary degrees
y "to Nelson Mandela and Raoul
Wallenberg on the grounds that both
could not appear at the spring
commencement. Many in the
."University community alleged that
institutional racism on the Board of
Regents, which confers the degrees,
stood in the way of the Mandela
degree. The regents - who were
openly opposed to the degree and
were undecided on the issue long past
the normal deadline for voting on the
awards - pulled the rarely used
bylaw out of the hat as a way to
legitimize their opposition to the
degree.
Mandela could not attend the
ceremony because he remained
imprisoned since 1962 for his efforts
against the oppressive white South
African minority government.
Wallenberg, a University alumnus,
was recommended for receipt of a
degree because he saved hundreds of
thousands of Hungarian Jews from
slaughter in Nazi Germany but had
disappeared shortly after that war.
The in-absentia rule came into effect
for the winter 1986 commencement as
well, and awards again eluded
Mandela and Wallenberg.
Mandela finally got the degree he
deserved at the spring 1987
commencement after an ad-hoc
University committee, spurred by the
pleas of the Free South Africa
Coordinating Committee and others,
recommended a change in the bylaw
after a ten month review.
Another laudable change in the
bylaw dictates that the Dean of the
Rackham Graduate School chair a
committee which will recommend
degree recipients to the regents. This
Honorary Degrees Committee will
also consist of two students appointed
from a list compiled by the Michigan
Student Assembly. This should create
a pool of potential honorees that will
more closely resemble the sympathies
of the University community.
The alteration of regental bylaw
9.03 should be greeted with open
arms, but the change was, sadly, too
late to allow more timely recognition
of some very worthy candidates.
To the Daily:
The cartoon printed in the
January 13, 1988 edition is not
only in the poorest taste, but
illustrates complete ignorance
of the current situation in the
Israeli occupied territories. The
current Israeli crisis is in no
way parallel to the Soviet
abuse of human rights. Israel is
not contradicting itself, as the
cartoon suggests, for Israel is
not guilty of violating Pales-
tinian rights.
Israel is a country which has
existed under attack since the
time of its birth forty years
ago. Currently, Israel is facing
an expanding threat, not form
without, but from within its,
borders. Palestinians have been
for weeks rioting within the
territories occupied by Israel.
The Palestinian rioters are en-
gaging in methods of extreme
violence in order to further
their cause. Israel, faced with
an attack on its national secu-
rity, can do nothing but fight
back and repel this assault. Is-
rael is not stepping on the
rights of the Palestinians.
Rather, it is the Palestinians
who are stepping on the rights
of Israel. To be under siege by
mobs wielding rocks and clubs
is to be in threat of losing your
life. Thus, Israel must defend
itself and its people in a real
way using real bullets since
they are dealing with a real at-
tack threatening real lives. It is
unfortunate that the media de-
picts Israel as the aggressor
while the true aggressor, the
Palestinians, are hailed as vic-
tims of human rights viola-
tions.
The Palestinians do not
threaten Israel in the same way
that Nicaragua, Cuba, or So-
viet occupation of Afghanistan
threatens the U.S. The Pales-
tinians are an indisputable
threat to Israeli security. To
relinquish the occupied territo-
ries to the Palestinians would
be commensurate to suicide for
Israel would, in effect, be
handing a sword to a sworn
enemy. Furthermore, the occu-
pied territories serve as a buffer
against the hostile nations such
as Syria who have pledged to
destroy Israel.
In conclusion, let me state
that although I sympathize
with the plight, I cannot con-
done their provocative and vio-
lent behavior. There are diplo-
matic methods which can be
employed by the Palestinians
in order to settle their prob-
lems. Violence is not neces-
sary. However, they have cho-
sen force as their means and
now must suffer the conse-
quences.
David killed Goliath and we'
applaud his. feat for Goliath
was the giant. Goliath, though,
was also the aggressor and thus
To the Daily:
It is ironic that the very
amendment which we are so
unceasingly tryingto protect is
being abused daily, by the
Daily. I am referring to the
series of anti-Israeli articles and
editorials with which we have
been bombarded: "comics" on
1/8 and 1/11, and more than
five excerpts from t h e
Associated Press. This bias is
blatant, unacceptable and de-
structive. Obviously the Daily
editors are unfamiliar with the
following logos: it takestwo
to tango; there are two sides to
every story, and(even in the
West Bank) it is ta two-way
street.
The Daily has failed to
provide its readers with an
accurate history of the Arab-
Israeli conflict. Where are the
lists of political agreements in
which Israel has repeatedly
Israel has g
To The Daily:.
As condemnation of Israel's
policy in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip increases, Israel is.
still determined to silence the
oppressed with gunfire and
more oppression. What the
Israelis fail to realize is the fact
that their occupation of Arab
territories has reached its end.
The fact of twenty years ago
remain the saihe despite Israel's
attempts to slowly expel
indigenous Arab populations
while confiscating their lands.
In the case of the
Palestinian people, their
struggle has been baptized in
blood and suffering. The world
cannot ignore their strife as it
did for many years. What
Israel is attempting to hide is
its shame in the occupied areas.
The Israeli barbaric actions
have escalated to a point where
the rest of the world cannot
afford to stay unmoved by the
murdering of innocent women
and children, the arbitrary arrest
demonstrated her peaceful
intents (Camp David), the
countless attempts that Israel
has made for coexistence, and
the multiple attacks that have
been waged against Israel by
her neighbors, and the terrorist
acts from within? According
to the Daily, these aspects of
the Arab-Israeli conflict do not
exist. These distortions are
preposterous and irritating.
Reading the Daily has become
analogous to having a single
eye: one is only able to see
half of his surroundings
clearly. Integration is
impossible. Until full vision
is restored, the Daily has failed
in its attempt to legitimize 4
itself among those of quality
news reporting.
- -Laura Cibul
Executive Board
Member of Tager
January 19
one too far
of hundreds of Arab youths and
the deportation of Palestinians
in defiance to the Geneva
convention accords.
At this critical stage in the
Palestinian struggle we appeal
on their behalf to all nations to.
heed their calls for justice and
liberation. Above all we
appeal'to the American public,
whose government is making
them accomplices in this crime
through its refusal to take
serious action against Israel.
Now is the time for
decisions tohbe takenf-
decisions which have been
procrastinated for two decades.
Israel will have to accept the
blatant fact that it cannot stay
for ever in the Gaza and the
West Bank. Just like any other
colonialist force, Israel too will
have to pack up and leave. In
the end, the will of the people
will triumph.
David was justified in his ac-
tion. Were David the aggressor,
would not Goliath have been
justified in killing David?
-Josh Klein
Larry Alintoff
Todd Lowenstein
January 14
Irritating cartoons
Don't
ignore history
Hair harangue
DSCRIMINATION IN the workplace
w resurfaced last week as a pizza maker
at a Detroit area Domino's establish-
ment faced dismissal over the length
x of his hair.
The Michigan chapter of the Ameri-
-can Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
:has launched an investigation of the
complaint by 17 year-old Scott Bed-
ker that women employees may wear
shoulder length hair while men may
not. Enforcement of this policy was
-' lax, however, until owner Thomas
Monaghan recently toured some local
stores and commented on several em-
ployees' hair length.
The owner of the franchises in
question confirms that women work-
ers may keep their hair at shoulder
length provided they wear a hat.
While Bedker dons a hat while he
works, the store now insists that his
hair be above shoulder length because
"Domino's has family values and its
: employees take pride in their personal
appearance."
With such differing standards for
employees working in the same ca-
pacity, it seems that Bedker's charges
of discrimination are legitimate. What
seems even more alarming, though, is
that Domino's is starting to resemble
the Ford factories of the 1920s when
workers' wages depended on per-
sonal questions such as whether their
homes were clean and "moral."
This assault on civil liberties is ap-
parent despite a smokescreen sent up
by Domino's. Claims that the hair
policy results from sanitary consider-
ations are debunked by the discrep-
ancy in the policy between men and
women; if long hair contaminated the
food, the store would require short
hair for women as well.
That long-haired men detract from
sales is another easily dismissable
justification for the policy. Because
Bedker makes pizza in a store where
he rarely comes into contact with
customers, Domino's uses false rea-
soning when it asserts that hair length
could affect sales.
With Domino's untenable explana-
tions out of consideration, one must
wonder whether the pizza giant is
trying to force "traditional" values on
its employees. If the case is as it
seems, then Domino's is encroaching
on employees' rights to maintain their
personal lives as they wish.
In a similar case this summer, two
women were dismissed by another
company from positions in which
they rarely came in contact with out-
siders merely because they chose to
keep their hair in cornrows, a natural
style for their type of hair. After an
ACLU investigation and public pres-
sure, the employer reinstated the
women.
Domino's would be correct to dis-
continue discrimination based on ap-
pearance and make fewer efforts to
regulate the personal lives of its
employees.
To the Daily:
In recent weeks many articles
have been written condemning
Israel's handling of the Pales-
tinian riots. Although Israel's
handling of this situation may
be excessive, we should not let
this one incident mislead us to
believe that Israel is solely
responsible for the Palestinian
problem, as recent articles in
the media, including the Daily,
have suggested. The public's
initial response has been ex-
tremely emotional, as expected,
but the problems faced in the
Middle East require serious
contemplation, which, because
of high emotions, has been
lacking.
A quick review of the
region's history is essential to
any argument, but the last
forty years have been ignored
in the past month. Israel has
been described as a "power-
hungry" nation, but if one
looks at the wars Israel has
fought, one will see that Israel
was forced into battle on each
occasion. In 1948, and 1956,
the surrounding Arab nations
attacked Israel with the intent
of "driving the Jews into the
sea." Then, in 1967, when
Israel saw its sea lanes
illegally blockaded and the
Syrian and Egyptian armies
poised for battle in neutral
zones on its borders, they were
forced to take the initiative and
defend themselves. At a later
date and against Israel's
requests, Jordan joined their
Arab allies and attacked Israel.
Then and only then did Israel
retaliate against Jordan and gain
control of what today known as
the West Bank.
Between 1947 and 1967
Jordan had control of the West
Bank region which was part of
the land designated as a
Palestinian homeland. Why
didn't Jordan give control of
the land to the Palestinians
during those twenty years?
How can the Arabs now turn
around and condemn Israel?
Knowing the history of the
area does not change the fact
that a problem exists to which
a peaceful solution must be
found. In the past, Israeli
attempts at negotiations have
resulted in the assassination,
by the PLO and other radicals,
of moderate Palestinian leaders
who recognized the need for
talks. Due to this fact, many
Palestinian and Arab leaders
have been unwilling to
negotiate.
Other articles have proposed
a panacea for the situation:
negotiate with the PLO. There
are three problems with this
suggestion. First, the PLO
does not recognize Israel's
existence. How, then, can they
expect to negotiate with a
"non-existing" government?
Second, the PLO does not
represent all Palestinians, as is
evident by the dissenting
opinions of rational moderates.
Finally, negotiations must
include all the countries in the
region, not just the PLO, to
ensure a binding settlement.
In conclusion, Israel's han-
dling of the riotous Pales-
tinians has been excessive.
However, these actions do not
call for major'changes in US-
Israeli relations, as some have
urged. One month of discord in
a forty-year relationship should
not lead to the eradication of
that friendship. It is time for
not only the moderate Pales-
tinians, but, for all Arabs and
Jews as well, to realize that
peaceful negotiations are the
only solution to this complex
problem. International pres-
sures must be applied to Israel,
as well as to all the surroun-
ding Arab nations who, up to
now, have been reluctant to
talk. Instead of being intent on
the destruction of Israel, as the
Arabs have been over the past
forty years, they should make
an atBtempt to peacefully
coexist. ThePalestinians must
understand that violence will
further aggravate the situation.
Only through serious efforts at
communication can true peace
be achieved in the Middle East.
-Ken Fabricant
Rob Fabricant
Steven Peljovich
January 14
Arabs not disgraceful
-Basil
Rashid
Saiah
Taher
AAUG
To the Daily:
I would like to reprimand
Sondra Panilo, Beth Bernhaut,
Marc Berman, Michael Sher-
man, Darya Hoffman, Ted
Sherman and Steven Stryk for
their simplistic evaluation of
the conflict that exists between
Arabs and Israelis in the Middle
East. In their letter (Daily,
1/13/88) they pointed to the
"disgraceful" behavior of Arabs
as the main causative of fric-
tion between these two fac-
tions. This point, inherently
elitist and racist, merely serves
to demonstrate the blatant ig-
norance of its authors, rather
than accomplish anything con-
structive or worthwhile. It is
little more than an attempt to
classify all Arabs into one sin-
gle category.
This stereotype of all Arabs
as being barbaric and violent
has been perpetuated in this
country by the entertainment
media as well as by the gov-
ernment. For too long I have
bit my tongue and allowed
statements such as the one
above to pass. But no longer
can I sit idly by and allow my-
self and others to be slandered.
Stereotypes hold no place in
today's society, and I suggest
that Ms. Panilo and friends
take a less stereotypical attitude
towards Arabs in the future and
allow themselves to find fault
with not only Arabs but with
Israel as well. If you wish to
help alleviate the discord be-
tween Arabs and Jews, be more
open minded. Quit blindly fol-
lowing Israel, for they have not
proven themselves worthy of6
such blind dedication.
-Tarik Ajami
January 13
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