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OPINIoN
Thursday, October 6, 1988
Page 4
The Michigan Daily
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
420 Maynard St.
ILo ter i IIL2
Mazrui's views
challenged
Vol. !C, No. 21
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.
Support dl
THE anti-Apartheid and Pro-Palestinian
Liberation shanties stand on the diag to
remind the University community of the
struggle for self-determination continuing
in the Israeli occupied territories and
South Africa. '
On October 4, 22 Palestinians were
shot and 150,000 put under house-arrest
by the occupying Israeli government. In
South Africa, at least 800 Black South
Africans are held in detention without
charges, in addition to over 25,000 po-
litical prisoners including thousands of
children.
Although many such shootings and ar-
rests occur everyday, little news of it ap-
pears on the front pages of American
newspapers. This inattention helped to
remove important issues from the pub-
lic's attention. The shanties are a means
of fighting this by reminding people of
the terrible living conditions under which
fellow human beings must live.
The anti-apartheid shanties replicate the
make-shift dwellings that the majority of
Black South Africans are forced to live in
as a result of apartheid. By law, 87 per-
cent of South Africa's land area is re-
served for exclusive use by whites who
make up only 17 percent of the popula-
tion.
Many of the 24 million Black South
Africans have no alternative but to live in
shanty towns. The apartheid system re-
fuses to recognize their legitimate de-
mands for decent wages, living condi-
tions, and the all encompassing demand
of self-determination. Families of ten to
twelve people are forced to live in
shanties the size of those on the diag.
The living conditions of many Pales-
tinians in the Israeli occupied territories is
similar to that of the Black South
Africans. The Israeli government has
ag shanties
confiscated one-third of the West Bank
and Gaza, an area now inhabited by
1,500 to 2,000 Israelis. 650,000 Pales-
tinians live on the remaining 82 square
miles of the West Bank and Gaza, mak-
ing the Gaza Strip the most densely pop-
ulated area in the world.
The homes of Palestinians and Black
South Africans are regularly demolished
by the Israeli military and South African
security forces respectively. Entire
houses and neighborhoods have been
bulldozed and set on fire as a form of
collective punishment, in order to force
Palestinians and Blacks into submission.
Attacks on the University shanties are
not simply random acts of violence or
vandalism. Rather they are attacks on
what the shanties symbolize - the
struggle for liberation in South Africa and
the Israeli occupied territories. They are
attacks like those of the security forces in
Israel and South Africa who hope to stop
political protest by violently attacking
families and their homes.
The shanties have been torn down or
knocked over a total of twenty times
since the first anti-apartheid shanty was
built in the spring of 1986. One of the
anti-apartheid shanties was burnt down
completely in June, and another removed
by the University in an apparent attempt
to quell the actions of protest. Out of
sight, out of mind.
The shanties are considered an eyesore
by many people on campus. They are
meant to be, for the systems of oppres-
sion against which people struggle inter-
nationally for self-determination are ugly.
Palestinians and Black South Africans
also see shanties as eyesores. Support
their struggle for self-determination
through solidarity with the anti-apartheid
and Palestinian Liberation shanties.
CHILEANS voted yesterday on the fu-
ture of their military dictatorship. This
junta has only allowed Chileans to vote
twice in the past fifteen years.
Chileans are ostensibly being given a
chance to voice their opinion via a
plebiscite. The choice is simple: a yes
: vote means continued rule by the mili-
tary under General Agusto Pinochet; a
no vote carries a great deal of uncer-
tainty.
If the "No" vote wins, there is a plan
that purports to return Chile to
"democracy." In more candid mo-
ments, Pinochet has called this plan a
"dictatorship of democracy." However,
many Chileans fear that not even au-
thoritarian democracy will be allowed
should the people reject military rule.
A fraudulent plebiscite in 1980 gave
approval to a constitution setting up the
structure of the "dictatorship of
democracy." Under this plan, the
president and his national security
council would rule over a hopelessly
weak congress. Nine members of the
congress would be appointed by the
military for life terms, one of the many
indications of the non-democratic
nature of the constitution.
Besides this strangled form of gov-
ernment, the plebiscite itself is fraught
with problems. Voters are intimidated
by arbitrary arrest, murder, and torture.
The coalition of thirteen organizations
opposing Pinochet have been severely
restricted, harassed, as well as vio-
lently disrupted during marches and
Nonetheless, the opposition has
helped register over six million voters,
as well as carry out political education
pertaining to democracy and participa-
tion. Help has come from a surprising
quarter, the United States.
US support is ironic. Fifteen years
ago the CIA and the Nixon administra-
tion supported Pinochet's rise to
power. Fifteen years later, the US is
ilse hope
trying to support democracy in Chile
- democracy the CIA helped destroy.
US support comes to Chile in the
form of technical assistance. Various
groups in the US receive government
money to hold educational seminars,
support registration, and help ensure an
accurate count of the vote. All of these
groups have the support and approval
of Cynthia Brown, associate director of
America's Watch.
With the history of intervention that
the US has in Chile, one wonders
about the current relationship between
these two nations;
Pinochet has reorganized the econ-
omy. Inflation is low, unemployment
figures have dropped, and Chile ser-
vices its foreign debt regularly. Chile
appears to be a model debtor nation.
Unfortunately, the majority of
Chileans are not benefitting from the
apparent economic boom. In the words
of economist Andr6s Zelasco, a
Columbia University professor, ".. .
too much money is being spent on de-
fense and luxury goods. More money
needs to be spent on the people. It's the
same criticism that can be made of the
Reagan administration."
Because of Chile's profit margins, it
receives no direct economic or military
aid from the US. Furthermore, when
the US made funds available to the op-
position groups, Pinochet decried it as
imperialist intervention.
US policy is difficult to define. Both
Republicans and Democrats claim to
support a return to democracy, but fail
to cite any goals other than continued
stability in Chile.
No one can predict Chile's future.
Both the military and the people of
Chile are poised between hope for true
democracy or continued murder and
repression. One can only hope for the
return of the pluralistic, tolerant,
democratic, and stable society Chile
had before Pinochet took power.
Israel-South
Africa ties
negligible
To the Daily:
In a recent Political Science
lecture my professor remarked
that if a person had strong
enough preconceptions he/she
could find the "facts" to
"prove" that the Blacks in
South Africa really want to be
oppressed or that the Holocaust
did not exist. This is the exact
method which Prof. Mazrui
uses when he alleges that
Zionism and apartheid are
"sister doctrines."
The denunciation of Israel's
relationship with South Africa
always includes condemnation
of the supposed close military
relationship between the two
countries in arms sales, mili-
tary advice, and nuclear
cooperation, and Prof Mazrui's
diatribe is no exception. The
evidence, however, does not
support any such allegations.
What are the facts?
Between 1963 and 1975,
over $1 billion of arms and war
materials were sold to south
Africa; France being the largest
supplier. Other arms have been
sold not only by Western
countries, but also by the So-
viet Union, Czechoslovakia
and Bulgaria, sometimes
through German and Austrian
agents, and by Jordan, which
sold British Centurion battle
tanks and the Tiger surface-to-
air missile system.
Military trade between Israel
and South Africa has been a
very small part of South
Africa's arms trade. South
Africa is believed to have a
Belgian licence to manufacture
Uzi submachine guns. These
past Israeli sales are insignifi-
cant, both from a financial and
military point of view, in
comparison with those of other
countries.
Despite a 1977 United Na-
tions Security Council Resolu-
tion, reaffirming a 1963 UN
arms embargo declaration, sales
of arms to South Africa have
continued, albeit in a more se-
cretive manner than before. Is-
rael has stated on many occa-
sions that it abides by the 1977
security Council Resolution.
However, other signers have
not been so faithful. In 1980,
France sold South Africa 360
air-to-surface missiles, Mirage
F-1A fighter aircraft, and ar-
mored cars. Italy has supplied
training attack aircraft.
In spite of the constant at-
tacks in international forums
there is no evidence to confirm
any nuclear cooperation or col-
lusion between South Africa
and Israel. Israel repeatedly de-
nied such cooperation. France,
on the other hand, has built a
nuclear power station, which
includes two reactors and two
turbine generators near Cape
Town, and China has supplied
the enriched uranium.
It is true that trade between
Israel and South Africa has in-
creased since 1973 (as of
1986), but it remains
insignificant. In 1986, Israel's
imports from South Africa
amounted to 0.5 per cent of the
latter's total exports, and its
exports were 0.9 per cent of
South Africa's total imports.
Israel's imports from South
Africa in 1986 amounted to 1.9
per cent of its total imports,
while its exports amounted to
0.9 per cent of its total ex-
ports.
Trade between the two coun-
tries is between one-fifth and
one-sixth that between South
Africa and the countries of
Black Africa, which in 1986
amounted to $808 million in
exports and $243 million in
the Dutch Bureau could only
trace about half of the South
African imports, it is likely
that Arab oil exports to South
Africa are even more extensive
than these statistics show. In
fact, if we assume that the
proportions of untraced oil
corresponds to those of the
known amounts, then Arab oil
exports to South Africa would
reach almost 2.5 Billion a year.
These figures would make Arab
trade with South Africa larger
than that of Germany 2.0 Bil-
lion, Japan 1.4 Billion, Britain
1.3 Billion, United States 1.2
Billion, and Israel 65 million.
-Keith Hope
October 3
PLO
opposes
settlement
To the Daily:
I am writing in response to
Dr. Mazrui's personal
"insights" which were pre-
sented in the September 22 and
September 23 issues of the
Daily. Mazrui attempts to draw
similarities between South
Africa's mistreatment of its
Black population, and Israel's
dealing with Palestinians liv-
ing in Israeli-occupied territory.
It is difficult to figure out
whether Dr. Mazrui wishes to
belittle the plight of the South
African Blacks, or if he simply
does not understand the Arab-
Israeli conflict.
Under apartheid, South
African Blacks are denied the
basic human rights which are
guaranteed to whites. Mazrui
seems familiar with the fact
that Arabs living within Israel
have the same rights as Israeli
Jews (except that Arabs cannot
fight in Israel's military). But
instead of using this fact as
evidence that unlike South
Africa, Israel is fair and demo-
cratic, Mazrui suggests that
Arabs only have equal rights
because they are the minority
within Israel and giving them
equal rights would not threaten
Israeli society. Of course, us-
ing such twisted logic, Mazrui
must certainly also believe that
the United States is a racist,
repressive government in
which non-Christian, non-
whites are permitted to vote
only because they make up the
minority. Perhaps the PLO's
brand of democracy, in which
moderate Palestinians, and dis-
senters within the PLO are
brutally murdered seems more
just to Mazrui.
. Mazrui accuses Israel of op-
posing a homeland for the
Palestinians. He forgets that.
the Jews were the only ones
who originally accepted the UN
partition which granted home-
lands to the Jews and to the
Palestinians. He ignores the
fact that the alleged representa-
tive of the Palestinian people,
the PLO has consistently called
for ridding the region of Jews.
But perhaps this is evidence
that the PLO truly is represen-
tative of the Palestinian peo-
ple. According to a poll of
West Bank and Gaza Palestini-
ans, conducted by the pro-PLO
newspaper Al Fajr, 77.9 per-
cent of those surveyed reject a
two-state solution to the re-
gion's problems, and 60 per-
cent want instead to establish a
state founded on Islamic law or
a combination of Islamic law
and Arab nationalism (NYT
May 6, 1988).
Mazrui's most appalling
suggestion, however, was that
Israel is comparable toNazi
Germany. The precise term in
the September 23 Daily was,
"Judeo-Nazism." It is difficult
to imagine what Mazrui hoped
perhaps he should have famil-
iarized himself with this fact
which was printed in the April
4, 1988 issue of U.S. News &
World Report: "Israel has
never acted to negate the very
existence of the Palestinian
people - while the Palestini-
ans and many other Arabs have
sworn death to Israel."
-William R. Horwitz
September 25
Mazrui
was not
attacked
To the Daily:
Whoever titled Professor
Mazrui's letter in last Wednes-
day's Daily "Misquoted and
Harassed," had me in mind. I
am the person Professor
Mazrui referred to as "The In-
truder" throughout his letter.
He explained this unflattering
nickname by stating that "She
was not a member of my
class." Obviously my perfect
attendance record in Professor
Mazrui's Poli. Sci. 479 class
had gone unnoticed but my re-
quest for an override had not,
and I have the slip to prove my
place in his class. Thus, when
I showed up in his regular class
the day after his public lecture,
I did so like I had every other
Monday and Friday. But this
time I spoke out.
Professor. Mazrui stated in
his letter that I introduced my-
self as Jewish and belonging to
a Jewish organization. I stated
only that I had heard his lecture
the previous night and had
something to say. Being a stu-
dent in his class, I felt no need
to introduce myself and I do
not belong to any Jewish
organizations. I did state my
name to his T.A. as I left his
room that day but Professor
Mazrui chose not to use it-
when he slandered me in his
letter.
Professor Mazrui's answer to
accusations of anti-Semitism is
that people are confusing "anti-
Israel" with "anti-Semitism." If
he actually believes this claim,
he is outrageously underesti-
mating people's intelligence.
However he must be aware that
people have caught on to his
true prejudice or he wouldn't
have resorted to using the
Daily to defend himself against
students and then lying to
make his points. It's absurd
that a man who has kept close
company with notorious killer,
Idi Amin, can be so obviously
intimidated by students. Yes,
people know the difference be-
tween anti-Israel and her poli-
cies and anti-Semitic.
Professor Mazrui dedicated a
portion of his lecture to
defaming the character of Jews
in the Diaspora and Israelis. He
told a story about a group of
Israelis building an airport in
Africa. He spoke of their rude
behavior in a restaurant. It
would have been appropriate to
start the story with "Hey did
you hear the one about the five
Israelis..."
It was painfully apparent
then, that Professor Mazrui is
not just anti Israeli politics and
policies but anti-Semitic and
racist. Professor Mazrui quoted
me correctly on one point in
his letter. I did say that "[he] is
a dangerous presence on this
campus." And I believe that.
As I told him in his class his
job as a professor is to teach
the facts and truth. Instead he is
distorting the facts to teach his
own hatred. He is abusing his
position as a professor. As a
Professor, he is able to address
large audiences and is suppos-
edly a credible speaker. Unfor-
tunately, he is teaching hatred
and teaching it to unhappy
people.
-Nancy Gardner
October 3
Nazi
parallel
unjustified,
To the Daily:
While I do not support all of
Israel's actions at present, I feel
that Mazrui's parallels are en-
tirely unjustifiable. The situa-
tions in Israel and South Africa
stem from different causes, in-
volve different factors, and seek
different goals. The apartheid
government of South Africa
seeks to maintain the status
quo; a continuum of political
and economic oppression. Is-
rael, throughout its history,
has repeatedly attempted to ne-
gotiate and compromise, in at-
tempt to alleviate the tensions
of the Arab/Israeli conflict
which has raged for centuries
and is NOT, as Mazrui con-
tends, the result of "Israeli im-
perialism."
4
Mazrui takes his allegations
one step further - equating
Israel with Nazi Germany. To
equate Israel's treatment of the
Palestinians with Hitler's ex-
termination of eleven million
Jews, gypsies, homosexuals
and political prisoners is sim-
ply appalling. The forced
similarities in ideologies,
methodologies and goals are
entirely unfounded.
To support his incorrect as-
sertions, Mazrui repeatedly
refers to the views and state-
ments of Israel's Meir Kahane.
However, Mazrui neglects to
mention that Kahane is an ex-
treme Israeli radical who repre-
sents Kach, a small very mili-
tant Israeli faction, not the
consensus of Israeli public
opinion. By using Kahane as a
spokesman, Mazrui immedi-
ately invalidates his statements
- the equivalent of allowing
Lyndon LaRouche to speak for
the American public.
Clearly, the Jewish people
do not have a monopoly on
human suffering. Nor do the
Blacks of South Africa or the
Palestinians in the occupied
territories. As a student of Po-
litical Science and as a human
being aware of worldwide op-
pression, I refuse to accept the
words of the philosopher
Thomas Hobbes that life must
be "a struggle of power after
power that ceaseth only in
death." I feel that our only
hope for peace lies in dialogue,
compromise, and mutual re-
spect, NOT in hatred, blatant
distortion, misrepresentatiod,
and slanderous one-sided ap-
peals.
We just celebrated the an-
niversary the March on Wash-
ington. Martin Luther King
did not walk alone, he was ac-
companied by leaders and sup-
porters of varied religions,
races, ideas and cultures. Only
by working together, only by
joining forces - not by alien-
ating, attacking and castigating
others - can we realize our
dreams of a brighter future.
Frustrated by Prof. Mazrui's
words and my own fearful si-
lence, I quietly left the am-
phitheater. I hope that the next
time I'm in a similar situation
I'll have the courage - and the
support - to speak out.
-Miriam A. Kleiman
September 23
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