Withdrawal of U.S. sends poor message

I'm troubled by the news of the United States government's decision to withdraw from the UN's World Conference Against Racism (WCAR). Our pullout to protest the alleged focus on the Israeli government has been interpreted as a show of support for Israel. The Israelis have removed themselves from what would certainly be a painful examination of their own consciences. I'm sure that if any one of us sat down to consider our own prejudices and practices, we would feel the guilty pains we deserve. Whether President Bush intends to support Israel, or not, our withdrawal sends a poor message to the members of the world community. The war being waged in the Middle East between the Palestinians and the Israelis is getting a lot of attention, but the greatest crimes against tolerance are in Afghanistan. The Taliban government is holding humanitarian aid workers on the charge of proselytizing – in this case, preaching Christianity to the Muslim Afghans. Foreign detainees face deportation, while Afghan workers face execution under Taliban rule. The world claims injustice when the US executes a murderer (McVeigh) and tolerates murder in the name of religious purity. Persecution of this nature recalls the dark history of the Spanish Inquisition.

Responsible governments of the world should begin by standing up for what is right. Muslim, Christian and secular nations should all condemn this behavior by the Afghan government with loud voices. Afghanistan has been a UN member nation since 1946; we are associated with this misled crusade as long as they continue to be members. The WCAR proposal is not perfect, but we should fight to change it, not ignore it. Please, Secretary Powell, return to the conference and stand up for what we believe in as a nation – the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Shawn Cefalu

Graduate Student

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