Informing, entertaining
XXIX ISSUE
JiJjJVers11V community since 1974
DA T E
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Student^gather to reach a clearer lipderst&iiding of terrorisni
Mandie Danielski
Reporter
Students, faculty and staff gath
ered in McKinnon Monday evening
for a forum to reach a clearer un
derstanding of last Tuesday’s terror
ist attacks. Professors from the po
litical science, history, religion and
philosophy departments attended to
students’ concerns about the future
of America and tried to allay stu
dents’ confusion about the tragic
events.
Discussions opened with ques
tions about Israel’s dealings with
terrorism. “In Israel, people are at
the mercy of terrorists,” Philosophy
professor Dr. Yoram Lubling said.
“They combat terrorism by living.”
“Israel hasn’t had anything of
this magnitude,” Dr. Rudy Zarzar
of the political science department
said. “The question is whether this
mega terrorism or super-terrorism
will become the norm. I’m talking
of course about chemical/biologi
cal warfare and nuclear warfare.”
Dr. Jim Pace of the religious
department said the U.S. needs to
use past Israeli experiences with ter
rorism to our advantage if we are
^' ;
Amy Cowan/ Assistant Photography Editor
Nearly 150 students, faculty
and staff gathered Monday to
discuss terrorism and other
matters related to the attacks
on New York City and
Washington D.C.
to react properly to Tuesday’s at
tacks. “Maybe we need to be sus
picious of everybody, as is the case
in Israel,” he said. “Even though
you may not be a terrorist, your life
is limited a lot of innocent people
[in the Middle East] pay for what
terrorists do.”
“It’s funny that what happened
Tuesday has already been reduced
in three seconds to the Israeli-Pal-
estine conflict,” Lubling reacted,
“as if this will somehow help us
justify terrorism. We did not do any
thing wrong. We should not exam
ine this from the standpoint of guilt.
The U.S. succeeded in keeping Is
rael alive for 50 years - What would
be the alternative? If there was no
state of Israel, would there be no
problem?” He described this as
sumption as ignorant. Dr. David
Crowe responded by reminding stu
dents, “We’re talking about two
very different cultural worlds. Cer
tainly the Israeli-Palestine conflict
is key, but not all of [the problem].
In many parts of the Middle East,
being pro-American is dangerous.”
Zarzar explained there are many
motives for terrorism. “Nobody
engages in terrorism for the sake of
terrorism,” he said, “just like no
body engages in war just for the hell
of it. I just don’t buy that.” He said
there is never one objective to ter
rorist acts, listing several kinds of
terrorism such as cyber, interna
tional, domestic, abortion, techno,
ecological, economic, holy, and
lastly, political. “Objectives vary,”
he concluded. “The goals are infi
nite.”
Dr. Brian Digre of the history
department then listed several pos
sibilities about the country’s role in
the Middle East that encourages an
anti-American sentiment, including
American support for Saudi Arabia
and the stationing of troops there,
as well as the continuation of eco
nomic sanctions against Iraq and
Iran.
“Terrorism can also be about
a power problem,” said Pace.
“Those who don’t have it resort to
terrorism as a means for power. It’s
a human problem of ego. Is Osama
bin Laden a cause? Well, in answer
ing that question we might be swat
ting mosquitoes when we need to
drain the swamp.”
There will always be something
or someone else. There will always
be groups who use terrorist tactics
instead of conventional tactics.”
Zarzar opened up discussion to
foreign policies that might better
relations between the Arab and
Western worlds. “We tend to under
estimate the role the U.S. plays in
creating conditions,” he said,
“which create many enemies...
We’re always sending a signal that
we’re going to whip somebody’s
. .bottom if they don’t do what we
want. This results in tremendous
resentment against the U.S.”
He cited a need for more humane
foreign policies, “sensitive to the
needs, feelings and interests of
people.
We need not to act as the bully
of the neighborhood. We need to
move in the direction of humanity.
[We] should not impose our will in
the name of democracy at the cost
of others.”
He then defended his position to
students saying, “If you want to
throw eggs on me, go ahead. I can
take a bath!” Crowe also said that
perhaps the U.S. becomes involved
in certain foreign policy that we
should not.
Lubling rebutted, counting
events in history where the U.S.
made change for the better, “Ter
rorism might be as important as
Nazism,” he said solemnly, stating
that a hands-off approach to foreign
policy may not be the answer, criti
cizing the ever-popular attitude, “It
isn’t our business,”
“We are perceived as the most
generous, most enlightened nation
in Me world,” Lubling said.
TERRORISM
Continued on page 8
Elizabeth Sudduth /News Editor
Flags remain at half mast as the Eton Community remem
bers the victims and their families loss in the tragic attack.
For student responses to the national crisis, please see
the opinions section, on page 2.
AIDS Quilt arrives today
Megan Turner
Reporter
Four hundred eighty panels,
which display the names of AIDS
victims, will be on display in
Koury Gym today until Sunday.
Embroidered with candles, flow
ers, hearts and words such as,
“Your love will stay with me for
ever,” and “Can’t smile without
you,^’ the NAMES Project AIDS
Memorial Quilt remembers more
than 43,000 people who have died
from AIDS.
Although viewing the quilt will
be the main event, during the view
ing there will be a continuous read-
ing-df the names of the people on
the quilt. There will also be areas
to summit new panels for thfe quilt
as well as places to pifinbitew;
chandise and make donations to
the AIDS’cause. "
The quilt was originally sched
uled to appear at Elon last spring
but the event was delayed when the
NAMES Project relocated its head
quarters from San Francisco to At
lanta.
The AIDS quilt was also dis
played at Elon in 1997 and was
hosted then by Biology instructor
Michael Ulrich, who had hopes to
bring the quilt project back to cam-
pus.
AIDS
Continued on page 6