Elie Dvorin (“Dishonest Denial,” Thursday), should learn that when one digs a hole and finds oneself in it, the first thing to do is stop digging. But every Thursday, he digs deeper. He doesn’t like being called a “bigot,” a “chauvinist” or worse. But he should understand that he is not being criticized as personally hateful, but for espousing a neoconservative view that terrorism is rooted in the essential nature of a religion and a culture, rather than in the political context that we have been instrumental in creating.

To understand terrorism perpetrated in the name of Islam, one needs to consider at least two things. The first is our historical support for Saudi Arabia, and for the mujahideen “freedom fighters” in particular, during our war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s. “Blowback” from this support generated the current Islamic cult of terrorism. The second is our actions in the Middle East since World War II, including support for Israel and its aggression and our destruction of Iraq through the use of sanctions in the 1990s. Dvorin maintains his innocence by refusing to apply the word “terrorism” to the actions of our own government or the government of Israel in its occupation of Palestine. His racism is rooted in his unwillingness to look in the mirror.

Dvorin offers no specifics in his charge that “people are perfectly happy condoning terrorism if it’s used against the right people (U.S. citizens, Israelis, etc.).” Who does Dvorin so casually accuse of being “terrorist sympathizers?” He does not say. I would suggest that if one rationalizes U.S. and Israeli violence as related to defense or security, then one becomes a terrorist sympathizer. That is done quite shamelessly by himself, IlliniPAC and the Jewish Federation. I look forward to a deeper hole next week.

David Green

University employee