This letter is in response to Elie Dvorin’s Monday column. I felt very sad, angry and offended after I read his column. Mr. Dvorin mentioned Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) being “two of the most extreme leftist human-rights watchdog groups” and he added, “these groups look for any opportunity to criticize the United States and Israel while giving a free pass to the Islamic world.” He was not only misinforming the public on the facts but also falsely blaming institutions that work for human rights without any partisan or religious bias. AI and HRW are organizations working for human rights, and only for human rights, all around the world. They take no sides, not for the U.S., not for Israel, and not for the “Islamic world,” despite what Dvorin falsely stated in his column. I was surprised that Mr. Dvorin was so ignorant that he didn’t feel the need to do a little fact-searching before writing his column on such a topic. I also have no intention to discuss Elie Dvorin’s political views and his very false ideas on U.S. foreign policy, on the war in Iraq or on the Muslim world. I have no hope of having a sound, objective discussion with someone so biased and blind to the truth.

One additional thing I want to do is to address the Editorial Board of the DI. I believe we have a very good journalism program at the U of I. I would expect to read more thought-provoking, unbiased and objective journalism in the student newspaper of this University. I am saddened that there are very few signs that the DI looks for such qualities in selecting its columnists.

Nejan Huvaj

graduate student