No one questions the integrity of the happenings at Caf‚ Intifada. I’m sure it was a refreshing experience for those involved. I wrote a poem about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but was apprehensive about attending. How could I attend a Caf‚ affectionately named after a terror campaign that has targeted my closest friends and family living in Israel? Would I be booed off the stage come my second stanza for expressing the unfashionable viewpoint? Maybe, or maybe not. The point is, I had no way of entering that forum with any sense of security: the name stuck out like a sore thumb; I felt categorically alienated. Supporters of the title argue that “intifada” need not necessarily refer to the suicide bombing campaign launched by Palestinians in September of 2000. Ms. El-Beshbeeshy astutely points out that technically, intifada means “uprising or rejection of oppression.” Who wouldn’t sympathize with that? Unfortunately, when identifying strategies of implementing this resistance (boycotts, rallies) she conveniently omits one of the more well known methods: oh yes, our good friend the suicide bomber. Crouching behind a weak linguistic defense, El-Beshbeeshy insults the intelligence of her audience. She dances around definitions, insisting that the word coexists with notions of peace. To many, “intifada” is a bloody word. Ms. Rahman, another respondent, ignores this, insisting that attendance is a prerequisite for criticizing the very title that deters and alienates. A rebuttal that simply glamorizes how sophisticated and artsy the event was skirts the issue entirely. If the intention is to promote peace on campus, there more peaceful words can be used.

Laura Elkayam

Senior in LAS