I am writing with regard to the cartoon dated April 4 depicting Arafat and Sharon discussing peace plans.
It perpetuates racist stereotypes and ideas about Palestinians and Arabs in general that are not true. In addition to the stereotyped features of Arafat (large nose, long beard, etc), you depict him with his fingers crossed as if he is lying about wanting peace. In fact, Arafat and other Palestinians do want peace but have not been offered it in a way that will not further compromise their people.
Peace cannot be had when Palestinian civilians are being killed in masses, when their children are being gunned down and when their houses are bulldozed by the dozens. A cartoon which would have been more accurate would have been one that reflected the U.S. funded brutality committed by the Israeli government against the Palestinians. Instead, your cartoon contributes to an atmosphere where anti-Arab racism is already common. I suggest to the cartoonist as well as the other (University) Chronicle staff that you educate yourselves on the truth about Palestine and stop printing racist propaganda.
Semya Hakim
Assistant Professor
Human Relations
