One of the more pleasant aspects of my job is that I receive letters from all over the world on every topic imaginable. Some of them are not so polite but the majority are a delight to read. One of those letters is reprinted here in full.

Dear Mr. Almaeena:

Again I would like to express my thanks to you for your thoughtful comments regarding terrorism and the continuing American-caused debacle in Iraq. (I just recently heard your comments to Kojo Namdi on NPR in Washington.) As an American I would like to express my deepest apologies to the Arab and Muslim world for the disaster in Iraq and the continuing and blatant American support of Likud and our virtually unlimited funding of Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians.

Many of us were opposed to the Iraq war long before it started but our protests made no difference because this war was never about weapons of mass destruction but rather safeguarding Israel’s military hegemony in the region and also some misguided idea that America would “bring democracy to the Arabs.” (The Americans who have supported the war did so because the Bush administration wove a web of lies connecting Saddam Hussein to Al-Qaeda.)

Many Americans are also deeply disturbed by the Bush administration’s total support for the actions and policies of Ariel Sharon. (I didn’t think it could get worse after Bush referred to Sharon as “a man of peace” but it has!) There are quite a few charities in America to help Palestinians financially and I myself send monthly support to a young orphan girl in Khan Younis but this is no substitute for the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people.

I keep hoping the next election will bring changes in our Mideast policy but both parties (along with the major media outlets) are controlled by AIPAC so I’m not so optimistic. I feel particularly awful about the present situation because my family is Unitarian and I’ve always felt a great respect and even kinship for Muslims. (Most Christians dislike or even hate Unitarians and think we’re destined for hell because we think Jesus was a prophet and not some sort of human deity.) Please tell Arabs (and non-Arab Muslims) that they do have friends in America; we just don’t get much publicity.

Thank you for being a voice of sanity in our crazy world.

C.S.

Based on many letters which come to me, this one reflects the thoughts, ideas and opinions of many Americans. What it does not reflect is what regularly appears in the mainstream American media. At the same time, it certainly indicates that if we Arabs stood up and spoke directly to the American media, the chances of making a positive impression are favorable. Last week, Prince Sultan ibn Salman was on Fox News, a TV channel known for being rabidly rightwing.

For an Arab to go on Fox requires a great deal of courage and poise. Prince Sultan fortunately possesses both. His answers to the questions thrown at him were direct and eloquent. The way he handled the questioner impressed the audience. In fact, after the program, I received a number of calls and one of the callers, an American, said: “Prince Sultan put a human face to Saudi Arabia.”

It is time we Saudis shed our fear of appearing on foreign radio and television. Who can present our ideas and opinions better than one of our own who is educated and articulate? And what purpose is served by the fact that so few of us are willing to speak to the world? There are many Saudi men and women who have the knowledge, experience and ability to appear on any TV or radio program and speak for us. If an accusation is true, we must admit it. We should be ready to admit the possibility of error and equally, perhaps the fact of it as well. Once error has been admitted, the world wants to know what is being done to correct it and what action is being taken to prevent its recurrence. Our failure to answer the allegations made against us and refute them does us far more harm than admitting an error. The failure is sheer masochism.

As hostile as much of the American media may be to us, it would probably provide an opportunity for us to speak and be heard or to write and be read. There are times when it is wise to avail oneself of the dignity of silence but this is not one of them. Silence only plays into the hands of our enemies and critics. They say what they like, secure in the knowledge that none of us will contradict them. In effect, we give them a free hand to say and write whatever slander they wish. And an uninformed public accepts and believes what they say and write. They have no alternative — and whose fault is that? We must not allow this to continue. For once, we must plan and prepare in advance rather than sitting and waiting and then reacting.