Call to Holy War Over American TV
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It is extremely disturbing that all major American broadcast networks have succumbed to pressure from the White House and will not be airing unedited versions of Osama bin Laden’s diatribes (Oct. 11). The American public needs to hear the message of hate direct from the source. We can handle it. The solution to hate speech is not to edit it or to ban it. On the contrary, it must be exposed to the light of day.
It strains credulity to believe the White House’s explanation that somehow Bin Laden is communicating with his followers through hand gestures or secret code. If he is able to sneak tapes to Al Jazeera, then he is obviously capable of sending messages out through his vast network of followers.
David Goldman
Los Angeles
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What if you declared a holy war and nobody came? That’s what happened to Bin Laden. First, in responding to the events of Sept. 11, President Bush has consistently emphasized that our fight is not with Islam. Now the true and moderate voice of Islam has spoken, heard in every Muslim country’s repudiation of Bin Laden and his call for a jihad against America and Israel (Afghanistan doesn’t count).
Whatever battles remain to take place, Bin Laden, Al Qaeda and the Taliban have already lost the war.
Mark Dayton
Santa Ana
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