Editorial Was Offensive

Dan Markel's opinion piece of December 9 was very disturbing to me. Aside from the fact that what Markel advocates may further decrease respect of our professors in an atmosphere in which students already rudely talk, laugh, fall asleep or put their feet up on chairs during lecture, the piece contained for me a more personal and much more important issue.

As a Palestinian-American, I was offended and saddened by Markel's flip suggestions that Harvard model its behavior on that of the Israeli defense Forces.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are responsible for completely razing tens of Palestinian villages, shooting and killing or maiming hundreds of innocent Palestinians, including children, destroying thousands of Palestinian homes in acts of collective punishment, beating innocent Palestinians of all ages, physically and sexually torturing Palestinian prisoners and daily humiliating and terrorizing Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Dan's example was insensitive and badly chosen. Saying we should call professors by their first names because the IDF does it is like carelessly saying we should salute each other with raised arms because Hitler and his gang did it.

I'm sure you can imagine the feelings such a statement would arouse in much of the Harvard community if it ever reached the pages of The Crimson. I urge your editorial board to be considerate of the feelings of all members of the Harvard community, including Palestinians and other Arabs. Haneen M. Rabie '95   President, Society of Arab Students

Editor's Note: The author drew a clear distinction between the way the IDF structures itself as an organization and what that organization actually does. Of course, no offense was intended.