by Tom Galaraga
Managing Editor
Richard McDowell opened a panel discussion with a moment of silence to remember the lives that were taken on the tragic morning of Sept. 11.
While the mood of the Sept. 13 event was somber, the speakers took the opportunity to address, thematically, the United States’ role in foreign relations.
“I think this is something that is completely new and unprecedented and there is nothing in our well of collective experiences that we can tap into to find wisdom from,” said Jonathan Reed, professor of religion, and one of four speakers. “We can’t go back to the generation of Pearl Harbor and find out what do we do now, because even if we could entirely, it’s a new world and a new situation, so in a way we are making it up as we go along.”
Participating in the panel discussion, held in the Quad, entitled “A National Tragedy,” were faculty University of La Verne members Reed, John Gingrich, dean of Arts and Sciences; Ahmed Ispahani, professor of business administration and economics; McDowell, provost; and Ann Wichman, professor of sociology. The question and answer portion of the discussion was led by Daniel Loera of the Institute of Multicultural Research and Campus Development
Reed, saying he feared unjust retaliation towards Middle-Eastern Americans, quoted Martin Luther King Jr.:
“To satisfy our thirst for justice, let’s not drink from the cup of bitterness and violence too quickly and too deeply.”
Reed added, “Once you stereotype someone, you dehumanize them. Soon after you dehumanize them, you demonize them. It’s not long after that, you can kill them with tremendous ease.”
Reed emphasized that not all Palestinians are celebrating our devastation, and urged students not to stereotype Middle-Easterners here or abroad.
Wichman addressed the role of the United States as part of the global community.
“With international collaboration, perhaps we can learn to mediate our conflicts, so that in time we all become equal members of our global village,” she said.
Wichman stressed the importance of foreign relations and the impact that these ties could have with any future step toward peace.
“Unfortunately, throughout history, whether it was the time of crusades of more recent times, religion has been used as a factor for leaders, and other people or groups of people to achieve their own goals, their own objectives,” said Ispahani.
Ispahani then went on to discuss the economic importance of such terrorist actions and how they inhibit development.
“Basically these people use religion and invoke, in this case the Islamic religion, and invoke Islamic fundamentalism to achieve their own goals, their own objectives. That is very unfortunate but that is the way it is. By doing this they are not only hurting themselves, but they are also hurting their own nations. The first group that gets hurt the most is the people of that country themselves because it keeps development and progress out of that country,” he said.
The panelists addressed the tragedy from their each respective field of expertise, yet there was a cohesiveness that kept the discussion focused on a central theme.
“Why have they done this? Basically Osama Bin Laden wants to bring to the attention of the United States government, so that U.S. government revisits, reconsiders its U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East. This is really the key to the whole factor, and the last two days I have not seen that on the news,” Ispahani said. “It’s a very sad day for us, it’s a sad day for everyone.”
Journalism operations manager at the University of La Verne. Production manager and business manager of the Campus Times.
