One of my favorite attitudes expressed in political discussions regarding Palestine is the moderately liberal approach that the central issue regarding Palestine is that the “cycle of violence” must be stopped. This argument is often invoked when somebody is approaching the issue with the intent of resolving it without knowing anything about it. Anybody who might list other political reasons is met with the accusation that they are “part of the problem” and that their priority should be “stopping the cycle.” Usually, these people are extremely frustrated that the “cycle” of “senseless” violence continues despite their noble efforts to end it, leaving them with a self-vindicating sense of helplessness and powerlessness. [Read more →]

Tags: Comment by yaman
10 Comments »

My younger brother Waseem Salahi is a Co-Editor-in-Chief of his high school’s newspaper, “The Smoke Signal.” As is standard with almost all high school newspapers, the administration “reviews” the paper before it goes to press every month. This month, the administration called Waseem into the office 1-2 hours before deadline, where he was met by the principal and three vice principals. The administration made it clear to him that the article needed to be “changed,” ostensibly to avoid creating “division” on campus. However, while Waseem was talking to administrators, the journalism adviser told students to replace the article with an advertisement, and the publication was sent to press while Waseem was still arguing with the administration. [Read more →]

Tags: Comment by yaman
1 Comment »