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News from the Keweenaw Peninsula November 27, 2001 Text and photos © 2001 Michele Anderson

Finlandia forum opens dialogue on international concerns

HANCOCK -- International students from Michigan Technological University and Finlandia University opened a dialogue intended to promote intercultural understanding at an open public forum held on Oct. 30 in the Finnish-American Heritage Center at Finlandia University. The Forum, titled "Views of America from other places," attracted both students and local residents, several of whom asked questions and offered their own views related to the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. 

The Rev. Bucky Beach, standing, Finlandia University chaplain and assistant professor of religion and philosophy, moderates the public forum, "Views of America from other places," at Finlandia University's Finnish-American Heritage Center on Oct.30, 2001.

The Rev. Bucky Beach, Finlandia University chaplain, assistant professor of religion and philosophy and moderator of the forum, said he believed it was a success because people came together to listen and to talk.

"No matter who we are, we're here because we're concerned," Beach said. "Maybe the biggest threat is silence." 

At the public forum, "Views of America from other places," at Finlandia University's Finnish-American Heritage Center on Oct.30, 2001, panel members pictured are, from left, Ron Martin, MTU Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering and Keweenaw Now guest columnist; Mustafa Ishaq of the United Arab Emirates, president of the Michigan Tech International Club; MTU student Taimoor Hazir of Pakistan; Antti Jussila and Merina Appel, Finlandia University students from Finland.

The Finlandia Religious Life Committee planned the open public forum because of the types of questions people have been asking since the terrorist attacks, Beach explained. He made it clear that questions and thoughts about religion, history, politics and culture were all welcome from the audience as well as the panel members. The atmosphere of the forum was peaceful and serious. Beach encouraged participants to introduce themselves and to make one-on-one contacts with one another after the forum. Friendly, informal conversations -- among people who had expressed diverse views -- continued after the formal panel discussion had ended.

A few days later, The Daily Mining Gazette printed an editorial, saying the forum "turned out to be an invitation to the kind of anti-American hostility expressed in recent weeks by radical Muslims worldwide." Recently, at least two letters to the editor challenging the editorial were printed by the Gazette.*

Beach said he regrets that people who did not attend the forum have made comments about it. 

"If not there, they would not have heard the heart-felt comments by people who have ethnic and religious differences, expressing gratitude for honesty and passion about peace. We can agree to disagree and get along quite well," Beach said, "and any perceived 'anti-American' comments by people not there were totally unjustified. Sure, difficult things were said and heard, because there is a difficult history to wade through. But those individuals, especially the Pakistanis, spoke passionately about peace, condemning the terrorist acts." 

The Rev. Bucky Beach, Finlandia University chaplain, assistant professor of religion and philosophy and moderator of the forum, said he believed it was a success because people came together to listen and to talk. Beach hopes to do a follow-up forum.

Beach noted the intention of the forum was educational: to listen and learn. He is now collecting ideas on how to do a follow-up forum.

"I do believe discussion is what education is about. It is not a threatening endeavor," Beach said. "Just because we do not like all we hear does not mean it is a bad thing to do. In fact, it usually means we are learning."

Panel member Ron Martin, Jr., Michigan Tech Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering and Keweenaw Now guest columnist, said he was "surprised and disappointed" that The Daily Mining Gazette characterized the forum as "little more than a forum for tortured and superficial anti-Americanism."

Martin added that reading in the editorial that the United States is "revered around the world as a humanitarian benefactor and vigorous defender of democracy" made him wonder if the editorial staff has ever traveled outside the U.S. let alone the western world. 

"The U.S. is revered as an economic, political and military superpower as well as a land of freedom and opportunity.  Unfortunately, this ideal does not necessarily extend beyond our borders," said Martin, who is enrolled in the MTU Peace Corps Masters International Program and has traveled in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Kashmir.*

Besides Martin, panel members at the forum included Mustafa Ishaq of the United Arab Emirates, a Michigan Tech student and president of MTU's International Club; MTU student Taimoor Hazir of Pakistan; and Antti Jussila and Merina Appel, both Finlandia University students from Finland. Three other Michigan Tech students from Pakistan participated in the discussion: Shamveel Ahmed, his brother Adeel Ahmed and Talha Mujaddidi.

Student panelists explain "Jihad"

Taimoor Hazir of Pakistan read his own formal statement distinguishing between the terrorist act of extremists and the concept of "Jihad" in the religion of Islam. He said the concept of Jihad has been "hijacked" by extremist religious groups, while the real meaning of Jihad is "struggling or striving." 

"Ladies and gentlemen," Hazir said, "Islam is a religion of peace."

He went on to quote the Koran, Fifth Chapter, Verse 32: "If anyone kills a person ... it would be as though he has killed the whole of mankind ... If anyone saves a life, it would be as though he saves the whole of mankind."

Hazir said he believed Islamic extremists using the name of Jihad have done great injustice to their faith.

"Jihad means striving for the benefit of the community," he explained. "Jihad is a religious duty ... Military action is only one means of Jihad ... Jihad is not a violent concept."

Hazir also pointed out that the Koran specifically refers to Jews and Christians as people of God who should be protected and respected and that all three faiths worship the same God.

Concerning the terrorist attacks of September 11, Hazir said, "Islam has no room for such savagery and barbarity."

Hazir said he believed the media have not made this distinction between the true concept of Jihad and the acts of extremists and have failed to deliver Islam's message of peace. He noted more than 80,000 Kashmiris have been killed by the Indian military, but this and other struggles of Muslims for liberty have not been given a media spotlight. The West has a role to play where Muslim masses have been suffering, Hazir added.

Ron Martin told the audience that in all of his travels he makes an effort to interact with the people of the country, often hitchhiking or taking local public transportation.

"Everybody has treated me very well," Martin said, "although I must say that some people do not always agree with what our government does."

Panel member Mustafa Ishaq, in explaining that people in his country, the United Arab Emirates, hate America because of its aid to Israel, made a distinction.

"I know there is a difference between the government of the United States and the people of the United States," Ishaq said. "I don't think every American is paying taxes to help Israel ... I have seen lots of good things from American people."

Ishaq noted his country has a king and no democracy. He added the U.S. supports the king and his 25-year-old, oil-rich  country in spite of the unjust treatment of women there.

"We need freedom of religion," Ishaq said. "We had women scholars of religion ... but we don't have them anymore. Uneducated people rely on scholars (for information)."

Hazir noted that Taliban extremists are redefining the role of women in their own way, by preventing them from being educated. However, in Pakistan, women are encouraged to get an education. He reminded the audience that Pakistan's ambassador to the U.S. is a woman.

Talha Mujaddidi of Pakistan said now that his country has freedom of speech, groups can recruit frustrated, uneducated people to follow them. Osama bin Laden, he noted, is using a group of very angry, uneducated people. However, he said the religious extremists are still a very small percentage of the people in Pakistan and not a big threat.

Denise Taylor of Dial Help in Houghton asked panel members why, according to what she has read, Pakistan does not want the Northern Alliance to be in power in Afghanistan.

Hazir replied that Pakistan would prefer a moderate Taliban government to the Northern Alliance, which is supported by Russia.

"Pakistan has been supporting the Taliban, but not the terrorists," he said. "There are some elements in the Taliban which could definitely be part of the next government.

Martin pointed out on a map the location of different ethnic groups in Afghanistan and noted the Pashtun ethnic group in Pakistan would like to have an influence in Afghanistan, which is also home to many Pashtun people (from whom the Taliban derive most of their support), especially in the southern and eastern part of the country, bordering Pakistan (See BBC map of ethnic groups).

"What has been the problem for Afghanistan for so long," Martin said, "is everyone else trying to tell the Afghanis what's good for them instead of letting them decide what's right for themselves."

Martin said the Taliban are not the terrorists, but are "more concerned about isolating Afghanistan from outside influence."

He noted the Taliban are harboring Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda because they used al-Qaeda -- their money, weapons and fighters -- to take over the country. Martin said the Taliban have refused to hand over bin Laden because they would lose credibility (since they said they would not hand him over without evidence of his guilt in the terrorist attack) and they would lose this military support. Martin added the issue of his guilt could possibly be decided by an impartial international tribunal that could examine secret evidence.

One American woman in the audience said she felt terrible about the innocent people being killed in Afghanistan because of the war on terrorism.

"Why are we bombing a bunch of innocent people?" she asked. "I find it absolutely incredible that the American people are just sitting back, and our government is running with it."

Martin said he realized what she meant -- that "people who didn't have a hand in it are the ones who are suffering." But he added he had mixed emotions about the war.

"For me, the Taliban -- they have to go," Martin said, "but is this the right way?"

Hazir pointed out that innocent people dying should be given the same attention. In Iraq, he said, thousands of people died on the same day but weren't given the same attention as the people in New York.

"A human life is a human life," he said.

To a question on oil pipelines in the region, Martin answered that one problem is to transport the oil. He said a recent plan is to run a pipeline through Azerbaijan and Georgia and across the Black Sea through Turkey. However, he noted, the simplest way would be through Iran, which is a country that is becoming more democratic than most Americans realize.

"I think that, besides Israel, probably in that area Iran is one of the most democratic countries," Martin noted. "However, there are extremists in the clergy who have the final say."

Continued Page 2: Discussion includes Israel-Palestine Question

*Editor's Note: See Ron Martin's Nov. 7 Keweenaw Now Viewpoint article on Afghanistan: "More misery in store for a longsuffering people" in three parts. Readers may also wish to visit the Editorial section of the Daily Mining Gazette Web site for a local viewpoint on the forum (Nov. 8, 2001). Letters to the editor from Janet Dalquist of Houghton (Gazette, Nov. 13, 2001) and Vern Simula of Toivola (Gazette, Nov. 24/25), have challenged that viewpoint. An excellent column written by James Cross, executive director of Michigan Tech's Center for International Education, also appeared in the Nov. 24/25  issue of the Gazette (p. 5A) and points out the many positive contributions of international students to the university and the community.

Continued Page 2: Discussion includes Israel-Palestine Question