I would like to comment on the article written by Dan Necci entitled “Bystanders are not guiltless.”

I am glad that Mr. Necci was able to admit that he is not a scholar of Islam. I am not a scholar of that religion either. However, I would like to think that I take the time to research things before I make an opinion. Mr. Necci has an extra burden in this because he writes his opinion in this paper for all to see. It seems clear to me that he didn’t take the time to look into the issue or think out his argument.

I am in Political Science 305, which is Politics of the Middle East. A few days before the attacks on our country, we picked a country to keep up on and to report current events to the class. I happened to pick Afghanistan. In the last several weeks, I have learned a great deal about the country. I would not say that all people in Afghanistan hold guilt for these terrible acts.

Afghanistan has been in a state of war for the last 22 years. For roughly a decade, the Afghan people fought a fierce battle against the Soviet Union. Our government backed the Afghan people in this struggle. Once the Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan, our country stopped aid. This kind of left the people of Afghanistan hanging. It also created a good deal of resentment. They did the dirty work and we walked away when it was over.

During the last 12 years, there has been a civil war in Afghanistan. In 1996, the Taliban government came to power. At first, many people were hopeful that the Taliban government would bring stability to a war-torn country. The people of Afghanistan soon found out otherwise. The Taliban began enforcing their strict interpretation of Islam. That strict interpretation is very harmful to women. The Taliban began a series of public executions in the internationally-funded soccer stadium. In this stadium, they shoot or hang people who violate their version of the law. People go to jail for wearing makeup, watching television, reading books or flying a kite.

Today, the Taliban government is not supported by the people. The Northern Alliance does carry on a battle to overthrow the Taliban government. The United States has talked of aiding these rebels. Let’s hope that we stand behind them when this is over.

The vast majority of people in Afghanistan are illiterate. There has been a severe drought in the country, which leaves no food. As you may have heard, millions of people are trying to flee the country, but many are too weak to get to the borders. When they get to the borders, they are turned away. There are already several millions of Afghani refugees in the surrounding countries. This hardly sounds like a people that support their government. Let’s not take the pictures of a few thousand demonstrators and assume that all people of the religion hate our country.

I wonder if Mr. Necci would apply his theory of guilt to himself of all American citizens? Are you guilty for the slavery that tore this country apart? Are you guilty for the way we treated Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor? Are you guilty for the sickening crimes we now see against Muslim-Americans? I think it wrong to label an entire country of people based on what you see on CNN.

Our country must act in a just, patient and decisive matter. We will not rid the world of evil by jumping to conclusions without looking at the facts. I am disturbed that The Spectator feeds into this knee-jerk reaction. A few weeks ago you printed the opinion of a student who said “Just nuke `em!” Our country must find who did this and make them pay. We must do it in our moral fashion that shows we are a civilized and just people. We should go after countries that support terrorism. That doesn’t mean we should slaughter innocent people. I do not support those who say we should “Give peace a chance.” That changed on Sept. 11. I also don’t support people like Mr. Necci who feel we should obliterate a nation’s people because of the trickery and injustice of its government.

Mr. Necci and I do agree on one thing. We should remember the men who fought for our independence. They are the people who gave him the right to write a column without the facts. Unfortunately, the people of Afghanistan don’t have that right.