I refer to the letter captioned “Israel must be punished for atrocities,” (Guyana Chronicle, 9 June 2010) by a certain K. Khan.  Two lines in the letter, depicting Jews and Israelis, caught my attention and I am really dismayed that the Chronicle has allowed the letter to be printed in its present form.
The first line reads “the wicked Jews have showed that they are the most wicked and cursed people on the earth,” while the second tells us, “Their behaviour………. has demonstrated that they are similar to animals.” This language, in all probability inherited from some revelatory religious legacy from a dim barbaric past, has no place in a civilised society.
To demonise and dehumanise an entire race and nation of people in the manner that Khan has done with the use of such foul, hateful, and detestable language requires the severest admonition.  If such unmitigated and loathsome nastiness can enter the public domain without any attempt to sanitise it, it makes one shudder to think what may be going on behind closed doors.
Khan’s language amounts to verbal genocide, and, as in the case of all language of violence, it is merely a precursor to acts of violence and terror.  Again, it makes one wonder if Khan had a finger on the bomb what would have been the outcome.
But, whatever is the cause, and whatever the transgression, real or perceived, such language, uncouth and repulsive, has no place in the Guyanese society. However degenerate we ourselves become at times.  Not only is the over-generalisation itself quite odious, but the use of language describe human beings as “wicked,” “cursed,” and “animals” is reprehensible.
The writer needs to be reminded that there were both Jews and Israelis in the flotilla that tried to break the blockade and some of the strongest responses against the government of Israel came from Jews and Israelis, in and out of Israel.  The writer also needs to be reminded that the world in which we live, including the Arab world, the Muslim world, and the Palestinian world, has a lot to be grateful for to the Jews.
But even if there were no Jews and Israelis in the flotilla, and even if there were not Jewish and Israeli protests against the government of Israel, and even if Jews had not made any contribution to human civilisation to which we are all indebted, even then the use of such language should not have been allowed in one of or major national newspapers.
Khan clearly espouses a particular cause and challenges the Guyanese society not to be hypocritical.  But for me, the wild emotional outburst and the use of hate filled language make it impossible to offer empathy.