THE BATTALION
Page 11
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'nan ideal world, the good people of
America could travel to every country and
ns will see telif.offer foreign aid and Christian teachings to
poor. Two women, Baylor University gradu-
both holding isDayna Curry and Heather Mercer, took the
oked a six-davi tiative many months ago to travel to
e for this week fghanistan with hopes of supplying food, shel
ter and Christian enlightenment
to the Muslim people. On Aug.
3, they were arrested and have
been detained in Afghanistan,
on charges of trying to convert
Afghan Muslims to
Christianity according to The
Washington Post. We do not
live in an ideal world, and even
before the Sept. 1 1 attacks on
nerica. these women strongly were discour-
makings t: L] tota k e their pilgrimage to Afghanistan
inceSept. 11, tensions have mounted, and the
that these women will return home
to have the da :comes dimmer. Curry and Mercer are on trial
hen.” i itli other members of a Christian aid organiza-
general stui L, Shelter Now International. Before Shelter
•tands that noth ow International took it upon itself to help the
s guaranteed.Ill Ltry of Afghanistan, heavy emphasis should
g professionals tvebeen placed on the risks involved.
he says he i The government of Afghanistan is very
er in broadcast! ptable, and at any point, ties between the U.S.
id Afghanistan could have erupted, as they did
Sept. 11. On Aug. 3 1. The Dallas Morning
wireported that the state department has no
n nf nnVdflvoli nbassy in Afghanistan and strongly warns
. mericans not to travel there. The Taliban has
A tour.
.I've hit balls#
ve talked to fl
een the ruling governmental regime in
fghanistan since Sept. 1996 when they cap-
red the capital, Kabul. The Dallas Morning
f wialso reported that the United States does
Jot recognize the Taliban w ith this power and
j reuses them of harboring Osama bin Laden,
tuch, too fast. bI L ast 0ct. 12 the USS Cole was bombed in
ood. It’s whatrL men anc j t j ie jj.S. government has since
it.” Inked this disaster to bin Laden and the
: ' ; . |a/t6an. All these events took place before
Ikrcer left for Afghanistan in March, which
lid have discouraged heCvisit and been
f/it/sgh evidence for Curry, who already lived
iuAfghanistan. to return home.
Since the Taliban took control of
Afghanistan, strict Islamic law has dictated
lieirgovernment. The Washington Post cites
blunder Taliban and Islamic law, the penalty
orforeigners preaching the Christian gospel is
time and expulsion, but for an Afghan who
onverts to Christianity, the behavior is punish-
We by death. Sixteen Afghan Shelter Now
wkers also were arrested and said to have
een converted by Mercer and according to an
Id. \6The Dallas Morning News article, they
reliving in much harsher conditions.
The strict interpretation of Islamic law
dopted by the Taliban and the condemnation
fChristianity has shown people across the
that the Taliban regime is serious about
and will punish anyone who denounces
te religion. Not only did these women follow
te Shelter Now program and defy Islamic law
ypreaching Christianity in Afghanistan, but
also endangered those Afghan citizens by
(lowing them to become criminals in a per-
ous government.
In hindsight of Sept. 1 1, the consequences
re much more clear, but the risks involved in
aveling to Afghanistan and preaching
bristianity were extremely precarious, even
efore these attacks.
On Oct. 6, CNN said that the Taliban
(ffered to release the foreign aid workers if
eU.S. would withdraw its threat of military
rikes. This was the first time the Taliban had
ly
ation, A CARTOON OF THE DAY
luation -
ing student pric&
mntment
linked the aid workers to the demand to give
up bin Laden. President Bush responded by
saying, “This is not a negotiation,” and on
Oct. 7, the U.S. and Great Britain began
launching air strikes in Afghanistan.
As the strikes continue, so does the trial for
these two women in Afghanistan. It is
unknown what provoked them to take such a
trip, but all America can hope for now is a safe
and expedient return. Clif Mouser, the director
of Ministries on the Baylor campus, described
the situation faced by these Baylor graduates.
“Whether it’s just a couple of blocks away or
in another country, students here know that
this is a place to grow and solidify their faith,
but it is a far cry from what they will face in
the real world.” Perhaps their idealistic view
has been shattered or perhaps not. If only we
could turn back time, then this missionary
journey to Afghanistan would have never held
the fate of two young women.
Cayla Carr is a senior
speech communications major.
A s most of the news this month has focused
on mysterious Anthrax discoveries, allied
attacks on the Taliban and Osama bin
Laden’s worldwide terrorist reach, one important
story has been lost in the shuffle.
Two American women remain jailed in
Afghanistan on charges of preaching
Christianity. Dayna Curry and
Heather Mercer, both recent
graduates of Baylor University,
are part of a group of eight
foreign-aid workers facing
harsh penalties. Sadly, it is
possible they will never leave
Afghanistan alive. The human
itarian actions of these two
Americans were selfless and
noble, and they should not be forgotten or their
actions dismissed.
This story is an inspiring example of the brav
ery of those who risk their lives daily to bring
physical relief and spiritual hope to the dark and
dangerous backwaters of hatred and intolerance.
Despite the explosion of uncertainty and danger
since Sept. 1 1, hopefully there will be more like
JONATHAN
JONES
them. The murderous extremists of the Islamic
world can be defeated with superior military
might. But a more lasting peace can be achieved
when workers, such as these, give exposure to a
better way of life in the very places where totali
tarian regimes violently impose their terrible
visions on others and call it peace.
Before their arrest, the women had worked in
Afghanistan for several months, helping in
Shelter Now International’s effort to provide sup
port for abused women and food and shelter for
the country’s many poor. Likely, they were shar
ing Christianity, and likely, the Afghan people
saw firsthand the freedoms of America that would
allow such action as a result of the women’s con
cern and kindness. This can help to change
regimes from the inside and is as effective as any
missile. And as this country faces the wrath of the
contemptible, extreme evil that spews from
groups like the Taliban, others should not feel
deterred from sharing their faith and ideals,
demonstrating the freedoms available in demo
cratic countries.
Among other acts of terror, extremists have
condemned Salman Rushdie to death, killed
Marines in Beirut, sponsored suicide bombers,
attacked the USS Cole and continue to threaten
pro-Western rulers in Muslim countries with
assassination and civil war. Saddam Hussein
alone during the last 20 years, is responsible for
shedding more Muslim blood than the total of
Western civilization. His eight-year war with Iran
and ongoing murder of Iraq’s Kurdish population
have killed as many as 2 million of his fellow
believers. Concern for the most basic forms of
human dignity demand that action be taken to
support the victims of these extremist tyrants.
Only one of 18 Muslim states Turkey is gov
erned democratically. Broadly speaking, there is
not a single area of societal existence in which
the West is not superior to the Islamic world,
including religious tolerance, social and econom
ic mobility and the security of rights and liberties
under the law. And should someone think that is
nofthe case, no one in America will lock them
up under the threat of death. Many brave, Arab
leaders live in fear of their fellow countrymen
and are the enemy of the same extremists the
United States is struggling against.
Unfortunately, some operate in the very
Western world that is the object of such intense
scorn. The spokesman for the Jamiat Ulema-e-
Islam party, who calls for the faithful to overthrow
the government of Pakistan for the sin of cooper
ating with President George W. Bush, sends his
own two sons to schools in the United States.
The extremists who react violently to the
prosperity and freedom of open societies are
holding Curry and Mercer hostage. Though not a
simple task, this can change. Mercer and Curry
were a part of that. The United States is not at
war not with Islam, as bin Laden and his sup
porters claim, but with terrorism. Their fantasy of
radical, imperialistic Islamic supremacy can be
stopped. War has eliminated a great deal of prob
lems in the 20th century, including Nazism,
Japanese militarism and communism. Likewise,
the substantial members of the Muslim world
who ignore, harbor and support terrorist activity
can be defeated either by force or exposure to the
better way of living among civilized humanity.
The spread of enlightened ideals and democracy
were what Mercer and Curry bravely were living
every day for two years. The millions of Muslims
who are fortunate enough to live in the West
already have discovered the refuge and opportu
nity that so many of America’s newest enemy
hatefully scorn.
CHAD MALLAM • THE BATTALION
Jonathan Jones is a senior
political science major.
MAIL CALL
A&M competitive cheer
squad is unacceptable
In response to Melissa Sullivan Oct. 16th, article:
I would like to congratulate the board of
regents, the student body and Shannon
Johnson, in particular. You have achieved the
impossible; I no longer take any pride in being an
Aggie. I chose to attend A&M because it was
unique and special. I enjoyed and took pride in
explaining our traditions and the Aggie way of life
to my friends and family. I loved the fact that,
although we were officially TAMU, we embraced
the past and proudly displayed AMC throughout
the campus. Then the worst idea of A&M's his
tory came to light, the 2020 plan. For some rea
son, the board of regents decided that the best
way to raise A&M's status was to homogenize
the school as much as possible. My belief is that
they acted as fools. There was one simple
action that they could have taken that would
have made TAMU "World Class." The needless
killing of Rudder Oak. The feminization of the
on-campus housing. The termination of Bonfire.
The moving of Midnight Yell to 11:30.
The placement of R.C. Slocum to the most
visible position on campus. The dissolution of
the Fish Drill Team. The support of a cheer
leading squad with a junior college member
ship. I do not want anybody from Blinn repre
senting me as an Aggie.
A&M's support of a cheerleading squad is the
last straw for me. A&M is now part of the great
unwashed. The only thing that still makes A&M
unique is the existence of the Corps and our
band. I wonder how the Bugle Line will look
when they are surrounded by a Flag Corp. On
my Aggie word, as long as there is a cheerlead
ing squad, I will never intentionally give a cent to
TAMU again, either directly or indirectly.
Jack L. Williamson
Class of 1991
‘Sidelines’ is not all bad
In response to Kelln Zimmer’s Oct. 15th column.
There are several factors that need to be con
sidered before you decide to hate ESPN forever.
First, the show was not intended to be a PR piece
for the school. It was intended to be real. While we
do have traditions that I cherish and love, I am also
not naive enough to think that things like over-con
sumption of alcohol never occur at our school. In
addition, before you get upset because “Sidelines”
does not focus completely on traditions, ask your
self why under one-fourth of the student body
attends Silver Taps on a regular basis. If we don't
support Aggie traditions, ESPN should not come
under attack for failing to portray all of them.
No actors were hired for “Sidelines.” ESPN is
not making up storylines. Rather, your fellow
students are providing the material for the
show. The specific cast members provide their
schedules for the production crew to follow each
week. If you are upset about what you saw, I
suggest that you take a look at who you are
attacking. Is ESPN to blame for the personal
decisions of cast members and their friends?
There are shows that have yet to be seen. The
show is a 13 episode series. Two episodes have
aired. To date, “Sidelines” has introduced
under one-half of the total cast. If you are con
cerned about the cast not being representative
of the student body, wait to pass judgement
until you have been introduced to them all.
In conclusion, if you want to see a good PR
piece about A&M, the visitor's center has a great
video. If you are prepared to see good along with
embarrassing, stay tuned to “Sidelines.”
Rachel Schaefers
Class of 2003