Letter to The Washington Post

From: Dr. Michael Berenhaus [mailto:mberenhaus@comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 11:37 AMTo: 'letters@washpost.com'
Subject: letter to the editor

Dear Editor,

In ‘Why Do They Hate Us?’, Op-ed by Mohsin Hamid [July 22, 2007], the United States is blamed yet again for Fundamentalist Muslims hating us. Hamid claims that US support of Pakistani dictator Zia, already in power, against Soviet invaders next door in Afghanistan over two decades ago, is one reason why Pakistanis hate us.

Contrary to what Hamid says, just as no one can make someone love another person, so too can no one make someone hate another person. It is an individual choice. And how are these choices made? Largely, they are made from the knowledge we gain through our educational system – in Pakistan through madrassas or Mosques- the real source of the hatred. To remove this hatred, the Muslim world should accept responsibility for it – and stop pointing fingers at everyone else.

Michael Berenhaus