Letter XXIX: It's Contentious

It's contentious. But somebody's got to raise it.

How appropriate that it's raised by contentious, curmudgeonly Helen Thomas.

What are we going to do about different populations competing for the same real estate?

Years and years ago my father, the late Dr. Mohammad T. Mehdi, made an offer – a gimmick of course – to pay to relocate Jews from occupied Palestine to the United States. This would give people traumatized by the Holocaust a safe place to live and would allow exiled, traumatized Palestinians to return home. The point is important to make and to reiterate -- even if nowadays it is entirely impractical. The people of Palestine are not responsible for the horrors of the Holocaust and should not be made to pay for those sins. Helen Thomas knows that.

On May 27, 2010, she resurrected the specter of the terrible wrong done to the innocent people of Palestine in 1948. Maybe she was planning to retire, once and for all, and she knew after so many years in the media, that going out to sugary accolades would not be remembered so much as going out to fiery condemnation. Maybe it was a moment of freed speech after posing all those years of contained, prepared questions.

Helen Thomas has earned the right to share her views. In her 2002 memoir Thanks For The Memories, Mr. President, she writes, “After all those years of telling it like it is, now I can tell it how I want it to be.” Many people far younger and with far less experience than Ms. Thomas promote their views with impunity across the airwaves, on the Internet, and in newspaper columns. If we as a nation agreed with her view we would not be offended. Only when we disagree do we demand penance. For example, less than 100 years ago, how contentious was it to recognize women’s right to vote in this country?

In his 1988 book Terrorism: Why America is the Target Mohammad T. Mehdi wrote, “Terrorism is a violent act against civilians for a political goal of which we disapprove.” If we approve of the political goal, then the violence would be considered necessary. Consider American reaction to the Israeli assault on the Mavi Marmara.

Stephen Colbert suggests as much in his June 9 Colbert Report. In an interview with Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States, Colbert says, "I just want to say that I repudiate what Helen said. She's a friend but I repudiate everything she said. Go back to Poland, go back to Germany -- that's ridiculous. Israel is for Israelis. If anything the Palestinians should go back to where they came from."

The audience loved it.

Oren did not agree, "alas."

Helen Thomas did not say anything anti-Semitic. She spoke anti-occupation. She spoke pro-justice. And she spoke shorthand – a reporter’s specialty.

Unfortunately, in 21^st century America, “anti-Zionist” still plays as “anti-Jewish.” Disengaging these two distinct terms will go a long way in supporting good reporting and possibly even a just solution to this wrenching dilemma.

Thank goodness for contentious Colbert -- who can get away with it. While Helen Thomas goes out ablaze.

Letter XXI: Missing my dad

Here in Amman, Jordan I meet people every week who ask a question I’ve heard since girlhood: “Mehdi? Are you Mohammad Mehdi’s daughter?” From ministers to media

professionals, doctors and non-governmental activists comes admiration for this man who didn’t back down when times got tough. “I knew him in Beirut,” said one newsman. “He spoke for all of us,” admits a successful banker, “when we were too scared to speak up.”

When I was a little girl being known as Mehdi’s daughter had some unwelcome consequences. A teacher would ask “Are you –“ and then dock my grade because he didn’t like my father’s politics; the parent of a friend would say “Was that your father on television last night?” and warn her daughter I wasn't the kind of girl to play with.

Today is the 12^th anniversary of my father’s sudden and untimely death. I was with him outside the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in New York City, picking up my papers for permission to cover the Hajj for PBS, when he was struck with massive coronary failure. It was over in seconds. But the impact of his passing continues daily, as I meet people who remember him, and as all lament the absence of his voice on the issue of Palestine.

Mohammad Taki Mehdi came to the United States from Iraq in 1949 to study at the University of California at Berkeley. “I was born in Baghdad and reborn in Berkeley,” he repeated to all who would listen. It was easier to say "Baghdad" than Karbala -- at that time rare indeed was the American who'd heard of Karbala. At least those who'd heard of Scheherezade knew of Baghdad. Now, one blessing of the cursed war against Iraq is that more Americans have heard of Karbala. Either way, back in the 1960s most everybody only heard my dad's criticisms of Israeli policy and thought he was anti-Semitic.

In truth he was born in Karbala, Iraq – a city nearly unknown to Americans until the all-out offensive on Iraq in 2003 -- and graduated first in his class from Baghdad's High School of Commerce. He was spared seeing his homeland blatantly destroyed although he suffered watching nine years of punishing aerial bombardments on Iraq and heavy sanctions that left its people impoverished. He was also spared the tragedy of September 11, 2001 and the horrific aftermath for Afghanistan. He came to the US full of hope and trust in its promise of free speech. Eventually he wielded the First Amendment like a cudgel, daring those who would silence him to read the fine print – and all concomitant Supreme Court rulings. Although his full Iraqi government scholarship for study in the United States stipulated a specialty in accounting, he chose political science. The scholarship was rescinded. Dad washed a lot of dishes to get to his Ph.D.

Dr. M. T. Mehdi is best known for his strong pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli stance. He was a one-man public relations machine to whom all the New York press turned whenever violence broke out in the Middle East. He commented on Munich, Ma’alot, and the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut. He played a role in getting American hostages released from Lebanon. In 1988 he wrote Terrorism: Why America is The Target – five years before the first World Trade Center bombing.

He is less well known for running for the US Senate in 1992, becoming the first Arab American Muslim to run for federal office. He won 5% of the vote in New York State. Dr. Mehdi was the first American to petition the US Post Office for an Eid Stamp. He got the Empire State Building to go green in honor of Ramadan. He was the first to encourage other major public institutions, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to acknowledge the accomplishments of Muslims by raising a crescent and star flag annually in December. In fact, the Port Authority raised this banner at the World Trade Center at his behest. A crescent and star is on the White House ellipse every year during the holiday season alongside the National Christmas tree and menorah representing the Jewish festival of Hanukah. He was the first Arab American to publish an English-language newspaper (ACTION) focused on American and Middle East issues, influencing the career choices of young Arab Americans. He was the first to face unfair deportation based on his pro-Palestinian politics and national origins.

In the time that’s passed since my father’s death, progress has been made in the vital mines of politics and culture that he forged nearly single-handedly. Today, Arab American and Muslim American organizations plow forward, holding conferences, raising funds, challenging the status quo. We hear annual Ramadan greetings from the White House and can purchase the beautiful blue and gold calligraphic Eid stamp. There’s still a long way to go in balancing American policy toward Israel and Palestine and in supporting the growth of democracy in Southwest Asia, but at least it’s on the agenda. Congressman Keith Ellison and others are urging President Obama to “ensure that the legitimate needs of the Palestinian population are met.” But people forget on whose broad shoulders they stand.

There’s no replacing the voice that always came on the radio and television after an explosion, kidnapping, hijacking or killing: a voice that came to put context and reason where only conflict and rage prevailed; a voice with rolling “r’s” and an accent echoing a boyhood in Baghdad and a manhood in Berkeley. A man who suffered for his convictions but never lost heart. He survived beatings, arson and threats to his family. He created a movement which lives on now in structured Arab and Muslim American organizations.

“Are you Mehdi’s daughter?”

Today that question raises unmitigated pride.

Your family misses you, your colleagues miss you, and so do the people who counted on you to speak the truth about so many Arab and Muslim issues. No one has filled your extra wide shoes, dad … but you sure started something.

One of those is the annual M. T. Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. Last year’s $1000 prize went to Ray Hanania.