Dear Carolina Community,

The UNC College Republicans strongly support intellectual freedom as fundamental to the Western University and to our way of life. Generations of students have learned to think critically and respect unfamiliar views in the vigorous climate our Universities provide. Yet, it deeply troubles us when this system is used to indoctrinate students against the very civilization that supports our studies financially and defends the freedoms we enjoy.

This indoctrination is evident in a First Year Seminar currently being offered called English 72, “Literature of 9/11”. The class, taught by Neel Ahuja, is an introduction to “the concept of terrorism,” where the “diverse array of themes related to 9/11 will be explored.” However, the array of themes presented is not diverse, and includes mainly the perspective of those who rant against our country or seek to do us harm. Texts for the course include: In the Shadow of No Towers by Speigelman, Poems from Guantanamo: Detainees Speak by Falkoff, Reluctant Fundamentalist by Hamid, Sand Opera by Metres, Sirens of Baghdad (Trans Cullen) by Khadra, and Stuff Happens by Hare.

In the Shadow of No Towers is the closest that this course comes to exposing students to the attacks from the perspective of Americans who lost loved one in them. While Speigelman was in Manhattan during the September 11th attacks, he did not have any family members die during the tragic incidents. He actually dislikes how patriotic Americans turned after, which he shared with Democracy Now. According to the book’s Amazon description, his [Speigelman’s] anguish was quickly displaced by fury at the U.S. government, which shamelessly co-opted the events for its own preconceived agenda.”
Poems from Guantanamo is a compilation of poems written by Guantanamo detainees. The perspective shared in this book is one from men whose aim is destruction, devastation, and murder.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a fictional story about a successful Pakistani businessman in America. The story follows his thought process as he comes to determine that the U.S. is “imperialistic and evil.” It justifies terrorism.
Sand Opera is also a collection of poems. It deals mostly with torture and war, and it commiserates detained terrorists.
The Sirens of Baghdad follows the story of how an ordinary man turns into a terrorist. It characterizes Al Qaeda as ‘freedom fighters’.
Stuff Happens is anti-war and anti-government. It analyzes the invasion of Iraq with claims that have been proven to be false, including a claim that the United States invaded Iraq to profit from its oil reserves. It fails to realize that the invasion of Afghanistan was the real response to the September 11 attacks and Iraq came much later for wholly different issues.

These readings offer points of view that justify terrorism, paint the United States and its government as wholly evil and immoral, and desecrate the memory of the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. It is crucial to note that there is not a single reading required for ENGL72 that focuses on the lives of the victims, the victim’s families, American soldiers, families of American soldiers. Nor is there a perspective that portrays the United States as acting in good faith before, during, and after the September 11 attacks. That is not even-handed scholarship. It does not teach students how to think, it teaches them what to think, and the material it presents is an apologetic for the violence and murder against the United States.

The existence of this course, while a powerful testimony to the tolerance, patience, and forbearance of the academic system is, nonetheless an embarrassment to this University. It will anger the parents of students, stain the evenhandedness and balance that Carolina strives for in its curriculum, and insult the families of the victims of the September 11 attacks. That is why, we must speak out. To the families of victims of the September 11 attacks and to survivors, we apologize for the insensitivity and hurtfulness that the curriculum in this class creates. Not all Tar Heels feel this way about September 11. We are proud to be Americans, our hearts break for the lives lost, murdered, that day, and we support our troops who seek to prevent such a terrible tragedy from ever occurring on American soil again. Please, do not believe that all Carolina students and faculty subscribe to the narrow and one-sided agenda of this course.

We believe that it is a blessing to live in this nation, to attend a great University, and to discuss freely and without fear challenging ideas. We note that on September 11, 2001 nearly 3000 of our fellow Americans were permanently deprived of these rights by terrorists who organized by a man, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who studied in a North Carolina public university. Would it not make sense to have some balance in our classes and curriculum, with some emphasis on the good things about our country, our culture, and our values? Otherwise, should we be surprised when we reap the bitterness of our own sowing?

Sincerely,

The UNC College Republicans

The Carolina Review

Christians United For Israel at UNC