ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

224 AL-AHRAMWEEKLY: DISCRIMINATION Letter to the EDITOR Sober truths: As a regular reader I appreciate the quality of our Weekly and the freedom of expression it allows to its readers. I take that opportunity to reply to Edward Said’s article published the end of Ja- nuary. It is true that in Israel non-Jews, Muslims and Christians, do not enjoy the same pri- vileges and citizens’ rights as Jews, the law considering them as second-class citizens. Your diagnosis would have been transparent if it gave thorough in- formation about discrimination in Israel, as well as in the newly formed Palestine and other neighboring countries. Discrimination is one of the major causes of emigration of Arab Christians out of that territory, their homeland, and generally speaking from the whole Mashreq. Arab Christians have been settled in this region since forever, and do not deserve to be treated as second class citizens whether it be under the Jewish law or under the sha- ria, the Islamic law prevailing in most Arab countries including, perhaps, Palestine. One major difference exists though: free- dom of expression as you state is allowed in Israel, allowing Prof. Israel Shabak to dissent and to publicize his dissent from the application of the Jewish law, halasha. Would my opinion be permitted to be pu- blished in Egypt? Youssef Samir Eid Milan, Italy