The following email was sent to Nolan Finley on Saturday, March 25.
The directors of the National Arab American Journalists Association are drafting aletter denouncing his racist comments, and demanding that the Detroit News take action.
Ray Hanania
NAAJA-Chicago
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I am writing you out of deep disappointment over your column from last Month regarding the Palestinians ... while I think it is appropriate to analyze the policies of a government and ascribe broad strokes of views on policies, characterizing a Palestinian lust for Jewish blood is frankly not only unprofessional, it is racist, offensive and I think borders on incitement of hatred.
The National Arab American Journalists Association has voted to condemn your column and demand a policy that will address the glaring absence of Palestinian and Arab voices on your op-ed pages.
I really believe that the professional thing to do is to acknowledge that you crossed the line with that comment. You want to bash Palestinian policy, do it. You want to bash Palestinians, it is as racist as attacking African Americans as a people and anti-Semitic as attacking Jewish people as a people.
This is not going to go away and just inviting a token response from alocal writer is not good enough.
You have a problem with a lack of balance and fairness at your newspaper and specifically on the Op-Ed pages that you, a person who I feel has crossed the racial line, controls.
One could argue that your racial views against Palestinians is the very reason why Palestinian columnists and writers are absent from your op-ed pages and certainly don't even come close to appearing as frequently or even near frequency as pro-Israel and other anti-Arab writers, such as Charles Krauthammer.
Sorry if you take offense from this letter, but I've tried to wait and see what you and the Detroit News will do about it ... you may not take it serious, but it is a reflection on your claim to be a professional journalist and the newspaper's claim to be a professional journalism publication.
Thanks
Ray Hanana
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