Letters to the Editor

Penn's connection to Choudhury

To the Editor:

In his piece about the anti-terrorist Bangladeshi editor ("Keeping a voice for freedom alive," SP, 7/13/2006), Gabriel Oppenheim noted that his hero "Choudhury has no connection to Penn." But the fact is that he does, and the connection is me.

My name is Richard Benkin, and I received my B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Penn. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is my brother, though our brotherhood is not built on blood relation. We began working together in 2003, he a Muslim, me a Jew. I helped him access additional news sources; he helped me publish in Bangladesh. Together we fought -- and fight -- the rising tide of Islamist terror and worked -- and work -- toward REAL interfaith dialogue based on mutual respect. When he was arrested in 2003, I worked non-stop for his release, traveling around the country, writing, staying in touch with his family and even enjoying a brief but clandestine conversation with my incarcerated brother.

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury epitomizes the phrase "Never Again," as he has put his own life in danger to stand up for justice and against the persecution of others. And it is in no small part, the values I learned at Penn, as well as my Jewish tradition, that led me -- and leads me -- to work until the admittedly false and deadly charges against him are dropped.

Shoaib -- who called me today after his most recent court appearance -- and I invite all who wish to learn more about our efforts to visit our web site, http://www.InterfaithStrength.com.

Richard Benkin

SAS '76, College '73

Responses to the campus shooting

To the Editor:

Your editorial ("Judging the use of deadly force," SP, 7/13/2006) unnecessarily alludes to the possibility of "vigilante justice" on the part of the UPPD officer who shot a man stealing a bike.

Is it really necessary for an editorial board to lecture highly-trained officers on the appropriateness of using a firearm? Shouldn't the officer -- not the criminal -- be given the benefit of the doubt, pending the ongoing investigation?

Readers would be better served by an editorial thanking the Department of Public Safety and the UPPD for its hard work and professionalism. Penn is one of the few colleges in the country to maintain its own accredited, armed police force with full arrest powers. One only needs to witness the time it takes for the Philadelphia police to respond to an emergency on campus to see how much we take the UPPD for granted.

Scott Kahn

College '08

To the Editor:

I think you need to re-read the 4th paragraph of your editorial. Wait until the facts are in before questioning the right or wrong of the police officer's actions. Neither you nor I were there! Innocent until proven guilty applies to everyone! The officer deserves the same rights as the suspect.

Rick Bobst

Van Pelt Library

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