American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee

The following letter was sent today by ADC President Hala Maksoud to NBC CEO Robert C. Wright and producer John Wells regarding the first two episodes of the new television series, “The West Wing.” Please also contact NBC, Wright and Wells to let them know that this outrageous defamation is utterly unacceptable and irresponsible. Please use Hala Maksoud’s letter below as talking points for your own communications.

Please email <westwing@nbc.com>
or fax Robert C. Wright, President of NBC at (212) 664-5830
or John Wells, producer of “The West Wing” at (818) 977-9048

HALA MAKSOUD’S LETTER TO NBC CEO ROBERT WRIGHT:

October 7, 1999

Robert C. Wright
President, NBC Television
By Fax: (212) 664-5830

Dear Mr. Wright,

I write to you as President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the largest grassroots Arab-American organization in the country, to express our profound shock and dismay at the first two episodes of your new series “The West Wing.” Among the storylines in these two episodes was that the Republic of Syria had, for no apparent reason, shot down an unarmed American airforce jet killing over 50 Americans. The United States government responds by attacking four “military targets” in Syria, in the words of one of the characters, “crippling Syria’s intelligence and surface-to-air capabilities.”

This storyline constitutes a slander and calumny against the Syrian nation and the Syrian people, who have never been involved in any way in such an incident. In fact, there have been three instances of unarmed planes being downed by surface-to-air missiles, none involving Syria. These include Israel’s downing of a Libyan airliner, the Soviet Union’s downing of a Korean airliner and the United States’ downing of an Iranian airliner. There has been no instance of any such action by Syria. By creating a fictional story that blames a real and actually existing nation, government and people for such a heinous crime, NBC has slandered an entire nation in the most unfair manner possible. The President calls these fictional Syrian crimes “unwarranted, unprovoked and cold-blooded,” but that might better describe the episode itself.

Moreover, this slander against Syria deliberately promotes fear and hatred of Syria, Syrians and Arabs in general. Why was Syria chosen as the villain in this instance? What would have prevented NBC from concocting a fictional nation to play this role? Why are we not surprised that, as usual, the villains in this fantastic scenario are Arabs? How would NBC, the producers, or the rest of American society react if Israel, not Syria, were accused of such a fictional crime?

This slander is analogous to NBC identifying a living person, and constructing a scenario around an atrocity that this person has supposedly committed. If we, for example, were to publish a novel, in which one Robert C. Wright, CEO of NBC were conducting a set of serial killings, this would be outrageously irresponsible and an unforgivable insult to yourself. By doing the same thing to an existing nation, government and people, NBC has acted no less irresponsibly.

The “retaliatory strike” taken by the United States against Syria, and the passionate arguments made by the heroic lead character of the series, the President portrayed by Martin Sheen, for a response that would mean “total disaster” for Syria, constitute direct and unforgivable incitement to violence against the Syrian people and nation. The clear thrust of the story is that Syria is a country that is capable of shooting down unarmed aircraft and which may well merit a military attack by the United States. There is serious discussion of actions that involve “carpet-bombing Damascus” and creating “thousands of [Syrian] civilian casualties.” Once again, this can only be described as the most egregious and malicious incitement against Syrians in particular and Arabs in general.

There is no excuse for the harm that NBC has done in the first two episodes of “The West Wing.” These programs will forever remain a disgrace to NBC and no amends can undo the damage. We sincerely hope that you will ensure that future episodes of “The West Wing” and other NBC programing refrain from such defamation and incitement to violence.

Yours,
Hala Maksoud, Ph.D.
President

cc: John Wells, Producer “The West Wing”

	7- October- 1999
	Protest NBC’s Slander and Incitment against Arabs in “The West Wing”
	Please also contact NBC, Wright and Wells to let them know that this outrageous defamation is utterly unacceptable and irresponsible.
	The following letter was sent today by ADC President Hala Maksoud to NBC CEO Robert C. Wright and producer John Wells regarding the first two episodes of the new television series, “The West Wing.” Please also contact NBC, Wright and Wells to let them know that this outrageous defamation is utterly unacceptable and irresponsible. Please use Hala Maksoud’s letter below as talking points for your own communications. Please email <westwing@nbc.com> or fax Robert C. Wright, President of NBC at (212) 664-5830 or John Wells, producer of “The West Wing” at (818) 977-9048 HALA MAKSOUD’S LETTER TO NBC CEO ROBERT WRIGHT: October 7, 1999 Robert C. Wright President, NBC Television By Fax: (212) 664-5830 Dear Mr. Wright, I write to you as President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the largest grassroots Arab-American organization in the country, to express our profound shock and dismay at the first two episodes of your new series “The West Wing.” Among the storylines in these two episodes was that the Republic of Syria had, for no apparent reason, shot down an unarmed American airforce jet killing over 50 Americans. The United States government responds by attacking four “military targets” in Syria, in the words of one of the characters, “crippling Syria’s intelligence and surface-to-air capabilities.” This storyline constitutes a slander and calumny against the Syrian nation and the Syrian people, who have never been involved in any way in such an incident. In fact, there have been three instances of unarmed planes being downed by surface-to-air missiles, none involving Syria. These include Israel’s downing of a Libyan airliner, the Soviet Union’s downing of a Korean airliner and the United States’ downing of an Iranian airliner. There has been no instance of any such action by Syria. By creating a fictional story that blames a real and actually existing nation, government and people for such a heinous crime, NBC has slandered an entire nation in the most unfair manner possible. The President calls these fictional Syrian crimes “unwarranted, unprovoked and cold-blooded,” but that might better describe the episode itself. Moreover, this slander against Syria deliberately promotes fear and hatred of Syria, Syrians and Arabs in general. Why was Syria chosen as the villain in this instance? What would have prevented NBC from concocting a fictional nation to play this role? Why are we not surprised that, as usual, the villains in this fantastic scenario are Arabs? How would NBC, the producers, or the rest of American society react if Israel, not Syria, were accused of such a fictional crime? This slander is analogous to NBC identifying a living person, and constructing a scenario around an atrocity that this person has supposedly committed. If we, for example, were to publish a novel, in which one Robert C. Wright, CEO of NBC were conducting a set of serial killings, this would be outrageously irresponsible and an unforgivable insult to yourself. By doing the same thing to an existing nation, government and people, NBC has acted no less irresponsibly. The “retaliatory strike” taken by the United States against Syria, and the passionate arguments made by the heroic lead character of the series, the President portrayed by Martin Sheen, for a response that would mean “total disaster” for Syria, constitute direct and unforgivable incitement to violence against the Syrian people and nation. The clear thrust of the story is that Syria is a country that is capable of shooting down unarmed aircraft and which may well merit a military attack by the United States. There is serious discussion of actions that involve “carpet-bombing Damascus” and creating “thousands of [Syrian] civilian casualties.” Once again, this can only be described as the most egregious and malicious incitement against Syrians in particular and Arabs in general. There is no excuse for the harm that NBC has done in the first two episodes of “The West Wing.” These programs will forever remain a disgrace to NBC and no amends can undo the damage. We sincerely hope that you will ensure that future episodes of “The West Wing” and other NBC programing refrain from such defamation and incitement to violence. Yours, Hala Maksoud, Ph.D. President cc: John Wells, Producer “The West Wing”