Monday, June 13, 2011

Updated Letter to Syria

It has come to my attention that the circumstances which prompted me to issue the forgoing petition had been somewhat misrepresented.

Some people are saying this invalidates the whole idea behind the previous petition. If Amina was not a courageous Syrian dissident putting her life on the line for her beliefs, they say, but rather a married white guy in Istanbul spending a lot of time on Middle Eastern lesbian chat boards and trying to drum up publicity for an Arabsploitation novel, and who, when challenged with the truth, says "we are on vacation in Turkey and just really want to have a nice time and not deal with all this craziness at the moment," then what good is it to petition for Amina's release?

Nonsense, say I. Here is my updated letter:

His Excellency Dr. Imad Moustapha, Ambassador of Syria

Dear Dr. Moustapha:

It has come to my attention that prominent blogger Amina Abdallah Araf al Omari is in fact one Tom McMaster, living in Istanbul, Turkey. I apologize for my earlier misconception. I still believe, however, that the release of this blogger from Syrian prisons would be a step forward for democracy and an inspiration to Amina's many readers. Do you think it would be too much trouble to imprison Mr. McMaster for a while, pursuant to this purpose?

Thank you for your kind attention, and I look forward to hearing your response.

Sincerely yours,

Benjamin Rosenbaum