The attacks Tuesday were an act of indescribable evil. The people found to be responsible should be brought to a just trial, convicted and imprisoned.

However, I am disturbed by a growing atmosphere of intolerance on our campus. There has been discussion in the Iowa State Daily opinion page with regard to celebrations by Palestinians in the West Bank and Lebanon.

The actions of those demonstrators are entirely inappropriate and cruel.

However, those celebrations in Nablus, Chatila and Ein al-Hilweh are not an accurate picture of Palestinian sentiment. In fact, they reflect a tiny minority of all Palestinians. And certainly the Palestinian students of Iowa State University must not be held responsible for the actions of other fanatical Palestinians.

According to The Independent, there were “several thousand” people celebrating the attacks in Lebanon and the West Bank. However, there are more than 5 million Palestinian people around the world.

Why was that small minority of ignorant and foolish demonstrators showcased the world over to demonize all Palestinian people?

Any act of stupidity should be followed with a report showing the acts of compassion and kindness on behalf of Palestinians. The pictures of the letters and flowers from Palestinians laid at the American consulate in Jerusalem certainly weren’t given the same coverage. I’ll return to that in a bit.

In addition, the Arab and Muslim governments have expressed their condolences and pledged full support. Even Yasser Arafat, aging as he may be, donated blood for the attack victims along with many members of the upper echelons of the Palestinian Authority.

Perhaps more complex reasons exist for the celebratory behavior.

Robert Fisk, an internationally-renown Middle East correspondent for the London-based newspaper The Independent, said on the issue, “Ask an Arab how he responds to 20,000 or 30,000 innocent deaths and he or she will respond as decent people should, that it is an unspeakable crime.

But they will ask why we did not use such words about the sanctions that have destroyed the lives of perhaps half a million children in Iraq, why we did not rage about the 17,500 civilians killed in Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. And those basic reasons why the Middle East caught fire last September, the Israeli occupation of Arab land, the dispossession of Palestinians, the bombardments and state-sponsored executions…”

Certainly, there is no excuse for the horrific crimes committed on Tuesday, and there is no single cause. However, as Fisk so brilliantly points out, there are in fact reasons why some Palestinians feel driven to such a level of desperation that a deplorable act of violence is something celebrate.

An integral part of the recovery from this national tragedy is self-examination of where our military and financial support sits in the world. We must confront terrorism at its most fundamental level – the reasons for hatred.

Despite the small celebrations, the majority of Palestinian organizations and individuals condemned the attacks and showed their concern by sending flowers and words of comfort to the American consulate in Jerusalem.

Christian Peacemaker Teams, a neutral collaboration of dov-ish church organizations stationed in al-Khalil (Hebron) on the West Bank, had this to say on their Web site, “At no point in the course of the day did team members witness anyone celebrating or even speaking with approval of the disasters.”

Even Hebron, often a violent flash point on the West Bank, was celebration-free following the attacks.

These facts seem to have been lost amid the reports of Palestinian celebrations.

There is a direct correlation between the incomplete and inaccurate reports and the acts of bigotry and intolerance occurring around the country. Help Muslim and Arab students on campus feel welcome. Just like all other students, they are here to learn. It is our responsibility to treat these students with respect.

I challenge the ISU community, all resident assistants, greek community leaders, student activists, university administrators, students, and faculty and staff members.

Please remind the thousands of people you come into contact with every day that intolerance and xenophobia are unacceptable behaviors in our community. Promote nonviolence as a means of protest. Advocate mature, articulate and open communication.

Encourage friends and colleagues to open their minds, calm their tempers and treat others with the same respect you demand and all people deserve.

Omar Tesdell is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Slater. He is online editor of the Daily.