'Zionists' and the ANC
From Professor Kader Asmal, MP Sir: The South African parliamentarian Tony Leon is selective in his facts and tendentious in his views ('Who are they calling neoNazi?', 25 August). 'While the [United Nations anti-racism] conference agenda has airbrushed out references to "the racist practices of Zionism",' Leon says, 'our local education minister, Kader Asmal, last week denounced the "violence that is systematically carried out in the name of Zionism".'
Leon offers this as evidence of 'the corrosion of the impeccable non-racial credentials which were once the calling-card of the ANC'. Here is what I actually said: `Those who think that Zionism is inherently racist must reckon with the fact that some of the most courageous antiapartheid whites in South Africa happen to have been Zionists as well. On the other hand, none of these courageous antiapartheid Zionists could condone the violence that is systematically done in the name of Zionism in parts of the world today. We need to debate these matters rather than to arrest debate in favour of simplistic dogmas and slogans.'
Leon also misunderstands the nature of international conferences. At the preliminary meetings of the World Conference in Geneva, hundreds of proposals were made by governments for inclusion in the Declaration and the Programme of Action. The conference in Durban had to arrive at consensus on what should be included in the final draft.
Your readers should be aware that South Africa worked very hard to ensure that agreement was arrived at. There was no 'airbrushing' (the meaning of which Leon misunderstands) but a genuine attempt to allay anxieties and to meet legitimate needs.
Kader Asmal
Minister of Education. South Africa
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