Gabriel Caligiuri: Sheriff not guilty of anti-Muslim rhetoric
Re “Sheriff wrong if he thinks we’ll give up our freedoms” (Letters, Jan. 31): I thank Sheriff Adam Christianson for joining other U.S. law enforcement officials in Israel last November. Israelis, Jews and non-Jews, live with the daily reality of deadly terrorist attacks. Law enforcement and military partnerships between our two nations are invaluable.
It was disappointing to read the letter regarding Sheriff Christianson’s trip; it contained several misleading accusations. The sheriff’s comments at the round table did not indicate that he believes all Muslims are a security threat, so the accusation of “anti-Muslim rhetoric” is unwarranted. Also, the sheriff did not describe how he planned to “implement tactics” to force county residents to “give up their privacy rights and freedoms.”
The final comment regarding “Palestine apartheid” would suggest he’s not very familiar with apartheid, which is an Afrikaans word coined to describe a particular system of racial segregation in a particular nation. A study of South African apartheid will demonstrate that it is not applicable to modern Israel-Palestine. I respect the writer’s service to our community, but it’s unfortunate that he is using his prominent voice to promote anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanction rhetoric which is neither honest nor constructive.
Gabriel Caligiuri, Modesto
This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Gabriel Caligiuri: Sheriff not guilty of anti-Muslim rhetoric."