Letters to the Editor

Trump Is Right to Strike Back Against the Houthi Threat

Dear Editor:

The recent U.S. airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Sanaa, Yemen are not only justified — they are essential. Under the bold and unapologetic leadership of President Donald J. Trump, America is finally doing what it should have done long ago: defending our national interests, protecting commercial shipping lanes, and sending a clear message that attacks on American vessels and our allies will be met with overwhelming force.

Let us be unequivocal — the Houthis are not misunderstood revolutionaries. They are a designated terrorist organization, heavily armed and bankrolled by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Their aim is not peace or liberation, but regional destabilization and the spread of Iran’s malign influence across the Middle East. Their repeated attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — critical arteries for global commerce — are not only acts of terrorism, but direct threats to international trade and maritime security.

What’s worse, these same Houthis are not acting alone. They are part of a broader axis of terror that includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Intelligence reports and regional analysts have repeatedly confirmed the Houthis’ support for Hamas, both ideologically and materially. In essence, every Houthi drone launched, every missile fired, is another extension of Iran’s proxy war strategy — one that fuels the fires of conflict in Gaza, endangers Israeli civilians, and emboldens radical Islamist forces.

President Trump’s response to these provocations has been swift and decisive — exactly the kind of leadership this moment demands. Unlike the weak-kneed appeasement strategies of past administrations, Trump has demonstrated that the United States will not sit idle while our ships are harassed, our allies are threatened, and our enemies grow bolder. He has restored deterrence, reminding the Houthis and their Iranian patrons that aggression has consequences.

Critics may wring their hands and issue tired calls for “de-escalation,” but the reality is this: deterrence is the only language terrorists understand. A show of strength today prevents a far greater war tomorrow. And by defending the freedom of navigation and punishing those who threaten it, President Trump is not just protecting American interests — he is protecting global order.

We should commend this administration’s courage. The Houthis are terrorists. They support Hamas. And under President Trump, the United States is finally treating them as such.

Sincerely,
James Arcola
Franklin Square, NY

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Qatar’s Indoctrination Campaign in America’s Classrooms

Dear Editor,

A grave threat to the integrity of American education — and to the moral compass of the next generation — is unfolding right under our noses, and it is time we call it out for what it is: foreign-funded propaganda disguised as curriculum. A recent report from the Institute for the Study of Global Anti-Semitism and Policy (ISGAP) has pulled back the curtain on the insidious influence of the Qatari government in U.S. K-12 classrooms. The findings are deeply alarming — and demand urgent action.

Qatar, a state notorious for funding extremist groups across the Middle East, has now taken its campaign of ideological warfare to America’s children. Through its financial entanglement with Brown University’s Choices Program — a curriculum used in over 8,000 schools across all 50 states and reaching more than a million students — Qatar is engaging in what can only be described as mass indoctrination. Their goal is clear: to delegitimize Israel, distort historical truth, and normalize anti-Israel bias in the minds of impressionable students.

Let that sink in. A foreign autocracy that openly shelters Hamas leaders and bankrolls jihadist media outlets like Al Jazeera is now shaping the way our students learn about one of America’s closest allies — and it’s doing so through curriculum materials that deliberately omit, distort, or vilify the Jewish state.

According to ISGAP’s report, this Qatar-funded curriculum whitewashes terrorism, casts Israel as the aggressor in historical conflicts, and downplays the region’s violent anti-Jewish ideologies. It is intentionally crafted to erode support for Israel and reframe Middle East history through the lens of radical anti-Zionism.

Even more concerning is the fact that this influence has operated in the shadows. The Choices Program’s foreign funding sources have not been fully disclosed — a violation of the transparency we should demand from all educational institutions, especially when they shape the minds of our youth. What we are witnessing is a foreign influence operation at scale, one that would never be tolerated if it came from Russia or China — and yet Qatar continues to operate with impunity.

Parents, educators, and lawmakers must demand transparency, accountability, and the immediate removal of foreign-funded, ideologically poisoned curricula from our classrooms. Qatar’s campaign to manipulate American education must end — before it produces a generation taught to hate our allies and question our own values.

Sincerely,
Tanya Margolis
Union Beach, NJ

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Mahmoud Khalil’s Deportation

Dear Editor:

The recent news surrounding the proposed deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and notorious anti-Israel agitator, has already prompted the predictable outcry from campus activists and free speech absolutists. But let us be crystal clear: this is not a First Amendment issue. This is a matter of national security, public safety, and the sanctity of American academic institutions — and it is long past time we confront it honestly.

Khalil, a foreign national studying in the United States on a student visa, is not simply engaging in protected political discourse. He is not merely expressing controversial opinions or participating in peaceful debate. He is actively involved in fomenting hostility and inciting division on an American campus, targeting Jewish students and supporters of Israel with intimidation tactics that go far beyond the boundaries of civil protest.

Reports from Columbia University have documented Khalil’s involvement in organizing aggressive, often disruptive demonstrations that have created a climate of fear and harassment for Jewish students. These protests have not only disrupted academic life, but have also included hate-filled rhetoric, inflammatory chants, and, in some cases, veiled threats that dangerously flirt with incitement. For far too long, his conduct has been whitewashed under the veneer of “student activism,” when in reality, it constitutes a calculated campaign of ideological extremism aimed at delegitimizing the Jewish state and alienating Jewish students on campus.

Let us not forget: Khalil is part of a broader network of foreign-funded campus activism that has infiltrated elite American universities with the aim of radicalizing student movements and undermining America’s support for Israel. His deportation is not a punishment for speech; it is a necessary action to protect our campuses from imported extremism masquerading as academic engagement.

The United States must draw a line between free expression and foreign-led agitation. Mahmoud Khalil crossed that line long ago, and the call for his removal is not only lawful — it is just, prudent, and essential for restoring safety and civility to our institutions of higher learning.

Sincerely,
Nahum and Aliza Sprechter
West Hollywood, CA