Letter to America

Episode of Series “Correspondent”.
First of two programs exploring the rift between America and the Muslim world. Shortly after September 11 2001, Syrian born Rana Kabbani, returned to the Middle East to find out how Muslims have come to view the United States. Her journey took her to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Iran. She wanted to know why there was so much hatred towards America. Was it religious - Muslims against Christians - or were there other reasons for this apparent hatred? And yet for all the hatred and anger towards America, many Arabs expressed sympathy for the American people and made it clear that they did not condone terrorism or what occurred on September 11. The United States however is accused of interference and domination, hypocrisy and double standards, exploiting the Middle East for its oil and using their land for its military bases - 27,000 American military personnel are currently based in the desert of Egypt. This documentary presents a Muslim perspective from the street Arabs to the intelligentsia and includes interviews with Egyptian filmmaker Khaled Youssef (“The Storm”), Iraqui musician Naseer Shamma, Palestinian journalist Atef Helwa, Sheik Nahyan one of the ruling elite in the United Arab Emirates, various academics and and a group of American Christian students on a study tour of the Middle East. Also discusses America’s close relationship with Israel, its past occupations, bombings and economic exploitations which have affected many countries around the world, but particularly the Islamic countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Palestine. A most interesting insight into the hearts and minds of a people often portrayed in a damming way by the politicians and media of the West. Contains archival and some b&w footage. For more information: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/correspondent/1698317.stm