Debbie shares their letter to a Berkley professor:
Dear As’ad,
I have to say that I am disappointed. Not only was you class one of my favorite’s at UCB, but I even talked up your blog to Josh in prison, and frequently pointed people to it before our arrest.
You say you “heard” that Josh Fattal is an Israeli. Where did you hear this patently false information? Josh is Jewish, not Israeli. People have also said that I, a corn-fed boy from rural Minnesota, am Jewish.
Sarah too. We are not. . . .Why do people assume that because Josh is Jewish, he is Israeli . . .? Josh is NOT Israeli. Josh’s father is Israeli. Josh is American. . . .
The US engages in “imperialist feminism”. . . . The US government has been on a path of destruction in the Middle East for the past 60-70 years. . . .
Iran arrested the wrong people and they knew it all along. Neither our guards nor our investigators would go so far as to call us spies. None of us are spies. We are the opposite of spies. I have studied Arabic (which I speak fluently) and have spent years in the Arab world with the purpose of exposing injustice, especially but not exclusively the injustices of the US government. Before our arrest, I published a piece in the Nation about a previously unknown US backed death squad titled “Iraq’s New Death Squad” and another in Mother Jones magazine called “Sheikh Down” about US military corruption and use of militias in Iraq. Check these out if you need some evidence of our integrity. . . .
I insist that you correct your factual errors. Josh is not Israeli. Josh is a Jew and Josh is an anti-Zionist.
The voices of nuanced analysis are sadly few, especially in this county [DS: sic]. You have been one of those voices to me. . . .
Sincerely,
Shane Bauer
Holy cats! We let those haters out of Iran? My goodness. Should have let them rot in prison. 😡