Martin Luther King Jr. was a giant among men. In the arena of civil rights reform, his efforts and accomplishments remain unparalleled. He commanded national change through non-violent protest.

Yasser Arafat was the leader of the guerilla group Al Fatah and later named head of the Palestine Liberation Organization. The PLO was responsible for killing 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Do these men have anything in common? One was a great orator who made tremendous strides for the rights and civil liberties of African-Americans by way of peaceful reform. The other was the leader of a terrorist organization that led underground military operations and murdered Jewish citizens. Believe it or not, these men do have something in common. Both were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Nobel Peace Prize is considered one of the highest honors a scholar, social activist or apparently a terrorist leader can receive. It also puts the 14th Dalai Lama and Mother Theresa in the same company of Mikhail Gorbachev and Yitzhak Rabin, who ordered Israeli troops to “break the bones” of Palestinian demonstrators during the first Intifada in 1987.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, the capital of Norway, every year. It is a medal inscribed with the phrase “Pro pace et fraternitate gentium” which translates “for the peace and brotherhood of men.” According to nobelprize.org, the peace prize has been awarded to individuals who work in various fields, including areas of human rights advocacy, peaceful resolution and arms control. Did Yasser Arafat embody any one of those qualities?

Every September the Nobel Committee sends out invitations to individuals deemed qualified to nominate someone for the award. By February the nominations are received by the Nobel Committee. This year Al Gore was in the pile of nominees returned to Oslo. Former Vice-President Gore was nominated for his efforts to bring global warming to the forefront of political debate. Gore’s efforts include compiling a book of pretty pictures and statistics other scientists and researchers have collected. He also made a documentary, which still includes all the pretty pictures. While in office Gore strongly pushed for the passage of the Kyoto Treaty. The Treaty is targeted toward climate control and calls for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The United States still has not ratified the Kyoto Treaty.

Some individuals that are widely recognized for their contributions to peace have failed to receive the coveted Nobel Prize. Mahatma Gandhi, Pope John Paul II and Oscar Romero have never received the award. Does Gore deserve the Nobel Peace Prize more than the man recognized as India’s father?

Gandhi led India to independence through non-violent civil disobedience and inspired other civil rights movements throughout the world. Pope John Paul II’s opposition to communism contributed to its collapse in Eastern Europe and he was one of the most traveled world leaders in history. Now what did Gore do again? He made a book full of pretty pictures.

Yet, when you look at some of the other Nobel Laureates, such as Yasser and Rabin, the medal certainly is cheapened. This is sad because some of the greatest thinkers and compassionate activists, who devoted their life’s work to justice and peace, have been given the Nobel Prize. Their achievements should not be devalued because of other questionable medal winners.

Al Gore is not a terrorist but he is certainly not someone who has spent his whole life attempting to create world peace. No one would dare group Gore with the esteemed ranks of Nelson Mandela, Jane Addams and Theodore Roosevelt.

Let’s sum up the committee’s choice of Arafat, Rabin and Gorbachev to human error. Please let them learn and not award another individual unworthy of one of the greatest international honors. As inconvenient of a truth it might be, Al Gore does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.

Columnist: Margeaux Corby - 03/01/07