Palestines Questionable Profit Motives
By Allan J. Ashinoff on Jan 7, 2009 in Commentary, Featured
To most human beings there are simply some things that are said or done which defy explanation, reason and understanding. There are other things done and said which insult even the most basic human intelligence and degrade the very evolution of societal man. Hamas. Palestine. Islam?
These days the main stream media is inundated with images of carnage from a relatively tiny bit of land bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Egypt called the Gaza Strip. Anguished and enraged Palestinians dutifully parade the bloodied bodies of dead loved ones in front of the world’s television cameras. Rather routinely, as if on cue, the world condemns Israel’s retaliation against the terrorist group Hamas who, since 2006, is the legally elected government in Gaza.
The Israeli assault is considered by many world powers to be disproportionate for the three thousand missiles the nation of Israel had to endure over the last three years. The reason for these randomly fired missiles into Israel’s civilian population? To fight the Israeli occupation, of course. Let’s conveniently ignore the fact that Israel completely withdrew presence from Gaza in 2005. Why did Israel withdraw from Gaza in 2005? They bought into the fallacious global notion that Islamic hatred can be satiated by exchanging Land for Peace. Once again the broken bodies of Palestinian children are on television.
Just what is rest of the world’s politically acceptable response to a foe that educates its children with hate and entertains them with a propagandized vitriolic Mickey Mouse? How can the West begin to understand that Palestine’s children amount to little more than Islam’s ultimate malleable tool in its hatred toward Israel and the West? Can the Western mind even conceive of the pure evil that would coerce one’s own child into donning explosives and walking into a crowded bus or marketplace to explode? Yet in the Arab world the Israelis are considered sub- human?
Apparently to the Palestinians it’s perfectly acceptable for their children to die if their deaths purchase their families entrance to heaven. But if the collateral damage caused by Israelis retaliatory attack on Hamas in Gaza kills children, women, the elderly, or the infirm – all fodder for Hamas’ glorious suicide belt – the entire Arab world erupts in outrage and the civilized world is flooded with images that evoke sympathy.
There can only be one response to a people, any people, who have convinced themselves that it is honorable or profitable in any way to use their children as weapons. Any religion or religious variant whose philosophy can justify to its followers the use of a bomb belt for salvation deserves to violently be put in the dust bin of history with the rest of humanities tyrants and fanatical movements. Appeasement has once again proven to be futile in dealing with Islamic extremism and the western world still refuses to acknowledge a fundamental difference between peoples.
Those who forget history, or choose to ignore its lessons, are doomed to repeat it. It appears for the western world that a harsh lesson is forthcoming.
I’ve had several discussions on this topic with all kinds of people and I told each and every one the same thing:
putting yourself on one side of this argument – this conflict – to me, is folly. Unless you are directly involved or someone close to you is. In which case you are baised. You may or may not have a valid point and may or may not help resolve the situation. But as far as discussion goes, bias is a bad thing.
Especially here in this argument.
By the way, when I said “you” I didn’t mean the writer of this article.
Islam. The thing with Islam is, you cannot get a realistic or accurate picture of it from the media. From any media. Just as you cannot get an accurate image of any religion from the outside.
Granted – there are fractions in Islam that not only condone but actively encourage killing non-muslims. That those fractions or sects are evil and must be stopped, goes without saying. The same is true for Christian fanatics and all other violent sects.
I have read the Quran and spoke with a number of Muslims about things I did not understand (and things I could not accept) about Islam. Most of the Muslims I spoke to were moderate Muslims. The fanatics, I guess, wouldn’t talk to me unless I’d been one of them. And as much as I would like to know what makes a person become so insanely fanatical, that they legitimize the killing of followers of other religions or other fractions of their own religion. I have not sought those people out.
But as moderate as those moderate Muslims are, Islam is not a religion I could see myself “join”. Not merely because of the fact that they don’t accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah (I do – I am Christian) – that goes without saying. But also because of certain elements of that religion that don’t sit right with me.
What one must understand about Islam though, is this. Unlike Christianity, this religion was “born” not only in the midst of oppression. It was never “taken up” and “promoted” the way Christianity was picked up and spread throughout the world by the Roman empire. It has always staid in this “underdog” mode that it was created in. Both Christianity and Judaism have surpassed that stage – even though they too were created or were “current” in times of great oppression.
Islam was born and the people who practiced it were being oppressed by the Jews and Christians. It was immediately a case of: defend yourself, or die out.
So these elements of “jihad” – the defending of your religion with violence if necessary – are woven so deeply into Islam, that it is not my kind of religion or philosophy.
The problem I see with the Taliban and Hammas is, that they are not Muslims. Not really. Just like Hitler was not really Christian even though he claimed to be and (mis)used the teachings of the founder of the Protestant movement Martin Luther (the German theologian, not the American human rights leader) to preach hate against Jews.
Both the Taliban/Al Qaida and Hammas – I think – act with the same basic motivation.
Al Qaida attacked the USA, not because they don’t like freedom of speech and spirit or what have you, but for one reason alone. To bring America to the Arab world. In the hope that all Arab and Muslim countries would join forces with Al Qaida and defeat America and its alies, thus taking the first step to a new Ottoman Empire. Naturally, with Al Qaida at its head. Sadly for them, lucky for us, it didn’t work out.
The Saudis didn’t play ball, neither did Pakistan – the latter’s (at least official) refusal to take the side of Al Qaida dealing a big blow to “the cause”. And even as the US and their allies are failing in parts of Afghanistan, the global conflict that Al Qaida sought to create, failed to materialize.
I believe the same motivation is behind the stratigy that Hammas has been driving.
It is obvious (I believe), that Hammas has sabotaged any possibilty of peace between Palestina and Israel. Any time reports surfaced that a possible agreement was at hand: BOOM.
Then the constant rocket fire against Israel. What’s the point? Don’t they know Israel is going to go in and kick their asses? Of course they know. That’s why they’re doing it.
Because if Israel is killing Palestinians, it’s a great distraction from the fact that Hammas is failing big time in all things – apart from creating conflict and war with Israel.
After 9/11 Bush’s popularity was incredible! It’s a very old principle – it always happens in war time. So that is what Hammas used – I believe.
They now have stronger support in Gaza than ever.
And how anyone can take their claim of a ceasefire seriously, I have no idea. It is their open and clear aim that Israel should vanish off the face of the earth. The only reason they agreed to a ceasefire is because they are out of ammo and/or out of young people to send to the front lines to die.
What I’m trying to say is that both Hammas and Al Qaida are not in it for Allah or for Islam. They are in it for the power.
Now for Israel.
The one thing many who are pro-Israel magically “forget” (and those who are anti-Israel concentrate solely on) is:
When Israel was “recreated” in the 40ies, Palestinians had their land taken away from them. And that is neither right, nor legitimate.
You don’t see a bunch of Vikings invade Denmark and say: hey we used to live here. Now we don’t have our own country, so you better make way!
It’s just not right. The day Israel was created, Palestine ceased being a sovereign country. It just disappeared. In my opinion that is a crime against the people of Palestine.
And yes, I agree that every people have a right to their own state. But my rights end when they infringe on other people’s rights.
Where is the land of the Gypsies? Where is the land of the Cossovo-Albanians? Where is the land of the Catalan people?
So that is the dilema. Israel has the right to defend itself and its borders. And Palestine had a right to its sovereignty. In this unique situation the one right prevents the other.
So standing up solely for one side’s right, one would have to nullify the other side’s right. But who among men has the authority to do so, truly and justly? None. And that is why I cannot take sides in this and I believe that nobody can justly take sides in this. With the exceptions I described in the first paragraph of this text. And then those exceptions are not just either, just biased.
That’s my 2 cents. Don’t kill me if you disagree or I’ll call you Ossama. *g*
Paul | Feb 11, 2009 | Reply
PS: I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors. English isn’t my third or forth language. *lol*
Paul | Feb 11, 2009 | Reply
Aaaaaaah, damn typo. I meant to say: English IS my third or forth language. Serves me right for boasting. *lol*
Paul | Feb 11, 2009 | Reply