The volatile history of this region is clear, even to those who have never studied Middle Eastern affairs.
The latest crisis in the Middle East has brought out the collective fear of the entire world. Panicked talk of WWIII and Israel’s alleged over-reaction has brought out the same old arguments and anti-semitic rhetoric, blurring the lines between Israeli policy, the occupation of Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran into a big stew of misunderstanding and assumption. Why do the Jews beat up on poor, defenseless Arab nations? Why does the United States continue to back up Israel with funding and munitions? Why don’t we let them solve their own problems? Why do we even have to have a Jewish state?…
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26 - candye kane
historically there have always been churches and synagogies in muslim lands. It is only after the creation of israel and the following atrocities that life for jews in muslim countries, esp after the inftifada became difficult, because of the bad publicity and complicity of the british - the colonial occupiers. hence the continuation of "occupation" by arab regimes and especially the israeli one to top all the rest - a decracy to oppress dictatorships! and minorities within.
Churches have always been there in muslim lands.
in fact some of the most tolerant societies for jews and christians have been under muslim governance such as in jerusalem, whereas the crusaders are notorious for massscreing all the jews of jerusalem, or isabella an ferdinand in spain. no doubt there have also been bad examples. The record of jews and christians comparatively is terrible.
people blow up things only when there are genuine problems. one should look at underlying reasons to defuse the violence exploding on the surface.
Gazelle,
where did you get such tremendous misinformation? I suggest reading "Anti-semitism; A History Portrayed" published by the Anne Frank Foundation.
Since the Roman age, and as early as the year 70, there was anti semitism against Jews and their monotheist beliefs. One of the antisemitic themes heard repeatedly was that Jews worshipped donkeys and murdered children to use their blood to make matzah. The first recorded pogrom of anti Jewish violence took place in Alexandria in 38 A.D. The arrival of Herod Agrippa was the provocation. The Jews were declared to be foreigners and intruders. They were forced to leave their homes and shops and were driven together in one section where they were beaten to death and thrown into bonfires.
You are right that with the spread of christianity, things got worse for the Jews. By 313 AD, the Romans adopted all sorts of mandates to repress, censure and destroy Jews and Jewish communities who were accused of having murdered GOd and being children of the devil.
In the seventh century, Mohammed developed his own arabian version of monotheism. When Jews rejected his version, he declared Jihad against them. During the Islamic conquest of Arabia, North Africa, Asia Minor and Spain, Christians and Jews were subjected to the rules of dhimma; in return for large sumes of money for protection and special taxes , they were allowed to live in the world of islam in degradation and insecurity.
Mohammad attributed the Jews refusal to accept him as the true prophet of God to their "vicious obstinancy." In 720, Umar b. al-Khatab gave provincial instructions that the dhimmi's (jews and christians) would be "required to shave off their hair, wear lead or iron seals around their necks, disembark from their mules or horses when a muslim was present, look only at the feet of the muslim as he passed and to bind distinctive girdles around their waists so they could be distinguished from the moslems."
In 807, Caliph Haroen al-Rashid intoduced separate living quarters, mellah, and the wearing of a yellow badge. In 850, Caliph Al-Mutawkkil ordered the destruction of all the houses of worship built after the coming of Islam and the confiscation of one tenth of the houses. All the large buildings were rebuilt into mosques.
Al Jahiz, an early Arab author, observed in the ninth century that the Moslems looked down on the Jews more than Christians and therefore Jews deserved more punsihment. According to Al-Jahiz, this attitude was determined by the low economic and social status of the Jews; "The Jews heresy is the greatest of all since they are the filthiest of nations."
This anti semtism and blatant hatred of Jews worsened of course, during the years of the Crusades in 1096 and through out the middle ages.
As for your final comment that "people only blow things up when there are genuine problems" how do you explain Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi and their non-violent approach to oppressive circumstances? How do you explain the hundreds of other revolutions and protests that are performed throughout history without using the suicide bomb?
PLEASE DO SOME MORE READING ON THIS SUBJECT BEFORE YOU SPREAD ANYMORE MISONFORMATION.
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27 - Ashok
I agree with Victor. It is the responsibility of every party involved (directly or otherwise) to help Pqlestineans and Lebanese build a viable economy. But when I said US and Israel take the initiative, that was because these two are the countries that end up suffering the most if the problem is not solved. It is in their best interest to show willingness to do something different. I mean, Israel (and by extension, US) must have been spending billions of dollars of tax payers' money in the current war -- at least part of that money could have been used to build a proper economy in Palestine or Lebanon over the next few years, don't you think? It's the same argument that you used against Hezbollah and Hamas.
I am not really trying to take sides here. I am neither a Jew nor an Arab muslim. But, as an outsider, it baffles me that none of the parties are willing to do something different to resolve the crisis, especially when the current policies, pursued over the last 60 years or so, haven't been that much successful.
28 - candye kane
I also agree with victor and ashok that new thinking needs to be utilized to solve this problem, if there really is such a solution. I dont agree that Israel or the USA should be spending money to build proper economies in palestine and lebanon. It is these countries responsibilities to elect officials who will spend the money on their respective countries and not line their own pockets with riches while blaming others for their misfortune. My whole blog was about how the palestinian authority was given millions and arafat became rich while his people starved.
As long as suicide bombing is part of the protest idealogy, this problem can never be solved.
29 - immy
if Condi Rice is half the Women everyone says she is she should start negotiations by asking that everyone give back any hostages that they have taken ( so the three soldiers go back to their homes in the plush suburbs of occupied palestine...sorry i forgot we are now all calling it Isreal and the thousands of men, women and children held by the Isreali's can go back to their families.)
Please condi make things happen, dont go over there at tax payers expence and talk the same bu**sh*t that so often comes out ure mouth.
30 - janst
give more money to these groups or so called ellected groups. its been done so many times its a joke. everytime there is some peace plane the poor palestinians and others ask for money to rebuild and what do they do - they re arm and the leaders become well travelled media jokers. come on - this time it must be stamped out at the root - Syria and Iran - we all know it.
31 - gazelle
CK :
you quote but without source extremely biased info, which needs serious correction.
I suggest you expose yourself to somewhat neutral rather than incriminating history.
just try wikipedia articles for starters...
~ Islam & Judaism
~ Islam & other religions
~ History of the Jews in Muslim Lands
....[eg see spain, ottomans ... ]
PS: The jews were not persecuted by all, always, as the succession roman, christian, muslim in your quote implies. in this regard, the anne frank foundation is not a reliable historical source for this subject.
Also in #16 you do not mention that palestinians were dispossessed of land by the incoming jews, and many of whom are still in refugee camps after 50 years.
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