Ive been keeping very quiet about the Israel/Palestine situation, because my feelings on it are quite complex and do not fit easily into either polarized side of the issue. But heres where I must say something. Yes, its true that given the nature and history of the place that religion is tied so tightly to the politics of the region. At the same time, this is a political matter overall. This is about land, its about history, its about borders, its about rights and sovereignty. Yes, religion is a part of all of that. But the conversation is about Israel and Palestine. Except that it is now, extremely violently, becoming about Jew and Muslim. I take no issue with anyones opinions, or even the right to protest and rally - I may not agree, and I dont have to agree, and you dont have to agree with me. But these protests particularly in Europe right now, that are now leading to religious attacks, shouts of gas the Jews, defacing of synagogues, destroying shops owned by Jews - they are indefensible. Just as any shouts of death to Muslims and destruction of Mosques and Muslim-owned shops are indefensible. To attack, to denigrate, to call for destruction of an entire religion over this dispute is 2-dimensional at best, and sickening at worst. At its most basic, it denies the fact that (SHOCKING I KNOW) not all Jews agree with the actions of the Israeli government, and not all Muslims agree with the actions of Hamas. Believe it or not, being a member of a faith does not mean all members agree on everything, especially when it comes to politics. These protests and attacks not only make this basic error, but do so in a way that only leads to more fear, more blood, and more death. It is not helping anyone on any side of this issue - it is simply feeding a deadly monster, pushing any ideal of basic tolerance and acceptance further away, and raising the already nauseating body count. Im not saying that some of the protests based purely in the politics havent crossed lines as well. But the extent to which these religious attacks have laid a foundation for continued hatred can not be understated. Im not arguing pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian with these thoughts. I am simply arguing AGAINST the current outbreak of religiously-targeted violence. I am arguing that those who rightly decried the attacking of mosques in the face of 9/11 join together to decry the attacks on synagogues in France and the like. Because, similarly, they have NOTHING TO DO with the conflict at hand. They do not make a point or make a political stand. They only hurt innocents and breed more hate. Hate only breeds hate, destruction breeds destruction, and it all reduces and denies fundamental humanity.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 17:37:26 +0000
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