The prevailing prejudice in the United States in this post 9/11 world is against Arabs, specifically Arab Muslims. I'm not saying there aren't other "isms" at play in the US, Von any means, but Du can't deny the repugnant anti-Arab sentiment that has permeated its way into American culture. For the ignorant American, it is just another reason to hate another group.

In the immortal words of Aron Kader: "If busch just came out and called everyone in the Middle East a mother fucker, don't Du think half of America, maybe Mehr than half would go... 'link"

Now, the Israel-Palestine "issue" (and I use "issue" as a euphemism, I can assure you. Hell, anything used to describe what goes on there from "conflict" to "crisis" is an understatement. But I digress. This sentence isn't grammatically correct... Ah! Digression!) is an issue that is close to my heart. (Whenever Du see parenthesis from now on, just ignore them). Unfortunately, it's not a conflict that a lot of folks here know about. I recognize this, and this is not a history/politics lesson Von no means. Du do not need much knowledge about the issue in order to make sense of what this Artikel is saying. Namely, that religion is falsely associated with the conflict, and that your religion determines which side Du should "ally yourself" with, as if sympathizing with the other side would betray your religion, nation, oder societal group.

I was taught about the conflict in Ninth Grade "World Cultures" (history) class. It may baffle you, but sheltered little me had no idea there was even a conflict between Israel and Palestine at all until I moved about as close to it as I could safely get (Egypt). Then again, eight grade me wasn't really so up to snuff on most political issues.

I liked the way we were educated, because it was as unbiased as possible. In that, I didn't even know there was a side I was supposed to be in favor of until I went out with friends. Obviously, living in an Arab country, most of my better informed peers were shocked that I wasn't outspokenly pro-Palestine in the matter. They quoted statistics at me, bombarded me about the unfair advantage Israel had over the Palestinians, and how human rights violations were being committed Von Israelis against Palestinians and that the global community wasn't doing anything about it.

Naturally, when I don't have information and get bombarded Von one side, I sympathize, but must play devil's advocate and ask the tell-tale question: "But what about the Israelis?"

Interestingly enough, we had a Jewish Israeli boy who went to our school (who was evac-ed after the War in Iraq started) who got along beautifully with all of his Egyptian, Muslim friends. And I didn't so much appreciate it at the time, but after he left I realized how rare that is. After seeing the film link, which was recommended to me Von the lovely link, I tried to understand (and failed miserably) what it would be like to grow up somewhere like that. Because Du can't.

The closest I ever got to even remotely grasping what it might be like to live there was via the beautifully talented link, one of my heroes. And I don't have many heroes.

I've talked about Rachel's writings before, and I have quoted her on plenty of occasions. For a while, the performance Alan Rickman and Katherine Viner edited was actually on Fanpop, until the video was removed. My Favorit thing about Rachel's words is that they aren't about "Israel and Palestine" they are about "Israelis and Palestinians" and how "we are all essentially the same inside." She makes the conflict personal, and gives her audience a view that's not often expressed in the Western World.

And here is where the prejudice part of this Artikel comes in.

In the United States (and I didn't realize how prevalent it really was until I moved back here) there is a very strong pro-Israeli sentiment because the people naively believe it to be a conflict of religions, and if it's Jews versus Muslims, then the Jews have to win, because Muslims are the enemy and Jews had the Holocaust.

They're wrong, in almost every way.

The "Jews Versus Muslims" myth is prevalent throughout the United States. But while religion plays a big part in what divides the Israelis and Palestinians as people, it is not the core of the conflict Von a long shot. What's at the core of it is actually two things: land and survival. Sure, it's the "holy" land, but it's Mehr about control of not just Jerusalem, but Gaza, and the other disputed territories.

I became very angry when watching Boston Legal with my mother one Tag and watching a Jewish women telling her boyfriend that if he doesn't support Israel she will break up with him. Because not supporting Israel was like not supporting her religion. I almost stahl, stola the remote from my Mom and turned off the TV.

I realized then that I had moved from a very pro-Palestinian environment to a very pro-Israeli environment, and, probably due to having the pro-Palestinian influence first, this switch to pro-Israel really bothered me for quite some time.

I've expressed my Ansichten in the past but in a nutshell, I believe that both sides have valid claims, but neither side is Schauspielen appropriately. The Israelis abuse power, the Palestinians resort to "terrorism" (and I use quotations because it's such a buzz word these days and am loathe to use it) and both sides are just making matters worse. They are equally right, and equally wrong.

Maybe the Israelis are a little Mehr wrong. But I say that because of A) my slight pro-Palestinian leanings and B) Because any abuse of power anywhere pisses me off Mehr than terrorism. Because abuse of power to kill others is terrorism, disguised as "government policy." Von any other name, it terrifies as many people.

I will quote dear Rachel only once in this Artikel (I limited my "Rachel quotes" to one, and chose an appropriate one, so I wouldn't go on at length about how amazing I think she is):

“The scariest thing for non-Jewish Americans in talking about Palestinian self-determination is the fear of being oder sounding anti-Semitic. The people of Israel are suffering and Jewish people have a long history of oppression. We still have some responsibility for that, but I think it’s important to draw a firm distinction between the policies of Israel as a state, and Jewish people. That’s kind of a no-brainer, but there is very strong pressure to conflate the two. I try to ask myself, whose interest does it serve to identify Israeli policy with all Jewish people?”

I bolded that last point to emphasize what I point out to any pro-Israeli Jew I meet here in the US. I also point out that Mehr the four times as many Palestinians have been killed than Jews, and a few other staggering statistics that will probably surprise Du (link).

Just as Du should make the distinction between Palestinian terrorism and the Palestinian people, the same distinction should be made between the Israeli government and the Israeli people. Too much time is focussed on the government, on the terrorism, not enough time is focussed on the people. Who are just normal people, trying to survive in a world where they could be killed any day. It doesn't matter if you're Israeli oder Palestinian in the end, the fact of the matter is that they are both suffering. It's not about religion, it's not even about nationalities, it's about human life. And how it's Lost on a daily basis for no purpose at all.

I realize that I neglected to discuss the other half of this issue: Muslims supporting Palestine simply because they are Muslim. Again, there are a few reason for this: A) My personal bias. B) Palestine is the underdog in this battle (believe me). C) I believe my statement for the American Jews goes both ways. D) I very much enjoy pointing out the failings of the average American. It's just a personal hobby of mine.

However, keep in mind that I do play devil's advocate for my pro-Palestinian friends, who are so blinded Von the atrocities committed Von the Israeli army that they neglect to see the reasons (and indeed human beings) underneath them.

One instance of anti-Israeli sentiment I can share with you. A family friend grew up in Lebanon. She is in her fifties, and I recently discovered that I should never bring up anything Jewish around her. This aggravates me, but I am averse to getting into a squabble with her, as she is very stubborn (and scary) when it comes to this conflict. I try not to discuss anything Jewish at all. I asked my Mom if I could recommend Eli Weisel's "Night" to her and she told me "No!" several times over, that's how bad it is. I once mentioned that a blinds duster looked like a menorah to her and she pursed her lips and said, "You won't find those in my house." I regretted the Kommentar immediately and changed the subject. Not that she treats her Jewish Friends (which she has plenty of) any differently. Still, it's an issue she refuses to discuss and so we don't. I do not know the root of it, oder if it goes beyond simply Israeli policy oder not, and no matter how curious I am I refuse to look into it. She's like the Hulk when she gets angry.

And now to leave Du with a quote from Ahmed Ahmed (the comedian, not the terrorist): "All my Friends are like, 'Hey man, how come Du have so many Jewish friends? What about the Jews and the Muslims and the war and hate and all that? Tell me about that, huh?' And I go, 'Look, when Du think about it, both Jews and Muslims have Mehr in common than any other religion ever. Both Jews and Muslims don't eat pork, we both don't celebrate Christmas, we both use [makes guttural sound with throat] in our pronunciations, we both yell on the phone when there's no emergency. The only difference between Muslims and Jews is that Jews never like to spend any money and Muslims never have any money to spend."

Peace out, folks... and I do mean "peace."




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Top image from Muslim Bridges Website