30 May 2011

Some Further thoughts on Pinkwashing

When I posted on Saturday about the problem of pink-washing, I expected something of a reaction. Now, I’ve never lived nor even visited our neighbor to the southwest (if for no other reason than that it is illegal for me to do so; my personal opinions do not matter on this) and, frankly, I have no particular opinion for good or bad on the subject of gay rights inside Israel. It doesn’t especially matter to me.

What I do have rather strong opinions on, however, is the use of gay rights here and elsewhere in the region as an excuse.

What many people, including some of the commentators here as well as people quoted in the original CNN piece, seem to do is to create a dichotomy of two choices for Arab LGBT people. The choice isn’t between liberation and the closet in their minds: it is between either supporting foreign military occupation and intervention and brutal secular dictatorships or supporting harshly anti-gay regimes.

That is the choice proposed by those who I accuse of pinkwashing Assad (and Mubarak and Netanyahu and George Bush and Saddam). They give us the ‘choice’ of gay rights achieved only by denying entire peoples of their right to choose to live as they want. Their supposition is that the only way to protect ‘gay rights’ in the Middle East is by denying whole sectors of the population autonomy and basic liberties. Either support gay rights by defending brutality or unite with the oppressive evils of your wicked and damned society.

I reject that. I reject the notions that lie behind these thoughts, that westerners know what is best for the Arabs, better than any Arab does; that my culture and my religion are made up of evil and wicked people who are nothing but vile brutes who can only be constrained by force; that the Arabs are not ‘ready’ for democracy.

I reject being used as an alibi for those who would echo the words of Kipling and consider us as ‘new-caught, sullen peoples, half-devil and half-child.’ That sort of imperialist thought was wrong then and wrong now. We are not asking, "Why brought he us from bondage, our loved Egyptian night?" We are not savoring oppression.

Quite the opposite in fact. I’ve spoken to many LGBT people who actually live here and I do not hear them clamoring any more loudly for the White Man to lift our burdens than do our hetero-friends and families. We don’t want to be used as fodder for hatred by those who hate our societies. We want to be free.

And, most importantly, we actually believe in our people.

We don’t see things as being an either/or choice: it isn’t a choice between supporting dictatorship or giving up on rights for ourselves as LGBT people. We see things much more hopefully. We see our struggle as fighting homophobia in our own societies as though there were no dictators or military occupations and as fighting against dictatorship and occupation as though there were no homophobia. We want to win both struggles.

And, we believe, that when we win freedom from dictatorship and occupation, we will not have things easy; we know that. Then, we must not cease from struggle. In a free Syria, we will still struggle to change society but we will not repeat the mistake of the past, the mistake common to everyone from Allenby to Assad to Saddam to Nasser to Ben Gurion to Netanyahu to George Bush to Ousama Bin Laden and on to everyone who accepts the hopelessness of the pink-washers’ narrative:

We will believe in the Arab people and believe that change doesn’t come at the barrel of a gun or on the heel of a boot. Change comes from persuading others.

That is what we will do; I for one am willing to stake my life and my freedom on the wisdom of the people of Syria.

28 comments:

M G said...

I support you Amina, I like reading you, your thoughts, your anger, your faith. I wish you a lot of courage and my thoughts everyday are for you and the people in Syria.

Maeva, from France.

JC said...

Indeed we do want to win both struggles, the one for gay rights, sexual liberation, and human liberation AND the one to be free from war, occupation, and dictatorships of all varieties. That is exactly why the issue of gay rights cannot be removed from the wider politics of the region for us gay Arabs who are struggling for universal and complete freedom.

Freedom for gays, women, minorities etc cannot exist and be successfully fought for and won in the midst of the strangulation of basic freedoms, be it through occupation, war or the absolute denial of democracy.

Islam and the Arab World were very diverse and tolerant in the centuries before the Middle East was carved up by the world's colonial powers in the 20th Century. The Middle East, at a time when the West and Europe were extremely sexually conservative, was by contrast very relaxed and fluid in terms of the kinds of experiences one could find and observe.

My point is that the Arab and Islamic World is not inherently homophobic, nor is the Western World now or when it was at the height of its policing of "public morality" and crackdown on homosexuals. Speaking about societies as monoliths that are inherently backward or repressive is to misunderstand the workings of power, and is also to resort to racist stereotypes that negate the diversity present in all of these societies.

Elizabeth said...

Fantastic post, Amina. I think your faith in your people is exactly what sets you apart from the other people quoted in that CNN story and from the "pinkwashers" of oppression and tyranny of any kind. The acceptance of LGBT people needs to come from the people and not be dictated by authoritarian regimes in order for it to really matter. The same applies to women's rights.

We can accept that there are differences in the advances the LGBT rights movement made in different countries, but these differences must never be used to justify oppression or occupation.

Anonymous said...

Tnx a lot for your contribute, as always :)
I'd like to publish a translation in italian on a website i write on, can I write u an email somewhere in private? u can write me at lilix@insiberia.net - please don't publish my email :)
sorry I was forgetting.. my name's lalli.
Tnk u again 4 your work, amina!

Veganovich said...

Amina,

You claim to have “no particular opinion for good or bad on the subject of gay rights inside Israel. It doesn’t especially matter to me.” But to the extent that you have an opinion on the situation of Palestinians, it should matter.

You previously posted that you believe the Palestinians should be able to return to their ancestral homes in Israel. But given that gays are so much freer in Israel than in any Arab country, if you considered the rights of gays in Israel, you might understand why gay Israelis would not support a resolution of the conflict that results in millions of Palestinians moving to Israel. It is the same reason that Pim Fortuyn who was gay, concerned about the prospect of Muslims moving to the Netherlands. To expect gay Israelis to support the “right of return” is essentially to expect people to support their own oppression.

I suspect that the reason you chose to have “no particular opinion … on the subject of gay rights inside Israel” is simply to avoid cognitive dissonance. If you believe I am wrong, I am curious why you chose not to have an opinion about gay rights in Israel, but not other issues that pertain to Israel.

cprincess said...

You know -all this opinion on gay rights/treatment in the arab world versus Israel is truly making my head spin and as 'Im sort of 'late to the party here' as Ive been out of town and so remiss in my blog posting/comments and ranting- forgive me while I catch up!
There are aspects of this that remind me of a lesbian friend here in the states asking my father who grew up in war time England how gays and lesbians were treated in war time England to which he replied ' we were at war- British cities were being bombed,people were dying,food was rationed etc etc-in other words,who the hell would be demanding to know how gay and lesbians were being treated when the whole population was being terrorized and were united against a common enemy?….
Obviously Amina is gay -it is who she is so it is reflected in her writing and it is something that the regime can use against her but in many ways it has nothing to do with the arab spring..
Arab societies are generally conservative and so not condoning overt homosexuality would be part of that in the same way that women in most of the middle east are subjugated and the most depressing thing is that the current generation of young women almost seems to welcome it…. by the way -this is not only in the middle east-look at the chipping away of women's reproductive rights here in the US by the evangelical christians… it all adds up to the same thing….
The CNN piece was ridiculous-this battle for freedom spreading across the middle east is being propelled by all arabs -obviously there are some variations -Syria is interesting in that it seems that the middle class are still not participating presumably from either fear of the regime or fear of what they will get…

To Veganovich regarding Pim Fortuyn….
He was concerned about 'the prospect of muslims moving the the Netherlands because of their anti gay views' was he?…no he was concerned because he was a xenon phobic racist who didn't want any more 'foreigners' in his country..
Regarding Israels treatment of gay and lesbians -yes I will agree that they are in line with most western countries- but I am extremely surprised to hear that gay Israelis would not support a resolution of the conflict because of the palestinians right of return -I don't believe most of them think about it in that context-unless they are a gay religious settler!!
Amina -presumably you have a US passport-may I suggest you take a trip to 'Disneyland' at some point-might be interesting for you and to be quite frank- if you can blog through a revolution whats the big deal with one little illegal trip??
JC is right about arab societies are not inherently homophobic-in my experience of the Islamic world and arab societies -discretion is the key…
Finally-as Ive said before- traditional palestinian society is secular- just shows what people will do when they are desperate including vote for Hamas-a political party with the extreme conservative religious views that they have little in common with...

Mithliya min Sham said...

Veganovich, I presume from your handle that you are a vegan and are concerned about such issues. At the risk of invoking Godwin's Law, let me point out that you utterly miss the point.
Consider someone who is concerned about promoting vegetarianism and restricting smoking. Both of those were personal crusades of Mr Hitler. Should a vegetarian identify with Hitler on that basis? Certainly, the third reich promoted the idea that, while Hitler, Franco and Mussolini were non-smoking health enthusiasts, their opposition, as led by Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt, was made up of heavy smoking, hard drinking and unhealthy people. So, using your logic, someone committed to health issues should have aligned with the Axis in the Second World War.

Does that analogy seem silly? Of course.

The point is this: whether or not Israel has wonderful gay rights policies is absolutely irrelevant to the issue of whether or not it oppresses Palestinians. To claim otherwise is to offer excuses for oppression in the name of gay rights and to actually oppose freedom and democracy.

Rights are not a zero-sum game and using gay people as an excuse for war and oppression (or for religious discrimination as your Dutch heroes do) is wrong, just as it was wrong to posit public health concerns (or for that matter, animal rights, another 'issue' advocated by the Nazis as an argument for killing Jews) as reason for supporting oppression.

Israel may be a wonderful place for gay Jews; clearly, it is not so wonderful when seen from the perspective of Palestinians, whatever their sexuality may be.

Your comments on this blog have shown consistently an abiding hatred for all Arabs, gay, straight and otherwise, as well as a near pathological hatred of Islam, so doubtless this too will pass right over your head.

JC said...

Well said, Mithliya min Sham! ;)

Anony said...

Veganovich

The main flaw in what you say, regardless of what Amina thinks, is that the Palestinians by and large don't see the right of return as truly returning to their 1948 homes.
They just expect a recognition in their suffering (Israel's PM - "We're sorry") and a financial compensation, along with a full or partial withdrawal of Israel to the 1967 borders.

The majority understands that Israel can't possibly accept a flood of millions of poor immigrants into its borders, and this was reflected in all peace talks since 2005.

Give them some credit. They aren't retards.

Veganovich said...

Mithliya min Sham,

Gay Israelis have reason to fear the “right of return” because the Palestinians who would return would undoubtedly oppose gay rights. Similarly, liberal Israelis who care about free speech, freedom of religion and free press have reason to fear Palestinians moving to Israel because they would undoubtedly undermine those values. There is not a single Arab county in which you will find freedoms of religion, speech or press.

Your absurd analogy to WWII suggests a certain lack of knowledge of history. Although Hitler personally was a vegetarian and did not smoke, neither smoking nor eating meat had anything to do with Nazi ideology. The Axis powers were not fighting for their right not to eat meat or not to smoke. Many Israelis who oppose the “right of return” are in fact motivated by a desire to maintain the individual rights that are non-existent in Arab countries.

You claim that “whether or not Israel has wonderful gay rights policies is absolutely irrelevant to the issue of whether or not it oppresses Palestinians.” This is because you are concerned about the situation of Palestinians but not of Israelis who do not want the character of their country to be altered as it would in the event of the “right of return.” The unfortunate plight of the Palestinians comes about because of the demand for the “right of return” and their willingness to engage in violence to assert that right. Without the demand for the “right of return,” there would have been a Palestinian state and the conflict could be resolved.

Although you claim I hate Arabs, your definition of hatred seems to be one who notices the truth. You want people not to notice that no Arab countries have the freedoms that Israelis have, because it undermines your claims. Your claim that anyone who objects to the illiberal values that seems to correlate to Islamic religious belief has “a near pathological hatred of Islam” is without basis. Beliefs should be no more immune from criticism because they are allegedly from god than if they do not have a religious basis.

Claiming that someone who disagrees with you is motivated by “a near pathological hatred of Islam” is similar to many Israelis who claim that everyone who disagrees with them is motivated by antisemitism. It is a way of attacking the person who makes the statement to avoid the content of the statement.

Veganovich said...

Anony,

You claim that “the Palestinians … don't see the right of return as truly returning to their 1948 homes. They just expect a recognition in their suffering … and a financial compensation, along with a full or partial withdrawal of Israel to the 1967 borders.”

That is true for some, but polls consistently show that a significant majority feel otherwise.

Other than Sari Nusseibeh, it is hard to find a high profile Palestinian who publically stated that Palestinians should not insist on the “right of return.”

Anony said...

Veganovich

Look at this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine_Papers#Refugees

The PA agreed to give up on the right of return, though you're right that wasn't publicly admitted.

Anyhow, as long as Hamas controls Gaza I admit it's quite a stretch to say most Palestinians are willing to give up on the RoR as a physical return, which is essentially equal to them choosing to continue the bloodshed.

cprincess said...

"Veganovich said…
Gay Israelis have reason to fear the “right of return” because the Palestinians who would return would undoubtedly oppose gay rights. Similarly, liberal Israelis who care about free speech, freedom of religion and free press have reason to fear Palestinians moving to Israel because they would undoubtedly undermine those values. There is not a single Arab county in which you will find freedoms of religion, speech or press…."

…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Veganovich- is this your opinion?
Liberal Israeli's are not the problem just as the average Palestinian is not the problem…The liberals in Israel for the most part would gladly give land for peace and do not agree with the religious settlers and their fanatical belief that it is their right to settle the West Bank just as the vast majority of Palestinians do not agree with Hamas…the reason they were voted in in Gaza was just sheer desperation at Fatah…

lilaait said...

Hello,

I am a journalist, right now based in Belgium. With French collegues, I contribute to this website : www.ir7al.info
I read about you on the internet and I was wondering if you would be interested in an interview, about what's happening in Syria right now and to talk about the protests and work of young Syrians.


Would you be available? How can we reach you? Please write me back at : lila.aitabdesselam@student.uclouvain.be

Best regards,

Lila Ait

akkadia said...

Dear Veganovich,

There are plenty of individuals and groups within Israeli society that reject homosexuality and display homophobic habits.

You are being dishonest about the character of Israeli society if you believe everyone accepts and supports gay rights. Official same-sex marriage is not officially sanctioned and orthodox Jewish communities will marry gay men to gay women as heterosexuals to "cure" them of their so-called "disease."

There is still significant violence targeting LGBT community in Israel, including the 2009 Tel Aviv gay center shooting, which was described as a total bloodbath. You are idealizing Israeli society in order to create a false narrative of cultural contamination if the Palestinians ever become free citizens in a single state.

You see, in a truly pluralistic, democratic, free society people are allowed to disagree - and when Palestinians become full citizens - Israelis will have to learn to live with them, even if they are at variance with a some of their views.

That's democracy. And in case you didn't get the news flash, they, the Arabs, the Palestinians, are ready for democracy, and always have been.

The only democracy Israelis have been ready for is one predicated on sanguinary conquest and military occupation.

You also mention: "The unfortunate plight of the Palestinians comes about because of the demand for the “right of return” and their willingness to engage in violence to assert that right."

Please take a good hard look in the mirror if you are an Israeli/zionist. Could you please tell me how many Israelis have been killed this year in the conflict? and good, could you also kindly relay to me the number of Palestinians killed? is it proportional? in a way that would reflect an equal fight or commensurate power dynamic between the two?

Could you also remind me of how many Palestinians Israel's military killed in Operation Cast Iron.

Let me help:

1,300+ Palestinians, the majority of which were innocent civilians, including hundreds of children.

and....

13 Israelis, the majority of which were combatants.

I believe Israelis are nonpareil in their ability to assert their "rights" through violence - i.e. state sanction violence. The Israeli state will sanction the right to kill any Palestinian man, woman or child at random before it will officially sanction gay marriage.

yanti said...

Once again this blog has become about Palestine. Not about human rights in Syria, not even about gay or human rights in Arab society. It has again descended into the usual pointless Israel/Palestine tete-a-tete. It appears to me as long as both these societies continue to bury their collective heads in the sand nothing will change and Amina's revolution will come to nothing (overthrowing Assad without a fundemental change in attitude will not achieve freedom). Israelis will continue to see Arab society as 'backward' and Arabs will continue to refuse to recognise that Israel can have anything at all positive to offer in the Middle East. (Even my heroine Amina, the voice of reason, demonstrates a clear reluctance to do so) You people need to learn RESPECT for each other. Is Palestine really the only issue in the Middle East? It appears to me that for some of you this really is the case and for others it is just a feeble excuse for maintaining the status quo.

Veganovich said...

Akkadia,

I never wrote that everyone in Israel “accepts and supports gay rights.” What I wrote is that gay Israelis have vastly more freedom in Israel than they would have in a predominantly Palestinian state. Unless you care to dispute that, it’s hard to deny that gay Israelis who would accept the “right of return” would be supporting their own oppression.

You are correct that in a “truly pluralistic, democratic, free society people are allowed to disagree.” But what gay Israelis would fear from the “right of return” is not that Palestinians who “return” will disagree with their lifestyle, but that they might support the implementation of laws that deprive gays of rights that they currently have.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_Palestinian_territories

Finally you claim that “the Arabs, the Palestinians, are ready for democracy, and always have been.” Your claim that the Arabs “always have been,” is completely disconnected from reality. There has never been an Arab democracy. As to the current situation, while there might be countries that will have elections and majority rule, there is not much support for individual rights. I do not believe that a majority should have the right to force its will on the minority.

Almost every Arab state declares Islam the official religion and has laws that proscribe punishment for apostasy. You will not find many of the supporters of “democracy” in the Arab world being too concerned about that. In Egypt, gays as well as Coptic Christians, Bahai and secularists will do much worse now that Mubarak is gone. In Syria, which is religiously more moderate, they will do a little better.

I do not think that a state should be based on religion or ethnicity. I think that it is wrong that Israel is defined as a Jewish state. I think the “Law of Return” should be repealed and all laws that require religious clerics to have a role in personal status such as marriage and divorce. But it allowing for the “right of return” would simply result in replacing a Jewish state with a Muslim state.

Anonymous said...

> akkadia

"That's democracy. And in case you didn't get the news flash, they, the Arabs, the Palestinians, are ready for democracy, and always have been."

NEWSFLASH:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatah%E2%80%93Hamas_conflict

The Palestinians had elections which resulted in both parties killing each other.
If you call that ready, I call you ignorant.

Troll Killer said...

You guys would do well to ignore the troll who signs himself as Veganovich. He's an angry ex-Haredi who has abandoned God but is still devoted to the innate superiority of Jews. See his comments here:
http://daashedyot.blogspot.com/2007/05/showing-their-true-colors.html

There's a word for this kind of person: a racist pure and simple.
You'll never win a debate with him anymore than with a member of the Ku Klux Klan or the Nazi Party as he's a hardcore racist.

Amina, maybe you should simply ban him?

JC said...

Why do I keep coming back to this thread?! I guess I can't turn my back on a challenge. And there is a need to challenge when the truth is distorted or blithely discarded.

Anonymous - a further news flash for you: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread339773/pg

The US, with the full backing of Israel, did everything in their power to engineer a civil war between Fateh and Hamas, precisely so the latter would be smashed out of existence and the Palestinian people left weak and divided yet again. They funded and armed the likes of Dahlan in Fateh to kill and abduct members of Hamas. I am not letting Hamas off the hook, they also did terrible things, and I’m not a personal fan of either party but I wouldn’t equate them these days either. Hamas were freely and fairly elected (as verified by outside observers) by the majority of Palestinians, and for this reason they needed to be destroyed.

I have this argument a lot with a very close friend of mine - who is Israeli as it happens. He always blames me for putting responsibility on the wider forces and powers meddling in the region, implying that I don’t put any responsibility on the local individuals or parties involved or on the regimes themselves. Of course I explain to him that it’s not that I’m letting “our” people off the hook, and only blaming the ‘West’, but that in any society across the world, there will be willing, corrupt people who are all too ready to do the bidding of those who ultimately have the power. And it is THEIR power that is primarily responsible for the mess our region is in now.

If, contrary to what has always happened when the Palestinians show strength or independence, Hamas had been left alone following its election victory, we might have been in a very different place. But now they have reconciled, at least formally. We’ll see how Netanyahu talks his way out of a “peace” deal this time… there is no partner after all…right?

http://www.newstatesman.com/middle-east/2010/11/israel-chomsky-obama

Micah said...

Troll Killer-

Exactly which of Veganovich's comments do you find racist?Simply disagreeing doesn't make someone racist.

Further, how are his beliefs so different than what others believe?

To call him a 'hardcore racist' without definitive proof is disingenuous, at the very least.

Troll Killer said...

Micah, follow the link. Veganovich clearly believes in the innate genetic superiority of Jews.
Where I come from (North Carolina for what it is worth), that is known as racism pure and simple. It's no different than the Kluxers or the Nazis, just a different name for the 'superior group'.

Veganovich said...

“Troll killer,”

The desire to ban the expression of views that you disagree with shows that you are rather closed-mindedness. Aren’t you ever curious about why others have views that differ from your own?

Moreover, the refusal to allow oneself exposure to opposing viewpoints is the strongest indictment of one’s beliefs. That you claim that “[y]ou'll never win a debate with … a member of the Ku Klux Klan or the Nazi Party” certainly indicates your lack of confidence that you could defend your own beliefs in an intellectually coherent manner.

Separately, you completely misrepresent what I wrote. However, what I wrote elsewhere is completely unrelated to this blog. Raising off topic issues is one of the definitions of trolling. But disagreeing with you does not make one a troll.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)

Troll Killer said...

So you evade the point which is your avowed belief in the genetic superiority of Jews as a race (and quite distinct from the religion which you have left). Do you deny that, Veganovich?
It seems to be the position which informs virtually every single one of your comments on this blog, that not all men are created equal and that some are inherently endowed with more rights than others, based solely on their genetic heritage.
Do you deny that you believe Jews are inherently superior to other human beings?
Do you disavow all your comments here and elsewhere that would appear to be based on that notion?

Micah said...

I believe you are misinterpreting what you are reading.

A friend once noted that asking if Jews are 'smarter' than everyone else is like asking if African Americans are better athletes than other Americans or if Asians excel at math over other groups.

The real question is 'why'. How and why do groups succeed beyond median. Since we are talking about Jews, let's address that.

The evidence speaks for itself. The real question, is why Jews are smarter. There are of course, many theories. Some point to genetics, others point to culture. Yet others see the Jewish achievement as a combination of factors, giving no added weight to culture or genetics. Let’s examine that.

The case for superior genetics is pretty easy to make. The smart Christian kid became a priest, or, if she ‘heard the call,’ became a nun- and that was that. The smart Jewish kid married the Rabbi’s daughter and produced more smart kids- and that was that.

From a cultural standpoint, there is an equally easy connection that can be made. Even in the most religious of households, Jews had to read and write in at least two languages, Hebrew and the ‘language of the land.’ In addition, Jews were obligated to participate in the welfare the community- not just their own, but the community of which the were a part. While many people have referred to the Jews as ‘clannish,’ the facts clearly indicate otherwise. As a group, Jews give more charity per capita than any other group. Various studies have concluded that most charity is given to make the donor feel good. Jews, on the other hand, historically give money because it’s the right thing to do. Within that community, there is a whole subculture of anonymous giving.

It is to that subculture I wish to look. There is much that can be learned. We can start by the world we live in and how we see ourselves within that world. That idea is not as clear as one might think.

We are told that our world can be looked at in one of two ways. We either focus and concern ourselves with personal productivity, managing the information we have, or we look to gather as much information as possible, from as many sources as possible, before we direct our attention to the task at hand.

To be clear, these are not ethereal ideas. This battle of ideas has been picked up by Microsoft and Google. They are slugging it out and the winner will have a huge impact on society and culture as we know it.

Microsoft’s desktop search engine focuses on personal productivity. It searches your hard drive for whatever it is you might need. They believe that web search results mixed in with your own work are too cumbersome and unwieldy. Too much information, from too many sources, only serves to slow productivity down.

Google search engines not only search your hard drive, but the web and email as well. They believe that having as much knowledge as possible at your fingertips is really enhanced connectivity- and that connectivity, shared, is all empowering.

What does all that have to do with the Jews? Everything. They are the embodiment of both those schools of thought- and they have the track record to prove it. Personal productivity and shared connectivity, amongst themselves and the human efforts to excel and achieve.

The Jews, it seems, understand that what is on the menu aren’t the only things that can come out of the kitchen. With those same ingredients and a bit of creativity, we can expand our choices. We are not limited to what we are offered- or taught.

That may be the lesson we can learn from the Jews- that success and achievement are components, a recipe which we can all put to use.
cont'd

Micah said...

In other words, maybe the Jews aren’t really smarter than us, IQ tests notwithstanding. Maybe it is because Jews, as culture and as part of their faith, accept as dogma certain truths, despite having seemingly opposite foundations. For example, they are as committed to justice as they are to education. They are as committed to helping others as they are committed to God. They commit to personal and communal truths, each in equal measure.

Success is the result of individual effort, initiative and productivity. Knowledge is the result of that connectivity. When fused together, they make for a powerful culture- and belief structure.

What is their secret? How do they know? We can only guess. Still, there must be a recipe. The Jews are the only people that have survived from antiquity.

Doesn’t get much clearer than that. It is also true that we know the Jews because they know themselves. They have not wiped the memory of their history, faith or culture from their collective minds. They have assimilated- and yet they have managed to retain their identity- an identity clearly tied to the past and an unshakable set of values. They remember the joys and the tragedies, as if they happened yesterday.

As the French playwright and philosopher, Moliere said, “The less we are like our ancestors, the less we deserve them.”

The Arab (Muslim) world has been robbed of their legacy by tyrants and dictators spanning a millenium. A once great ummah with a glorious history has been reduced to a shell of what it once was. Does that make the Arab world inferior? No, it only highlights how important it is for the ummah to shed themselves of the anchor of tyranny,

This isn't about DNA, genetics or anything else.

This is about choices. You can blame Israel, Jews, America or little green men from outer space. Or, you can choose freedom and what unites democracies.

Micah said...

TK

Small world.

I'm from NC as well.

Veganovich said...

“Troll Killer”

Although you claim that I believe “some are inherently endowed with more rights than others, based solely on their genetic heritage,” you will not be able to find a single instance in which I write that.

What I did write is that people with liberal values will have their freedoms threatened by the “right of return” which would cause the society in which they reside to not share those values. At no point did I ever suggest that values are genetic rather than cultural. Thus your claim that my purported belief that the “genetic superiority of Jews as a race … informs virtually every single one of [my] comments” is completely false.

Moreover, at no point did I ever suggest that “Jews are inherently superior to other human beings.” Jews are one of many ethnic groups that do better academically and in intellectual fields than other groups. It is certainly possible that this is due to genetic predisposition. Intelligence is clearly partly inherited and there is no scientific reason that different ethnic groups would be equally likely to have genes that relate to intelligence. (Or height, gregariousness, or any other trait.)

However, I never indicated that one’s worth is determined by how smart one is. It is you that inferred that from what I wrote. Given that you believe one’s worth is based on how smart one is, wouldn’t you have to believe that the only way there could be equal rights for all individuals would be if all individuals are equally intelligent?

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