I speak to you on what's relevant don't care if its to my detriment, I'm not innocent though in my heart's recesses I follow the heaven-sent help to guide me to find my element Lord help me be eloquent cuz I can't always express the pressure of feeling crushed under this white elephant I wannabe a benefit in time a better friend to mankind our people need to regain their pride we need a hero to stand behind and like the rest of you I'm just waiting in line rappers try to boast and show they got the most but the only thing I got awaiting me is a hellfire roast unless I beg to the One who is merciful Most and amend myself at the source to follow His prescribed course my life's been caught up in a hoax trapped between genuine folks and playing the devil's host at times I wanna coast and just leave what's near noise from the land of beer and queers too close for my ear so I gotta move to the next hemisphere and find a peer one who can hear what I gotta say together we can pray hoping to find a better way together we better stay creating tomorrow as a better day words of pain to her I hope I never say together we bow, exchanging vows nervously for my girl I'll span the world for her to see and lower my coat of armor out of courtesy cuz for her I'll take damage purposely but its just a vision in the distance I foresee until the day I step out of who I am and become who I'm really supposed to be not who I'm forced to be cuz society throws its notes at me like it wants me to study on how to tongue-in-cheek live by slogans for the meek, well talk is cheap unlike Jesus I can't turn the other cheek I'd rather get like Michael Jackson and beat it it's not my time to be defeated, your silly games - I leave it
The battle within rages on questioning if my spiritual wage is gone its hard to go on when shaytan is your stylist at the salon I need to get my salah on 'stead of conducting this baton time to get dressed close these buttons become obsessed with Islaam, continue serving my mom and lecture my people to put down the bombs we can get like Dhul Qarnayn and conquer the plain only if we're sane and alleviate the peoples' pain I'm sayin, we gotta form a plan this is a demand liberate what is possessed by your right hand and be firm in your stand, certain that you made the right choice if you speak the truth you don't need a loud voice still don't be stoic, your frustration we know it I'm advocating my generation to make some noise but remain poise don't be a toy soldier, soldier boy be bolder so we can lift this boulder off our shoulders don't let them mold us so we fear them when they scold us they can no longer ignore us my lyrics round-house kick 'em like Chuck Norris and when they try to purge and scourge us may God forge us strong when war is upon us keep your eyes on the prize cuz its gorgeous angels in heaven they gorge us anything else given is a plus the onus of change, it's on us its the theme of the rhymes I bust abandon the life of lust for something robust in due time you'll realize you must never forget, in God we trust.
Upon hearing of the release of the recent film Notorious, a biopic of the iconic East-coast rapper Christopher Wallace (better known as "the Notorious B.I.G,") I came upon an astonishing realization that never occurred to me before - why hasn't there been a biopic of Tupac Shakur!? Though 2pac has had plenty of documentaries filmed about his life, there has yet to be a Hollywood production that recognizes the impact this man has had on urban America, and even the global urban youth community. Not to discredit Biggie, but I would argue that Tupac has inspired more artists (and has been a bigger cultural influence in general) after his passing than Biggie has, and if you disagree with that statement, here's a few more that you cannot dispute: Tupac is the #1 selling rap artist in history and has more posthumous material released than he had released during his lifetime! Even 10 years after his passing, new Tupac material and buried tracks were coming to light. Tupac has had a greater reach and audience than Biggie has by virtue of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation for the Arts alone, let alone his music, poetry, and films. He is credited to have been a very big influence on some of today's biggest artists and recording acts including The Outlawz, Snoop Dogg, Nas, TLC, DMX, Ja Rule, Eminem, Bone Thugs N' Harmony, Treach (from Naughty By Nature) and many others. He is probably the only rapper in history to have classes about his life being taught at colleges; Harvard University among them, one of America's finest Ivy League universities. He was a controversial visionary, but nonetheless, an outspoken leader. He was notoriously instrumental in instigating the fabled "East-West coast war" which ultimately claimed his own life as well as the life of then friend-turned-enemy Notorious B.I.G.
Tupac is often brushed aside for embracing (and really popularizing) the "thug" image which so many rappers after him tried to emulate but never really understood what it stood for. Tupac said that "ThugLife" really stood for "The Hate U Gave Little Infants F@*!$ Everybody" and really wanted to show what the tough inner-city life in the ghetto does to people who survive and live to tell about it. He wanted to expose what he considered as society's hypocrisy in trying to conceal the harsh realities of ghetto life yet remain complacent about what really goes on, as he defines in his own words in these interviews below.
Tupac is known as many things. Many people only remember him for his controversy and the portrayal showcased in the media but what they often pass over is the softer side, the intelligent and caring side, the philosophical side, the side of leadership and passion that was in him. I do believe that if Tupac made it out of the entertainment industry he could have followed in the footsteps of the great African American leaders within his community. But unfortunately his life, dreams, and message were cut short at the age of 25, but forever immortalized through his music for future generations to take inspiration from. Tupac once said, "I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world."
This is a first for a U.S President, indeed many new "firsts" for any administration in American history, and it's only been a week since he took office! I think Obama's got the right idea though. America's real security comes from being clear about who we befriend and who we take issue with. Bush's ideology only served to alienate the Muslim world further and provided room for dissidents to grow sympathy for Al-Qaeda and other terrorist networks by America's reckless foreign policy. By being clear about who the enemy is, Obama draws a clear distinction between who a real Muslim is and who is not. America needs to restore its global integrity and this most certainly is a step in the right direction. I think this interview was well overdue and will be well-received by the Muslim world, God-willing.
I was listening to Lupe Fiasco's song "Little Weapon" from the album The Cool [great album by the way] and I was reminded about the conflicts around the world where little children get drawn into the wars started by adults and sadly, often become civilian targets of these conflicts. But what I realized was that the saddest aspect of this is when the children themselves become the foot-soldiers and grow up to become the next generation of monsters and terrorists killing hundreds of more innocents and breeding more of their kind from what remains of the onslaught. These children don't have any childhood, all they see is death and murder all around them so how are they expected to grow up normally? Many of these children are unimaginably poor and have no other way out of their misery than to be slaves of their masters who force them to do whatever.
I immediately drew a parallel to the situation in Gaza and how the Israeli government's argument that Hamas is forcing collective punishment on average Palestinians is totally baseless and erroneous. It's been said by many Palestinian interviewees and commentators that after the Gaza assault, everyone had become Hamas. Terrorism only breeds more terrorism, and when a band of terrorists attack a civilian compound, and the government in return disproportionately kills thousands of more civilians, how is this not seen as a recipe for disaster? So what did Israel accomplish? Only in creating more support for Hamas and radicalization of those who had just enough to live for so they wouldn't have to resort to desperation. When whole families have been wiped out, job facilities and infrastructure are destroyed, mosques and schools are desecrated and the only way for food, energy, water, and medical supplies are being blockaded and consequently bombarded - what else would a sane, rational person do but to fight against the madness that restricts all of their basic human rights?
And that is speaking of the adults alone. Something like 60+% of Gaza's population is below the age of 25! A good portion of that percentage is below 18 clearly and the violence they see around them only fuels in them the rage to continue losing whatever else they have in the fight against their oppressors. And so, when Israel occupies Palestine and angry youth protest, strike back and kill innocent Israelis with Qassam rockets, and when Israel responds by collective bombardment and mass-slaughter, the otherwise innocent child sees his father killed, his brother being humiliated, his sister raped, his mother dying, his classmates dead, his school bombed, his family starving and jobless. We need to ask the question, if these conditions inspire adults to radicalize, how much more so do they affect children? How traumatizing is it for them?
For each terrorist that terrorism creates by indiscriminate killing, the otherwise normal surviving family and friends are given the choice - after losing everything, either die in subjugation or fight with all that's left, even if it is only yourself. What would you do?
And thus, the cycle of violence continues onto the next generation...
They told them don't speak out it must be sworn as the crazies in the studios swept up a storm they push their views like it was the norm but you could tell the announcers inside are torn you see they want you thinking you were divinely born to the exclusion of other races giving faces full of scorn investigate a little and to the truth be drawn though you know its wrong you turn a deaf ear and light up a bong drown out the voices of conscience to a song the lyrics of which make you contemplate the thong on the beach of Tel Aviv you never heard the Qur'an you just zone out cuz its not your people in the pain and hurt living insane, view from the plane you only see the dirt
Don't be asinine about your governments' crimes in Palestine 60 years of occupation is too long a time descendant of the twelve tribes the time-line of your reign was divine but now you had your time now you gotta grow a spine put it to rest and intertwine, dummy drivin around in your humvee knowin that on the other side your cousins are livin crumby with no food in their tummy while you're soakin up sun on an afternoon that is sunny bodies wrapped up in cloth like mummies how much they get away with man, it ain't funny lookin lovely on a date with your hubby wake up next day brain kinda fuzzy from the bubbly while Palestinians pray, finding solace in the words of their nabi
"God is with the patient" is their anthem while roaming ghosts towns children with frowns passing fantoms the IDF still continues to shell and tank 'em "Kill first and let God rank 'em" the words of a man at the rank of commander, his name is Krauss destroyed the whole town no need to thank him, its on the house thinks he's strong until the resistance proves him wrong got cold feet like a salamander they smack a wanker and blow up his tanker forced, "retreat!" they plead left children to bleed got blood up to their knees but still they beg at the feet of the bankers for cash the ones in Washington who collect from the tax-payer's ass supplying them their weapons stash focus the masses on the new year's bash try to keep it hush, no fuss, so they pay the crap-layers cash to hide the facts and the acts of the slayers still giving the axe to the slayer, whispering "shock & awe" their fatal flaw - they forgot that God is greater!
Playa I get on wax to attack the crap of a sooth-sayer Anti-Christ, predicting doom for my nation but never contemplating his own assassination by a man who is brown like a Haitian temptation keeps them astray that's his mission he divides the nations like nuclear fission until a man comes along to unite them all with clear vision you see its an inequation cuz Jesus is missing here's to the mahdi's appearance I'm wishing forces of good, mortal kombat on that ass fatality "FINISH HIM" quick with sin til the sun rise from the West and finish them Judgment Day's here to stay but in vain we'll pray to be taken away from sinners' bay and rejoice with those who profit from the prophets on winners' day homie don't play, sometimes I can't believe the things I say Lord take me away from all that's twisted and gay make my earthly life a righteous stay and to Paradise show me a way" Ameen I say while praying over your hearts my words hold sway.
This was the first movie I saw as I child with my classmates on a class trip. I think it was around 1991 or '92. I've loved this movie ever since but at the time I had a crush on this girl in my class in the 4th grade and I was always so shy around her. It was the first time I had such a crush and thought that I was really in love for the first time LOL! When I saw this movie I naturally saw myself as "the beast" and her as the beauty lol. I remember thinking I wanted to be like Gaston hahaha. Man, innocence is awesome! Even to this day, this movie is still amazing and this is probably the best prologue I've ever seen in an animated film or any film for that matter. Props to Disney! Sorry folks, I get nostalgic every now and then.
In light of the recent and on-going holocaust in Gaza, I'm reminded back to the time of the 2nd Intifada in 2000 when I was still a university student. Like many others, we couldn't stand idly in the face of massacres like what happened at Jenin, Nablus, and other Palestinian towns. This was also around the time that the War on Terror took its front to Afghanistan and shortly afterwards, into Iraq. It just seemed like where ever Muslims lived, my people, was where all the carnage took place; all getting killed due to guilt by association. The numbers show of the extreme loss of innocent civilian life ever since the beginning of this war, and though I am for the end of terrorism and supporting the fight against it, it is naivety not to question whether the war is actually eradicating terrorism, nevermind breeding it. What is terrorism? What is imperialism? And more importantly, what was the link between the two? These questions have weighed on my mind for some time.
It is now 2009, and its been eight years since the beginning of this war and God only knows how much longer it will last. How many more people will get killed? Where will this war take the world as a community? There is talk of attacking Pakistan and Iran, which leaves only the Arab league, Africa, and Indonesia as the only Muslim nations that have yet to be dragged into this war. The West has repeatedly said this is only a war on terror and not Islam or Muslims, but for the Muslims, they seem to be the victims of bombing from within (via terrorism) and without.
Indeed, it feels like the Crusades and Holocaust all over again.
And yet, when the young blood is fired up by the death-tolls and injustice that is plagued by the Muslim world, the world doesn't seem to care or at least even realize that its policies are the reason for extremism and fanatical rage against wide-scale oppression. For in truth, no Muslim country has actually declared war on the West for it to be bombing and killing so many of their citizens. When a populace is attacked (such as Afghanistan, Pakistan) or occupied (such as Iraq and Palestine) it generally has a right to fight back as we too would fight back here in the U.S if another country took its front onto our shores while bombing and occupying us. The cause to fight may be legitimate but the methods are absolutely wrong - suicide terrorism or any other form of guerilla-warfare is not an internationally-sanctioned form of resistance. But unfortunately we see so much of this type of resistance in the Muslim world because many of their own rulers and governments are not taking action against their own injustice. Puppet rulers and regimes turn a deaf ear to the needs and demands of their own people so local militias and grass-roots resistance movements, with their limited resources and whatever ill-weaponry they might have, take it upon themselves to go to war to force change.
This severe power imbalance is the real reason behind the phenomenon of terrorism in the 21st century. For we see that America and the Soviet Union followed a policy of deterrence precisely because of their weapons and the fear of wide-spread destruction at the use of them. Power acts as a deterrent to war but at the same time upscales the risks. If two nations at odds with each other had only a pile of stones to hurl at one another the cost of damage is not nearly the same as two nations with nuclear weapons - a powerful opponent always makes us think twice before transgressing against them. And so now that America has taken the stage as the world's leading superpower (since the Cold War,) other nations have taken a backseat to power. This is most pronounced in the Muslim world itself where some of its nations border on tributary relations with the U.S for fear of abandonment, regime-change, or whatever reasons they might have.
The unjust oppression, genocide, and occupation of Palestine is a real problem because Israel is being backed by the world's leading superpowers - constantly violating UN resolutions on this matter. If Israel can amend its policy towards the Palestinians, end their illegal occupation and make reparations then this would be a huge step towards not only regional peace but global as well. If not, America must remove its support of Israel in its wanton destruction of a defenseless population of people and see reality for what it is. For without a doubt, The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a major source and symbol of tyranny and power-abuse within our times, and other such oppressed populations around the world take example from it, and like the Palestinians who literally have nothing to fight back with, take to suicide terrorism and other unholy forms of resistance that are shunned by the international community. These extremists take to fighting their own governments and even their own people, let alone the powers that be. This I contend is due to the power imbalance between the West and the Muslim world (where 95+% of all terrorism and extremist resistance is occurring.) If nations are in-fact being oppressed and/or attacked, they have every right to fight back, but since they do not have the proper means to fight they resort to the desperation tactics we see everyday on the news. So what is the solution? Do we just give them the necessary arms to fight out there battles legitimately or do we work on ending the oppressive policies that subjugate other cultures through education and awareness? I certainly endorse the latter.
Being a nuclear power in a war against a defenseless, 3rd-world refugee camp, Israel must realize that had the tables been turned, it too would fear a Palestinian superpower if all it had was stones and rockets to defend itself against a fictional Palestinian occupation of Israel. But pumping weapons into Palestine is not the answer either, it is ending the occupation, sanctions, and blockade of the Palestinians and allowing them to form their own state - with the right to defend itself, by having a national guard, just as it is Israel's right to do so.
But the world is far from equalizing the imbalance of power among nations and predictably a good portion of the 21st century will continue to see terrorist-resistance movements across the globe unless governments take a serious look at their own policies, make amendments and implement true democracy while improving conditions of the 3rd world rather than exploiting them and avoid taking unnecessary interest in the affairs of other nations. If ever there was a Libertarian principle, and a slogan for freedom and autonomy that must be implemented (instead of being mere catch-phrases,) it would be "live and let live!"
And so, going back to the time of the 2nd Intifada, I recall my heart feeling heavy with all the sadness death and injustice brings, and I was listening to Tupac's song "They Don't Give a F*@! About Us" and felt like this was the anthem of the Muslim world in our times, especially the people of Palestine and Iraq. Sadly, today, eight years later, this feeling has returned and once again Tupac is playing on my speakers....
"Y'all ain't never just tripped and pictured And just looked at the whole situation Cause once you look at it You know (Once you really do)
They don't give a fuck about us They don't give a fuck about us They don't give a fuck about us
If I choose to ride Thuggin' till the day I die Nobody gives a fuck about us But when I start to rise A hero in their childrens' eyes Now they give a fuck about us
[Tupac]
Some say niggaz is hard headed cause we love to trip Equipped with game so we bang wit this thuggish shit I see you trying to hide Hoping that nobody don't notice You must always remember you're still a member of the hopeless See ya black like me So you snap like me When these devils try to plot Trap our young black seeds Look it Cops are as crooked as the niggas they chasin' Lookin' for role models Our father figures is baseless Some say they expect Illuminati take my body to sleep Niggas at the party with they shotties Just as rowdy as me Before I flee computer chips I gotta deal wit brothas flippin I don't see no devils bleedin' Only black blood drippin We can change Whatcha now say? I'm watchin niggaz work their lives out without pay (huh) Whatever it takes to switch places wit the bustas on top I'm bustin' shots make the world stop They don't give a fuck about us
[Chorus]
And if I choose to ride Thuggin' till the day I die (Nobody) Cause they don't give a fuck about us But when I start to rise A hero in they childrens' eyes Now they give a fuck about us And if I choose to ride Thuggin' till the day I die Nobody gives a fuck about us But when I start to rise A hero in they childrens' eyes Now they give a fuck about us
[EDI]
It's the morning after and now all the laughter is gone Time to reflect on what you did cause they saying you wrong I'm sure you had your reasons dawg I don't doubt you See the simple fact of the matter is they don't give a fuck about you Or them five mouths you're forced to feed (uh-huh) Not including yourself All you want is what they're perceiving as greed So as you loaded up that mack and continue to buck em I was on paper Thinking they don't give a fuck about us
[Tupac]
I'm seeing it clearer Hating the picture in the mirror They claim we inferior So why the fuck these devils fear ya? I'm watching my nation die genocide the cause Expect a blood bath The aftermath is y'alls I told ya last album, we need help cause we dying Give us a chance, help us advance cause we trying Ignored my whole plea, watching us in disgust And then they beg when my guns bust They don't give a fuck about us
[Chorus x2]
Now if I choose to ride Thuggin' till the day I die Nobody gives a fuck about us But when I start to rise A hero in they childrens' eyes Now they give a fuck about us
[Kastro]
Now all my homies got love for me Down to catch a slug for me Guaranteed to bleed deeply Now that's love Shit Nobody else would give a fuck If I'm tore down, from the floor down Six-feet deep in the cut What the fuck done went wrong How long will I be mourned? When I'm gone, same song Ain't gave a fuck all along And who am I to blame em? Just do or die through the rainin' Since they don't give a fuck I don't Fear what I'm saying
[Kadafi]
Now thug niggaz die but multiply in doubles Wrapped in plastic Or closed casket for our troubles Pressed in times We busted like bubbles With the police This nation be sent here to run you Now look at what this crooked world has come to I grew up on the other side of perfect, a life of hurtin' Man I still hustle, so I'm dyin certain So why spend your time poor and working? I see no reason So I stay ballin' season to season While you stuck thinking that they give a fuck
[Napolean]
You tell me my world is in peace, but nigga your lying Cause half of my niggas, long gone, buried in the dirt just for trying Sometimes I think my block is dying And that it's awful To wake up to another day, shit ain't change that's awful I wake up sweatin, dreamin, coughin Seein' me upside down backwards head twisted While I'm layin in the coffin The shit comes around so often So tell me something Before I take it out on the world, and get to dumpin' Nigga I been so through pain go through the struggle Doin the same thing you did at my age and that's hustlin On the edge of straight bustin' Well since you don't give a fuck and you frontin I'ma drink my Hennessey like it ain't nothin
[Outro x2]
Now if I choose to ride, thuggin' till the day I die They don't give a fuck about us While I'm kickin rhymes, getting to their children's minds Now they give a fuck about us
They wanna see us die, they kick us every time we try They don't give a fuck about us So while I'm getting high, I'm watching as the world goes by Cause they don't give a fuck about us"
This is the speech that made me love Ron Paul. Too bad we got the second best candidate for president in Obama. Dr. Paul, you are a true patriot. Wish he could play a bigger role in the new administration...
Delivered: May 22nd, 2007 at the House of Representatives
700+ Palestinians dead (including roughly 200+ children and 100 women,) 5 Israelis and a dog - casualties are expected to rise.
These are the latest stats from the results of Israel's assault on Gaza which began on December 27th, 2008. Israel vows to deal a permanent and lasting blow to Hamas but fails to see that the surviving civilians who have now lost everything of value to them - their families, relatives, friends, livelihood, and economy, have all the more reason to lose their lives in the fight against Israel. If ever there was a graduation ceremony for Hamas, it is after an Israeli bombing.
Somehow, Israel has managed to convince the world of the logic behind not speaking to terrorists (for fear of legitimizing them) vs. legitimizing collective punishment upon a whole population of people while killing hundreds of innocent civilians in the process. Are words more valuable than human life? I think not. And to the Zionists who claim exclusive right to the land. Do you not believe that Adam was made in God's image? Was the land made for his descendants or were they made for the land? Is a piece of land more important to God or the value of human life?
As if megaton death from the skies wasn't bad enough, Palestine is plagued by a second type of bomb - that of the Settler movement. In relative times of "peace and quiet," Zionist settlers (not to be confused with peaceful Jewish Israelis) harass and often attack civilian Palestinians behind the scenes, who are just going about their ways within their own homeland in the West Bank. In case the world has forgotten, this is an occupation afterall. And in an occupation you have two parties: the occupiers and the occupied. As for the occupiers, let's call them "the masters" and for the occupied, "the slaves." Now, the typical master-slave bond involves many commands, often against the will of the slaves, that produce benefit and/or pleasure to the master at the cost to the slave(s). If the master is upset about something, he takes it out on the slave. The slave, being powerless, usually takes the punishment knowing there is little to be gained from retaliation - that is, if he is even thinking of retaliating. You see, for the slave, retaliation is only the fledgling psyche of one who has not yet accepted his fate of subjugation at the hands of his master; that is to say, one who still holds desperately unto his fleeting identity and self-respect. Nevertheless, after enough abuse, the slaves usually come to lose their own self-identity and totally immerse themselves in the pleasure of their master - no longer caring of principle but rather the fear of punishment has taken over. Skipping over history's many vivid examples of this paradigm, we see this as the case with the Israeli "masters" and the Palestinian "slaves" - the irony of course, being that the Jews themselves were once slaves under Egyptian masters. The Palestinians, however, have not yet forgotten who they are. Their self-identity is very much alive and dare I say, ever-so defined and emboldened with each successive crack of the Zionist "whip." Usually punishment keeps the slaves in check, but this time its not working.
The master is clearly not catching on this time.
And so, because of their zealous right to self-determination, the Palestinians, the slaves, not only think of retaliating, but have made it their very purpose in life. Afterall, what have they got to lose? Their fellow people are all in the same boat, some more severely beaten than others, but even as the master lays down his whip for a brief moment of calm, this "calm" itself is only a quietude enjoyed by the master himself. If he goes around telling his friends that things are quiet down in the slave den it doesn't mean that its actually the case. His friends might praise his generosity and example because they too understand that the slaves have accepted the state (no pun-intended.) However, this "calm" is actually the time of rage for the slaves since anger is best expressed while the whip is down, not while being lashed upon.
The same is true for the Palestinians.
Ceasefires and truces only act as show for Israel's friends that he knows how to put down the whip. This does not change the underlying dynamics of power imbalance that cause the rage within the Palestinians to stir up in the first place - that is, in being enslaved - which is exactly what this occupation has done to them. So while the whip is down, Israel's friends are shocked when a Palestinian will use this time to end his own slavery by attacking his oppressive master. *Gasps!* Does this at all sound familiar to us? Israelites in Egypt? Race-riots in Alabama? Apartheid in South Africa? - Does it ring a bell? And yet, this slavery continues without a rational understanding of the dynamics behind it despite the fact that history has repeated itself in this matter many times before. So is it wrong for the slave to kill the master's wife? Perhaps. But it is equally wrong to enslave, humiliate, kill, beat, and rape the slaves and their families for entire generations and take everything of value from them as well. With power comes responsibility, and the onus of change lies with the powerful before the weak, if responsibility has any meaning. Sadly, this realization is often only experienced while being at the other end of the whip so-to-speak. Pain is a great teacher and unfortunately the cost of human life had to show us that pain and power do not change a mindset of a people. Afterall, pain's greatest lesson is to run away from the source of pain, not go towards it - which is the opposite of what needs to be done in the Middle East. There needs to be a coming together, just as healing results from sealing the gash in a wound, so too do the Israelis and Palestinians have a need to come together and seal the gash, not run away from it because of pain.
I want to leave you with an article by an American Rabbi, Rabbi Michael Lerner and his thoughts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And I must say, he truly is a voice of reason, well-balanced and fair, within what has become a sea of insanity. It is people like him that we need, people on both sides of the argument to come forward with decent, balanced proposals and above all, good-will for both parties.
Israel's attempt to wipe out Hamas is understandable, but stupid.
Sure, no country in the world is going to ignore the provocation of rockets being launched from neighboring territory day after day. If Mexico had a group of anti-imperialists bombing Texas, imagine how long it would take for America to mobilize a counterattack. Israel has every right to respond.
But the kind of response matters.
Killing 500 Palestinians and wounding 2,500 others (at the time of writing) is disproportionate. And just as Hamas's indiscriminate bombing of population centers is a crime against humanity, so too is Israel's killing of civilians (at least 130 so far, not to mention the thousands in the years of the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza).
Before Israel’s massive bombing, the Hamas bombings that began when the previous ceasefire ran out had not (thank God) killed anyone. The reason is obvious: Hamas has no airplanes, no tanks, nothing more than the weapons of the powerless—limited range mortars with limited accuracy.
Hamas can harass, but it cannot pose any threat to the existence of Israel.
On the other hand, any understanding of the situation must also include acknowledgment of the stress faced by Israelis living under the constant threat of terrorism, to which the katyusha bombings, however ineffective militarily, contribute massively. Living under constant threat of attack, plus hearing the leader of Iran talk about wiping Israel off the map, is a background condition that shapes Israelis' ability to be so insensitive to the human damage they have caused through their occupation.
Conversely, the ongoing trauma of expulsion and the occupation has contributed to the ongoing ethical insensitivity of many Palestinians to the suffering that they cause Israelis by engaging in attacks against civilians.
In short, compassion on both sides is a desperate necessity.
Hamas had respected the previously negotiated ceasefire except when Israel used it as cover to make assassination raids. Hamas argued that these raids were hardly a manifestation of a ceasefire, and so as symbolic protest would allow the release of rocket fire (usually hitting no targets).
But when the issue of continuing the ceasefire came up, Hamas wanted a guarantee that these assassination raids would stop. And it asked for more. With hundreds of thousands of Palestinians facing acute malnutrition bordering on starvation, Hamas insisted that the borders be opened to counter Israeli attempts to starve the Gazans into submission. And in return for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, it asks for the release of a thousand Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
Hamas has made it clear that it would accept the terms of the Saudi Arabian peace initiative, though it would never formally recognize Israel. It would live peacefully in a two-state arrangement, but it would never acknowledge Israel’s “right to exist.” This position is unnecessarily provocative and represents deep self-destructiveness on the part of some Palestinians, who believe that this failure to acknowledge Israel’s rights is the only symbolic weapon they have left.
Similarly, there are members of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, who say that they will never accept anything less than the total expulsion ("transfer") of all Palestinians to neighboring Arab states.
So what does Israel really seek? Probably it hopes to make Hamas so powerless that it loses the election against Fatah, and then the Palestinian Authority. It hopes the PA, itself deeply weakened by Israel's ongoing occupation, might negotiate a peace treaty that creates a "Palestinian state" that is actually a series of cantons or little separated city-states that are themselves cut off from each other by Israeli roads and military—in short a Palestinian state that will be neither economically nor politically viable. Then Israel can claim to have "given" the Palestinians "what they want," and meanwhile Israel will retain its settlements throughout the West Bank and continue de facto control.
Yet this will not generate long-term peace, but only a temporary rest in the fighting. Only a fully just settlement that allows Palestinians a real state that incorporates all of the West Bank and Gaza (with minor border modifications) and that provides real compensation for Palestinian refugees, and a state created in a spirit of generosity and genuine caring on the part of Israel, will end the violence and provide Israel with lasting safety.
Let me be clear. I hate Hamas and everything it stands for. I want to see it defeated. But that defeat can only happen politically through isolation, not militarily through slaughter.
The way to defeat Hamas is through meeting the legitimate needs of the Palestinian people and doing so in a spirit of genuine caring, in which the Jews of the world and the Israeli people show that they recognize Palestinians as our brothers and sisters, made in God's image and as equally precious to God as the Jewish people.
It is Jews taking seriously our reliance on God and God's message that the world should be based on love, generosity, caring, kindness, and compassion. And it is a reversal of the reliance on power that has not brought Israel safety or security, and a trust in the fundamental decency of the majority of Palestinians. This is what it would mean for Jews to take seriously our own Judaism and manifest it in a Jewish state.
Israel still seeks to wipe out Hamas. But even if it killed every one of Hamas' 20,000 fighters in Gaza, it would not extinguish the impulse toward Islamic fundamentalism that Hamas represents. Surely Israelis by now know that killing only creates new generations of angry people who will be the next wave of terrorists.
How do we get out of this destructive spiral? The first step is for the world to demand an immediate ceasefire. That ceasefire should be imposed by the United Nations and backed unequivocally by America. Its terms must include the following:
— Hamas stops all firing of missiles, bombs or any other violent action originating from the West Bank or Gaza, and cooperates in actively jailing anyone from any faction that breaks this ceasefire.
— Israel stops all bombing, targeted assassinations or any other violent actions aimed at activists, militants or suspected terrorists in the West Bank or Gaza, and uses the full force of its army to prevent any further attacks on Palestinians.
— Israel opens the border with Gaza and allows free access to and from Israel, subject only to full search and seizure of any weapons. Israel allows free travel of food, gas, electricity, water and consumer goods and materials including from land, air and sea, subject only to full search and seizure of any weapons or materials typically used for weapons.
— Israel releases all Palestinians in detention and returns them to the West Bank or Gaza according to the choice of the detainees or prisoners. Hamas releases Gilad Shalit and anyone else being held by Palestinian forces.
— Both sides invite an international force to implement these agreements.
— Both sides agree to end teaching and/or advocacy of violence against the other side in and outside mosques, educational institutions and the media.
— This ceasefire would last for 20 years. NATO, the UN and the US all agree to enforce this agreement and impose severe sanctions in the event of any violations.
These steps would make a huge difference, isolate the most radical members of each side from the mainstream and make it possible to then begin negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians on a broader and deeper set of issues.
The basic condition for creating peace is to help each side feel "safe." A first and critical step is to speak in a language that is empathic toward the suffering of each people in a climate of discourse in which both sides' stories are heard and understood.
Yet Israel, as the militarily superior power, ought to take the first steps: Implementing a massive Marshall Plan in Gaza and in the West Bank to end poverty and unemployment, rebuilding infrastructure and encouraging investment, dismantling the settlements or making settlers become citizens of a Palestinian state, accepting 30,000 Palestinian refugees annually back into Israel for the next 30 years, apologizing for its role in the 1948 expulsions and offering to coordinate a worldwide compensation effort for all that Palestinians lost during the occupation and, finally, by recognizing a Palestinian state within borders already defined by the Geneva Accord of 2003.
This is the only way Israel will ever achieve security. It is the only way to permanently defeat Hamas and all extremists who wish to see endless war against Israel.
The most significant contribution the new Obama administration could make to Middle East peace would be to embrace a strategy that homeland security is best achieved not by military or economic domination but by generosity and caring for others. If this new way of thinking could become a serious part of US policy, it would have an immense impact on undermining the fearful consciousness of Israelis who still see the world more through the frame of the Holocaust and previous persecutions than through the frame of their actual present power in the world.
It breaks my heart to see the terrible suffering in Gaza and in Israel. As a religious Jew I find it all the worse, because under the guise of serving God, both Jews and Arabs are actually acting out their accumulated pain in ways that will generate future suffering.
And because it confirms to me how easy it is to pervert the loving message of Judaism into a message of hatred and domination. This is why I remain in mourning for the Jewish people, for Israel and for the world.
***Rabbi Michael Lerner is chief editor of Tikkun Magazine, a prominent Jewish critique of politics, culture and society in North America. Rabbi Lerner has published 11 books, most recently New York Times bestseller "The Left Hand of God," which was lauded by the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and numerous others.
As part of Al-Jazeera's "Witness" mini-series, this week Ayed is interviewed about his role in healing the psyche of Gaza via his work as a psychologist in his clinic. This is a very touching, eye-opening, and powerful documentary on the neglected development of the Palestinians. Gaza, like other war-torn parts of the world, suffer not only physical dangers and ailments but more so psychological illnesses resulting from trauma that prevent the full recovery of an injured person. The affects of the Israeli occupation on the minds of all Palestinians has left them with little motivation to continue living, when death and constant danger, difficulties, and deprivation have snatched the joy of life from them. Its no surprise that after losing everything of value to them, all they see is to lose themselves in fighting the occupation. Ayed is right, "Gaza is a place that needs a million psychologists." As a future therapist I couldn't agree more.
It's the end of an error - ah..era that is, the GWB. No, not the bridge (for those of you living in New York) but the 43rd President of the United States of America, the man, the Boss - George W. Bush. With just about two weeks left of his presidency, the world joins together to celebrate his final day in office and welcomes the new "change" in President-Elect Barack Obama. Americans rightfully got fed up of two terms of his presidency, that's eight whole years that culminated in: failed foreign policy, increased security problems, suspension of civil liberties, a failing war, and as a final gift - the worse economic crisis since The Great Depression. I can already hear the sigh of relief the moment Mr. Bush sets down from office on January 20th, 2009. Many will look to the years of his rule that provided us with a constant source of perplexment, anger, entertainment, and yes, comedy. The term "Bushism" was coined as a moment whenever the president would slip up during a press conference or during a speech that both gave the world a few laughs as well as minus points for America as a nation to be taken seriously as we once were. The hard work of 232 years of American presidency, heritage, and legacy - all "flushed down the drain" as some would put it, just within these eight years. And now, as free and democratic Americans, we finally get our chance, our moment to correct the blight that has stained and tarnished our name and image across the globe and set about correcting Mr. Bush's wrongs into red, white, and blue rights.
He's been called every insult you can think of in the book. A war-monger. A fascist. A redneck. An oil tycoon. A religious nut. A pimp. An imbecile. A crack-head. A hypocrite. A blind man. A neo-con. A thug. A war criminal, etc. Americans have laughed at him, foreigners have cursed him. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez calls him "the devil." Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinajad refers to him as a "bully" and he's even smoked weed with Harold & Kumar. Blunder after blunder, and lies upon lies have exposed him for what he is - lying, cheating, filthy scum. He set new lows for the office of presidency. He has had the lowest approval rating of any U.S president in history. His exit from office, from the view of the American people is a victory. But as for Mr. Bush, it is a sad, sad exit from his view....
But if we had to examine the cornerstone of the president's terms in office, it would have to be the War on Terror and his fight with Al-Qaeda. So we were lied to about Iraq, but it was true that Bin Laden was behind September the 11th, I mean the videos show him taking the credit for it, don't they? Come to think of it, Bin Laden hasn't released a new video for a very long time....Could he be dead? What if he died a few years back, and the videos that we saw during the presidential elections in 2004 were all just a hoax? What if it was all an elaborate plan by U.S Intelligence to cover up the fact that we actually defeated the Al-Qaeda leader many years ago, during the bombing raids of Tora Bora, but we still needed Bin Laden as a trump card to invade Iraq and all the other plans we had for the region? Was it all for oil? Democracy for the Middle East or only for oil rich countries? Al-Qaeda would be our convenient American Express card to do whatever the hell we wanted, where ever we chose to...but by killing the world's most notorious terrorist, we just shot ourselves in the foot now didn't we? We would need to continue the lie that he was still alive. For Bin Laden is most likely dead; if he was still here, why didn't he come out with a video when Obama won the election? When that Iraqi guy threw his shoes at Bush? If Bush can be globally humiliated by the image forever ingrained in the minds and hearts of this generation by having shoes thrown at him right before leaving office, it would be the absolute nail in the coffin for Al-Qaeda to make one last taunt at Bush before he steps down, essentially proving that he didn't accomplish anything during his eight years, right?
But what if we were wrong about President Bush all along? What if he really did accomplish his goals? What if Al-Qaeda is really, for all intents-and-purposes, non-existent? If Bin Laden really was killed in all this, it would mean that President Bush actually fulfilled his promise and protected our country and the world from this most heinous threat. But he couldn't just come out and say that, not after all the lies and fabrications - no, he would have to go along with the official story put out by the CIA. It would mean that, for the sake of our countries needs, no matter the ugly lies we would have to use, we would put it out there for the sake of our future needs and so, we went to Iraq, Afghanistan, and in Pakistan, all in the ruse of democracy but under the tables with the goal of securing much needed resources for our future so we can continue to rock the world for the next century or two. But the question is, who could possibly take the blame for all this? Who would bear the brunt of ire from the international community?
He was stupid, goofy, silly, simple, and above all - perfect for the job. Yes, President Bush would take the blame! The whole world would come to curse him, revile him; it worked perfectly - they think he's stupid, he makes "convenient" mistake after mistake, all the while we as a nation benefit in the background making a killing on the black market. Yes, now it all makes sense. He officially goes down in history as the worst president of the United States of America, and as a war-monger and a criminal. But what's the pay off? We receive billions upon billions from the War on Terror, resources beyond imagination, security stations set up all across the world - the stage has been set for America's new century and it is all thanks to President Bush's sacrifice- but the sad reality is, no one will ever know. The sad look in his eyes tells the tale of a man who gave up all he had for the sake of his country, and no one will understand him. But that was the secret mission given to him. That was his duty to his country, his final mission. Despite condemnation from the entire world, he had to turn his back on them and continued on for the sake of America, a lesser man would have been crushed with such a heavy burden. He swallowed his pride and honor, being cursed and spat at from all angles, with the weight of the world on his shoulders - only he was strong enough to bear such a blame. The taint of disgrace will follow him to his grave. Future generations will revile him, but he still did it all for us, he wanted to see us saved and free for the next century so that we can continue the example of democracy in the face of tyranny and evil. He sacrificed his life in office so that we could continue being the America the world depends on.
He was a true American soldier.
He was the dark knight,
he was the anti-hero we loved to hate,
he was a real hero, he was, a true....
....PATRIOT!
...or maybe I've just been playing too much Metal Gear Solid.
Starting off the year 2009 with Israel's assault on Gaza is a sad reminder of how people all across the Middle East are suffering under occupation and oppression and that the mutual violence has spared none - whether Muslim, Christian, or Jew. As I write these words, the ground offensive will see to the rise in the human cost of life on both sides, albeit disproportionate. Many people here in the West, due in large part to the heavily-controlled and selective news media in the U.S and to a lesser extent in the U.K, are unaware of the global opposition to the Zionist ruling regime in control of Israel presently. Whether surprisingly or not, this is so even amongst indigenous Israelis themselves. Local Human Rights watch groups (e.g - B'T Selem, Yesh Din) and international activists (International Solidarity Movement, Amnesty International, Red Cross) as well as others, speak out against the daily crimes and sub-human standard of living enforced on the Gazan population, as well as speaking out against the increasingly violent Settler-movement primarily taking place in the West Bank.
With Gaza's democratically elected ruling party, Hamas, being branded as a terrorist entity, Gaza itself has become an extension of Hamas and, at least in the eyes of the Israeli government, the entire region has become a breeding ground and base for Hamas and whatever terrorism that may entail. So we see that in times of relative calm within the region (or rather, as it is portrayed as "calm" at least by the Western media,) Hamas or some other local Palestinian militia will somehow decide its the right time to strike Israel and fire rockets into Southern Israel, guaranteeing at least reciprocal damage in return as well as in the superlative. Afterwhich, Israeli spokesmen will get on camera and remind us that the Palestinians are a bunch of crazed-loonies who are hell-bent on the destruction of Israel for no otherwise rational purpose. Some have postulated the underlying hatred for the Jews; that the Arabs have pent up rancor since the days of the 1948 and 1967 wars and are unwilling to accept defeat and recognize Israel's right to exist. This we are constantly reminded, and assured of as reality time and again. And the next time we see angry mobs of an entire populace of people we have to go fetch our scripts fed to us and recite to ourselves that the images we see are in fact, of a populace gone mad to no rational end and consequently the means to achieve that end (i.e - the end of Israel) are also somehow decontextualized and that the absolute fury of these madmen does not shy them away from even using stones to hurl at the Israeli "civil" law-enforcement. Somehow being fed the same thing over and again leads to nausea.
The view that Israel is actually the victim in this whole peace fiasco is thankfully, a minority perspective within the global worldview. Yet somehow, little more than 300+ million people still believe that a country funded billions of dollars every year, with the strongest military in the entire region, the latest in military weaponry and technology is at the mercy of a band of crazed stone-throwers and that this warrants the type of awesome "defense" that somehow throws the Palestinians back to (for lack of a better image) the Stone-Age. This, if anything, proves the power of media fueled by an even greater power within ourselves - that of denial. And if the Holocaust taught us anything it was that silence and denial can literally give the green-light to mass genocide. Sadly, history repeats itself. The Semites seem to have had a curse of enslavement and oppression upon them since days immemorial. The denial of the enslavement of the Israelites by the Pharoah in Egypt led God to send Moses (peace be upon him) to fight the oppressors and liberate His people. It was the denial of the genocide of the Jews by Hitler that led to the 2nd Semite Holocaust and now we are witnessing the 3rd Semite Holocaust in the oppression and abuse of the Palestinians (the neo-Israelites) by the new Pharoah "Israel," all thanks to denial. Thankfully however, God has answered the prayers of the oppressed yet again, and more and more awareness of the grave humanitarian crisis of the Palestinians is coming to light. The presence of Internationals within the Occupied Territories has reminded the world what denial and neglect really looks like and the reaction to truth is always the same: ridicule, vehement opposition, and finally acceptance.
For Israelis, the core issue is the Palestinians refusal to recognize Israel and their desire to extinguish the state. For the Palestinians the core issue is the occupation of their land and the injustice and grievances this has brought upon them. The truth, in fact, is that nearly the whole world recognizes Israel's right to exist, but not everyone agrees on recognizing its rulers. In other words, the Jews should have a homeland that they can live freely and happily in, but at who's expense and at what cost? This issue is critical simply because Israel's right to exist is not the same thing as Israel's right to be recognized. They must be understood as unequivocal, yet too often people get confused and mix them up. Palestinians, particularly Hamas, do not recognize Israel because it would legitimize their own occupation which no self-respecting body of people could ever agree to. If Israel's policy towards the Palestinians had a drastic change of heart and harmony between the two sides sprouted, one cannot see a reason to deny both recognizing Israel's right to existence as well as its right to be recognized as a sovereign nation, able to conduct trade with its neighbors, etc. But in the current state, asking Hamas to recognize Israel is the same as asking Israel to recognize Hamas - you cannot have one without the other. And until this happens it is very unlikely to see any real progression towards peace. (Christian Science Monitor)
The supporters of Israel, namely the U.S, Canada, and the U.K are continuously challenged as to why they continue their support. Detractors of Israel or rather, "Zionist Israel," namely, the rest of the world, ask why there cannot be a two-state solution, by default recognizing Israel's right to exist and at the same time, Palestine's. This view has also gained acceptance by Israel's supporters and even Israelis and Palestinians themselves. The main obstacle to this, of course, is the political belief of Zionism, which is a nationalism tied to the Zionists' religiosity as a form of geo-spirituality. A Zionist is not necessarily a Jew by default but one who supports the notion of supremacy of the Jewish people and the Holy Land as their historic home. As it has already been addressed, the latter part of the definition is agreed upon by the world community; that the Holy Land is in fact, part of the Jewish people's traditions and they have every right to live there so long as they are not exclusive to others, but its the first-half of the Zionist creed that poses particular problem. The notion that any race is superior to another is flat out wrong and a nation's merit should be decided by its actions and not a form of divine sanctioning of spiritual nepotism. With that said, the zealous Zionist settlers can be heard speaking and behaving in ways that would indicate race supremacy over the Palestinians. Combining this with a "divine" writ and right to the land, you have a permanent problem in a region that houses sanctity to the three Abrahamic faiths who cannot remain exclusive to one another despite the beliefs of the Zionists. So how do you share a pie - that all parties involved helped create - when the pie itself is hogged up as being exclusively the property of one party? The have-nots convincing the pie-holder is not (and has not) worked. However, if fellow party members can convince the pie-holders of their mistaken views then that is the way to go forward, and we see that has been the case with Jews themselves who speak out against Zionism as well.
In an open declaration from the Central Rabbinical Congress of the U.S and Canada, a list of prominent Rabbis across the nations unanimously declared Zionism as a threat to global peace and especially to world Jewry. They argue that creating a state for the Jews is against the will of God and the Torah and that in so doing the long awaited Messiah of the Jews is being delayed and this movement is angering God, among other things. The entire declaration can be read here:
As a matter of fact, there are many Orthodox Jews who speak of the illegitimacy of the current state of Israel and if anybody does not believe in its right to exist, it is not the Arabs who believe so, but the Jews themselves. Outspoken about this is the Jewish group, the Neturei Karta, who say that since the outset of Zionism during the late and early parts of the 19th and 20th centuries respectively, countless numbers of traditional, Torah-abiding, Rabbis have spoken against the idea of a uniformed nationalism or any kind of self-determination that would take the Jews out of divinely appointed exile. So we see that outside of the Jews themselves, there is no other group or nation against the idea of a national homeland for the Jews, but only against recognizing it in its current tyrannical form of state. The recourse to anti-Semitism as a defense for justifying Israeli assault against Palestinian aggression is miss-applied due to the prevalent notion of the lie that Arabs intrinsically hate Jews.
Below is an example of exposing the media's lies about the hatred between the Jews and the Arabs and how Orthodox Jews and Arabs get along fine and were received fairly well by none other than the so-called terrorist group Hezbollah. After Hezbollah's fight with Israel in 2006 and the aftermath of the destruction in Lebanon, several Rabbis from the U.S, Canada, Palestine, and the U.K wrote this letter to Sayyed Hasan Nasrullah, leader of Hezbollah, with a commiserating show of solidarity to the innocent victims of the Zionist regime:
February 19, 2008 To His Excellency Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah To the Distinguished People of Lebanon
Assalam Alaikum
May the Almighty's blessings be on all of you, your families, and all our esteemed brethren in Lebanon.
We speak to you as the voice and messengers of true Jewry — the Jewish people, true to the Almighty's Torah, from around the world.
Less than a month has passed since we have addressed an open letter to Dr. Al-Zahar, and the people of Gaza and the rest of Palestine.
In this letter, with the help of the Almighty, we expressed our hurt, sorrow and frustration in regard to the atrocities perpetrated by the wholly illegitimate (according to the laws of the Torah, the Jewish Law) state of "Israel."
We stated that we have addressed Dr. Al-Zahar personally to offer our condolences and commiserate with his loss. We further stated that in truth we should be offering our condolences to every family that has incurred a loss through this evil entity, the Zionist state of "Israel", but tragically the list of victims is daunting. What we should have stated is that we should personally write and personally visit each and every inhabitant of Gaza and the entire Palestine to express the feelings of our hearts and our entire being, our sorrow, felt at the suffering of this innocent nation at the hands of an entity that is declared, ruled, and sealed by the Holy Torah and our Rabbinical authorities, as totally forbidden.
Furthermore, all the Palestinian people, their relatives and offspring, spread out around the globe, must hear and feel our empathy, our support, our constant and intense prayers offered up to the Almighty, for them. For after all, we know that every one of these people has been deeply affected by the Zionist State.
Your Excellency, Sayyed Nasrallah, our feelings in regard to the people of Lebanon, are exactly the same.
We have heard you speak just recently at the funeral of the assassinated Mr. Imad Mughniyah and many times previously. Hence, we know that you and your organization are deeply aware that there is a distinct difference between Zionism and Judaism and that there is a large segment of Jewish people, whether in occupied Palestine or throughout the world, who are entirely opposed to Zionism and the state of "Israel".
Further, a delegation of our Rabbis were guests in your magnificent country of Lebanon, and were hosted by your organization, the Hezbollah. We were there to attend the Conference of the International Union of Parliamentarians for the Defense of the Palestinian Cause.
The respect and graciousness that was extended to our group was beyond exemplary. At that time, thanks to the Almighty, we had the opportunity to see and experience at first hand, the fact that the Arab and Muslim people despite their long-suffering at the hands of Zionism have not fallen prey to the influences of evil.
We were confronted with love and friendship wherever we turned. Concern for our comfort was the first priority of every individual, wherever we traveled throughout Lebanon. Only then, after these good people were assured of our well-being, were we shown the suffering that they have incurred through the Zionist occupation. To our surprise and to their praise, this was all shown to us, without any accusations directed at our Rabbis or the Jewish nation.
The Muslim and Arab people obviously still remember that we don't have a religious conflict and that we have co-existed in harmony for hundreds of years. Many obviously understand the difference between Zionism and Judaism.
May we just mention three very moving experiences that we had in Lebanon that has left an indelible impression on our hearts.
We went to the former Khiam detention center and saw the shocking tortures that the Lebanese have suffered so many years, and that the world ignores. (We have heard that the Zionists destroyed this detention center entirely in the recent incursion in Lebanon to obliterate any memory of these tortures.)
We visited the sad confines of the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps; we spoke to the Palestinian people there and lit candles at the Martyrs Square, where the infamous massacre was perpetrated. At these two places our tears flowed at these needless and tragic sufferings that are ongoing and are contrary to any logic or human rights (which we refer to as Godly rights).
Then we had the opportunity and the privilege of holding a demonstration against Zionism and the state of "Israel", right across the Zionist occupation, at Fatima's Gate, the connecting point of Lebanon and the Zionist occupation. Of course, many of our brethren who reside in the Zionist occupation constantly demonstrate against the state from within at great personal cost. They are brutally beaten or arrested, etc.
Also, we want to make you and our brethren, the people of Lebanon, aware that after the recent Zionist attack on Lebanon, Jewish people throughout the world joined in demonstrations in support of the Lebanese people. In Canada, U.K. and the U.S. we of the religious Jewish community had our Rabbis speaking at almost all the main rallies to express our vehement condemnations and opposition to the cruel and murderous attack on Lebanon. This was beside the demonstrations that were orchestrated solely by our Jewish religious communities globally(1).
We now turn to Your Excellency, Sayyed Nasrallah ever so humbly, and ask you to accept our words and to convey these words with the following message to the citizens of Lebanon and to the Palestinian people in refugee camps in your country.
May we reiterate that we speak to you as the voice and messengers of true Jewry — the Jewish people, true to the Almighty's Torah, from around the world.
Although we are limited in the means of expressing our deepest and true feelings, by the barriers of words, nevertheless, the Jewish people humbly offer to you and all of Lebanon, Gaza and the entire Palestine, a few words, to attempt to convey our support, deepest sorrow and heartfelt sympathy that we all feel for you, in this present tragic and traumatic time.
Once again may we state it would be only proper and fitting, that we personally write to and address each and everyone who has fallen victim of the Zionist state of "Israel". Unfortunately and how tragic, the list of victims is daunting.
May our few and humble words be a message of consolation, friendship, loyalty and support to you, the people of Lebanon, and to the people of Gaza and the entire Palestine.
True Jews around the world, of course including in the entire Palestine, never have and with the help of the Almighty, never will accept the ideology of Zionism and never will recognize the realization of its heretical plan, the state of "Israel".
Our sole bond is with the Almighty and His Torah. Our sage's state that we are required to emulate the Almighty, "just as the Almighty is compassionate, so are we to be compassionate."
We always have and always will, with the help of the Almighty, remain unaffiliated and estranged from this aberration and the will of Satan, "Zionism and the state of Israel".
May we remind you, that the Almighty has clearly and explicitly commanded us, the Jewish people, since the destruction of the temple, around two thousand years ago, to be humble and loyal citizens in every country in which we reside. Furthermore, we are not to rebel against nations, we are not to attempt to end our exile. We are forbidden to create our own state or own entity.
We are to pray for, yearn for, and wait patiently for, the day when the Almighty will reveal his glory throughout the world.
At that time, all humanity together, will go up to the Holy Land, in harmony and brotherhood, to serve the Almighty in joy and peace.
Around one hundred years ago, the Zionists began arriving in Palestine in order to bring to fruition the realization of their dream, the transformation of Judaism from a religion into a nationalism. And so began the sorrowful and bitter history of the rebellion, the mutiny against the Almighty, which eventually evolved into the illegitimate state of "Israel".
Since the creation of the state of "Israel", the Palestinian people and at a later date, the Lebanese people have continuously suffered indescribably. They have been oppressed, beaten, murdered, humiliated, displaced and expelled.
Although, this letter and the present moment, is not the proper place and time to delve into the issue of our personal suffering at the Zionist regime's hands, still we feel it is necessary to bring these facts to the Arab people's attention. Our sages state that to know that many people share ones suffering, alleviates the suffering somewhat. Also, it is to demonstrate to all, the sincerity in our opposition to this tumorous growth on the Jewish nation — the so-called state of "Israel".
Therefore, let us state that since these sinners and atheists, Theodore Herzl and his cohorts, raised their repugnant voices in promulgating their ideology of the devil, the heresy of Zionism, Jewish people too, have suffered indescribably both physically and spiritually at their hands.
Our G-d fearing brethren throughout the entire Palestine, have been and are continually beaten, murdered, imprisoned and oppressed, since the beginning of Zionism up until today(2). They are and have always been the victims of these same perpetrators of evil, who are oppressing the Palestinian and Lebanese people.
Let it be known that our true leaders, the Rabbis and Sages in Palestine, the Middle-East, Europe, and throughout the world, have vociferously and most fervently expressed their total opposition to Zionism and the state of "Israel", since its inception. They have decried and condemned all the evils that it has wrought, the oppression of the Palestinian people, and more recently the Lebanese people. They have decried the oppression of the religious Jews and the state of "Israel's" constant attempts, at eradicating and destroying anything that is G-dly and religious. They have tirelessly and fearlessly publicly demonstrated, at great self sacrifice, their opposition to this rebellion against the Almighty.
Countless edicts have been issued from our saintly leaders requiring the Jewish people, true to the Almighty and His Torah, to distance and estrange themselves from this sinful and illegitimate state of "Israel" and all the evils that emanate from it.
Thank the Almighty their message has been heard around the world by many God-fearing Jews and they have obeyed. What's more, untold thousands have stood by their Rabbis and many thousands continuously demonstrate fearlessly, till today, throughout occupied Palestine and throughout the world, against the state of "Israel".
All of the above is well documented, but stifled by the powers of the Zionist media control and by the intimidation of all who dare to confront or reveal the truth(3).
One more issue is important to mention, beside the many commandments in the Torah of doing good and the requirement of emulating the Almighty "just as He is compassionate, so must we be", and besides the clear prohibitions against Zionism. We are exceptionally sensitive to the Palestinian and Lebanese people's plight, for we the Jewish people, have just recently experienced extreme discrimination and all the tragic sufferings in the concentration camps in Europe. Our close relatives have suffered indescribably and died there. Also we know and have experienced what it means to be displaced as we have all been uprooted from our original homes and dwellings throughout Europe. This of course compounds our understanding and feelings for the Palestinian and Lebanese suffering.
To date, it seems to our human and limited comprehension, that this evil entity, the state of "Israel", will, G-d forbid, never cease to exist and it will continue to exude its evils, on the innocent and G-d fearing people under its control.
However, remember and comfort yourselves, our brethren in Palestine and Lebanon, there is a great and exalted, benevolent, Master of the Universe, who truly controls the world. He can and will end this suffering!!
In the Torah it states, that transgressing against the Almighty, will not be successful. This state of "Israel", according to the Almighty's Torah, must and will eventually end.
Let us all pray and beseech Him, to bring about the total, peaceful and speedy dismantlement of this illegitimate state soon in our days. With the Almighty's benevolence, may He make this happen, without any further pain or suffering. Amen.
Please convey this message to each and every one of your brethren suffering under this oppression of "Zionism — Israel". Especially important, please convey this message to the bereaved relatives of the fallen victims, the wounded and maimed, and most certainly to the ones languishing in Israeli prisons and to the ones lying in pain in hospitals.
Convey to them our solidarity and words of comfort and support. We are humiliated by the actions of those who use our name, and our hearts are rent by what is happening to them.
We implore you to convey the message to the people in Lebanon and Palestine, that there are untold thousands of Jews worldwide and in Palestine who stand with you and who entirely oppose Zionism and the state of "Israel" and bear no responsibility for the actions of the Zionists. Educate your people that when you meet Jewish people, do not consider them your enemy. We all serve the one God.
Once again, we constantly pray — worry and hope for you all.
May we merit to see soon in our days, the total, speedy and peaceful dismantlement of the state of "Israel".
May the Almighty bring upon us the words of His prophecies when all men will serve Him in harmony, peace and joy. Amen.
Assalam Alaikum Very truly yours,
Rabbi Moshe Dov Beck Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss USA, Canada
Here is a video show-casing the rapport between the Jews and the Arabs in their meeting with President Ahmedinajad of Iran - both being critics of Zionism and the state of Israel.
So it is important to keep in mind, not just the Muslims, but Christians and Jews as well, that the trouble we see in the Middle East is not a religious divide, since the followers of Abraham have lived together in peace for hundreds of years. Rather, this is a problem created by a political agenda backed by religious valediction that has created a cruel and unjust apartheid and occupation of an entire people. A relevant parallel can be seen in Islam's crisis of Jihadism and terrorism and how the two are not equivocal like Judaism and Zionism. And as the Quran-abiding Muslims suffer from the internal struggle within their own communities to speak out and fight against terrorism, so too are the Torah-abiding Jews who speak out and fight against Zionism. If three kindred faiths share so many similarities it is not too difficult to see them sharing similar problems as well. The problem of terrorism not only affects the Muslims but it is a problem for the whole world, similarly the problem of Zionism is not only a problem for the Jews but involves the whole world.
I pray, like my Jewish and Christian brethren, that we as a global community and representatives of Abraham's teachings can come together and find the root cause of the conflict that has engulfed our Holy Land and put aside our differences in order to address justice and our grievances, but to also learn to forgive and reconcile deep-seated wounds. It's about time for peace. I'm sure God, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad would all agree.
Sources & References
http://www.btselem.org/English/index.asp
http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/
http://gazaeng.blogspot.com/
http://occupiedlove.blogspot.com/
http://talestotell.wordpress.com/
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/
http://www.nkusa.org/
http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/index.cfm
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0202/p09s02-coop.html
Film: Occupation 101
Film: Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land
A specimen of empathy. A colonel of care. A vicegerent of vices. A general of genesis. A steward of servanthood. A lieutenant of lethargy. A private of passions. A warrior for ideals. A patron of peace. A warden of Paradise. An inmate of Earth. A fraction of a mosaic. A mosaic of a fraction.
