Anti-Islam Film “Same As Anti-Semitism”
A Jewish producer in the Netherlands, Harry De Winter, blasted far-right anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders this weekend for his anti-Islam movie, Fitna, already banned from media outlets worldwide. Wilders is intent on broadcasting his Islamophobic film, after having its website pulled offline by its internet service provider, Network Solutions, and causing worldwide protest over its anti-Quran and anti-Islam contentions.
De Winter took out a front-page advertisement in the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant to protest Wilders’ inflammatory actions, saying that:
“If Wilders had said the same thing about Jews (and the Old Testament) as he does about Muslims (and the Koran), he would have been ostracized a long time ago and accused of anti-Semitism.”
De Winter says Wilders’ anti-Islam hate speech are reminiscent of “how the persecution of Jews once started”, and said that for him, “there is no difference between the yarmulke and the headscarf.”
There is no reason why Jews and Muslims can’t come together as is the case in the example you cite. My wife and I saw a movie last night called The Band’s Visit, about a group of Egyptian musicians who are trying to make their way to a concert they are supposed to give in Israel. They meet Israelis along the way, and little by little, it becomes quite evident that this group and their Israeli hosts share much more in common than divides them. In fact, to be quite honest, looking at the faces of the Israelis and Egyptians, if you didn’t know who was who, you couldn’t tell the difference. Semites are Semites.
De Winter’s position is honorable, and in fact, Jews have often stood up for the right of others, including African Americans during the civil rights movement. I believe in my heart that there is no one who could help Arabs and Muslims more in asserting their rights, and in building their economies, than Jews, and in particular, Israel. Israel has the ingenuity and the drive to make something happen along these lines, and economic prosperity is probably the easiest path toward peace.
I am against any violations towards any religion, whether Islam or Judaism. We have to tolerate eachother, but I believe that the violent actions of extremists trigger all such anti-Islam or Semite.
Nissim, Yusur, I agree. 95% of people are just people like other people. They want the same things for themselves and their families. Worshiping a “Supreme Being” like God, Allah, Yusen, Manitou (all mean “Creator of all”) is good and rightous. Extreemists of any religion can make life for all a living hell, and I condem it. It’s absolutely meaningless anyway. Religion? You do it your way, I’ll do it mine. You leave mine alone and I’ll leave yours alone. Then, ignoring religions between us, we can have wonderful fun building a whole new world! How nice would that be? What a concept!
Tonto, it may be asking too much to ask people to ignore their religious differences. The inclination to compare and contrast is a natural one. And the idea that “mine is better than yours” is rooted in human nature. And if religions contradict one another, and if people submit totally to their respective religious beliefs, then the potential for violence and strife is there, and will be acted upon.
So what is the solution? Different religions advocate different things, and people end up at each other’s throats.
To my mind, the solution is to create an ideological framework that everyone can agree to, and that is used to filter all religious and non-religious belief. I call it An Ideology of Common Sense. Common Sense will inspire our thinking and inform our speech. My assumption is that there are certain universal principles which are so fundamental, so logical, and so self-evident, that they are universally perceived as true, and therefore, universally accepted. The Golden Rule, “Treat others as you would have them treat you,” is one such principle, and is actually written into every religion on earth. Why? Because it makes sense, that’s why.
The idea of a universal ideological perspective may seem a bit over the top, at first glance, but is possible, and is necessary in a world that is coming together technologically and economically. In order to come together, and to solve some of the big ass global problems we face, we have no choice but to come together ideologically, even as we hold on to our religious beliefs. We did this with mathematics, with science, with economics, with medecine, etc. and there is no reason why we can’t do this with ideology. If you believe in something that makes sense to you, then fine, keep on believing it. If it makes no sense, then let it go.
The cold north wind is blowing in vain - Danish an Dutch futile attacks on Islam
The North Wind was trying to demonstrate its stronger power over that of the sun by blowing so hard to make a man wearing a coat to take it off. Instead of removing his coat the man held tightly onto it. When the sun had its turn it just had to send warmth to make that man willingly take off his coat. From Aesop’s fables.
With the republishing of the so called “Mohammed cartoons” most Muslim websites and newspapers now exhibit signs displaying “except Mohamed” urging visitors and readers to boycott all Danish products. This public campaign has worked to the extent of making people detest any Danish product.
Privately many Muslim leaders or Imams are gleaming with joy for the reaction that such provocative moves have caused and many of them can not remember any thing like it. They have never seen such a show of love by the masses for prophet Mohamed, and now the stage is set for the anti-Koran film which perhaps would also reignite the interest in reciting the Quran.
Denmark has chosen to embrace the role of the whipping boy to whom all angry emotions are vented and Denmark is probably taking over the USA in one area, the country which has its flag suffer most frequent flag desecration or burning. So the previously respected Danish flag is now being widely used as a floor mat.
Denmark followed by the Netherlands have chosen to be the football players who score the auto goal, or the soldiers who carry the guns that backfire.
But why did the Danes or the Dutch choose this time? Probably it is just miscalculation on their part. They may have thought that this is the best time to defeat Islam morally as it has so far resisted all attacks militarily.
This systematic attack on Islam has so far been directed towards the most sacred person in Islam; the prophet Mohamed and to the most sacred book the Quran.
We should expect the next attack to be directed towards Makkah (Mecca ) the most sacred place for Muslims, where the Saudis would not welcome that attack publicly but privately would love to see millions of Muslims flock to Makkah exactly as the man wearing the coat was holding it tightly as the north wind blows stronger.
One can not help but ask the question: What have the Danes or the Dutch gained from all of this? And have they ran out of other ideas to demonstrate the right for free press?
Mohamed Alkilani
Benghazi Libya
Mohamed, what you say points to a vicious cycle of sorts. One extremist on one side acts outrageously, which causes another extremist on the other side to respond in kind, which provokes another on the other side to do the same, and so forth, and so on. So in short: Extremism breeds extremism. And the extremists on both sides like what is going on because it keeps them in business, much to the detriment of the man on the street.
So what is the answer here? There is only one answer. Let common sense inpire your thinking and inform your speech. Look at extremism for what it is, as a dead end street. And open up to the possibility of coming together for the sake of a better life.
What I am saying is very clear from the onset.
Please don’t try to put words in my mouth.
My message is that what these Danes are doing is foolish and counter productive.
If some other grand force is pushing them they better take note.
“…what these Danes are doing is foolish and counter productive.”
Fair enough. What do you suggest is the answer? Is placing blame enough of an answer? Or is something more needed?
[…] discrimination against us is justified with such bigotry. Why do Islamophobes get away with it, and anti-Semites […]
[…] discrimination against us is justified with such bigotry. Why do Islamophobes get away with it, and anti-Semites […]
Living here in the USA and an American I have always been outside this situation looking in. It is some peoples need to deliver hatred. It is a human desire and some feel obligated. Not everyone shares this belief. After reading the previous blogs,.I can align my beliefs with yours(all).
Isreal can identify it self with the Holocost and a new Isreal. The Palestenians can identify them selves with the loss of their homes and country. Both at great cost, and the peoples involved only spiral into more violence. It is true a Jewish, Egyptian, Armenian, or other person is indistinguishable as anything more then people who look the same. I have always wondered if the United Nations could vote on solution for both sides,..the world would not have to wait for each to settle an enigmatic problem each cannot solve. No religion or people should ever be treated as the Jewish peoples have been treated for 2,000 + years. The Jewish people have a responsibility to ensure human rights are upheld under their watch,..There are laws against crimes against humanity.,,as a result of the Holocost. The sooner a compromise the better,..and we all know Palestenians need a home and Isreal has a right to exist!.,,dahan mohamed
Dahan Mohamed, you are right to point out that Jewish history includes some 2000 years of persecution, and that such a history should make it clear to Jews the need to establish and sustain social justice. And from everything I know about Jews in general, and Israelis in particular, they do have a strong sense of social justice, the kind that points them in the direction of peace.
People are often skeptical, but my guess is that given half a chance, Israel will do everything in its power to broker a just peace, and actually, to go beyond that by partnering with Palestinians economically, and helping them create good paying jobs, along with the hope that this would bring.
I think that Palestinians have to suspend their sense of doubt, and give peace a fighting chance. If they do, and if they give up the idea of destroying Israel, then Israelis, in my opinion, will step up to the plate and make something wondrous happen.
I am not saying that all or a mojority of Palestinians want to destroy Israel. But enough of them buy into this notion, such that brokering a just peace becomes exceedingly difficult. If they make it clear that this is not their intention, then the ball will be in Israel’s court to make something substantive happen with regard to peace.
This is a response to a story about Israels Piolits who wrote a perition ,.because thay didn’t want to bomb innocent people any more. I wrote this because of how important the Palestenian Issue has been to me.,,and how important everyone ,..as people are to us all. It is the fact that we are all people ,..that fact which unites us all. It really does not seperate us,….dahan mohamed
HOPEFUL WORDS
Exceptional, to read words that inspire hope [“Former Israeli and Palestinian Fighters Talk in Burlington,” January 23]. I was born into Islam, and my grandfather Ali Mohamed emigrated from Yemen in 1914. He purchased a farm in 1929 in Troy, N.Y. His best friend was a German Jewish man named Marvin Ginsberg, also a farmer. Best friends respect each other, and both were very intelligent and successful. When they spoke of Israel and Palestine, you knew these men cared for each other, as they never disrespected each other. A two-state solution is long overdue.
I was in Home Depot a couple of years ago, I saw this man who I thought was Muslim, I said “Aslam wa alikoom” (hello). He said, “Wa ali koom aslam” (I’m Jewish)! I said, “Shalom!” and we had a very interesting experience in the paint aisle. I think he was a rabbi. Anyway, I couldn’t tell the difference between a Jewish man or a Muslim one because they do dress and look the same, as we are Semitic people anyway.
Dahan Mohamed
GRAND ISLE
The fact that Israeli pilots would sign a petition to stop the bombing does tell you something. I realize that this is the exception and not the rule. But there a feeling, deeply imbedded in the Jewish psyche, that says that it is wrong to kill. Of course, the struggle to defend oneself often trumps this feeling. But it is still always there.
It is this sense of consciousness that gives me hope that one day a just solution will be found for both people. Both people deserve to enjoy the bounty of life, with peace, prosperity, and freedom. We have to find a way to untangle the hold distrust and bitterness, and give expression to our more inspired inclinations.