As Salaamu Alaikum and Greetings of Peace:
I belong to a Face Book group for Jews and Muslims. As you can imagine, there is a lot of conversation about Gaza, the creation of the State of Israel, etc.
There is a lot of heated discussion about the perceived ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and their treatment under Israeli occupation, and justice.
One of the Jewish members posted the video below. I can't stop thinking about it.
There is a lot of heated discussion about the perceived ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and their treatment under Israeli occupation, and justice.
One of the Jewish members posted the video below. I can't stop thinking about it.
As we Muslims express outrage about the treatment of Palestinians in Israel, do we really understand the entire history of the region and the entire scope of the problem?
Are we only looking at the problem through the lens of Muslims?
For true peace to occur in the region, shouldn't we insist upon justice for Jews expelled from Arab lands? Do these Jews have the "right of return" to Arab lands that we advocate for the Palestinians in the diaspora?
Where is the justice and restitution for BOTH Jews and Arabs in the Middle East?
What do you think?
4 comments:
Asalaamu Alaikum
I never heard of this in my life. I've always heard about how the arab countries open their doors to the Jews in history ie the Spanish inquisition. Do you think this was an act of revenge? Do these Jews really want to be back there or do they just want their money back? You know the arabs told me that jews are arabs, that they are a tribe from arabs not separate at all except in religion. I knew that they were both semites descended from Sam the son of Noah so I guess that makes sense. What say you?
I suppose I would have the same questions or comments regarding this simplified but moving video clip.
A thought: The creation of a Jewish state needed the influx of citizens to strengthen its hold in the region. Wasn't that the whole point, the whole goal? To create this state for a homeland for Jews to return to? (of course, not that many of the current generation had ever lived there, but to them, theologically, it is their homeland). The creation of the state was like a vacuum. The recreation of Israel itself created an unrest in the region that ultimately helped it to meet its goal. A place was create for Jews, and Jews came in the hundreds of thousands.
What this video fails to address (because it isn't the obvious goal) in these shocking numbers is that a gross majority of these Jews chose to migrate to Israel. They chose to leave behind their established live for the promise of living in their homeland, in a Jewish Country, under Jewish law. I can't see this a justification to pay them for their loss. Mainly because it is not a loss. For the religious, wouldn't you willingly give up your home and belongings to live in your promised land?
I feel that this video has a muddled collective of different issues that plays on the heart strings with possibly accurate statistics but not fully explained causes. And the video seemed interesting until the jab at the end about Palestine "stealing" the money of the UN and Global community.
It is completely disheartening to think about the lack of religious diversity in what we like to think were complex and peaceful communities throughout the middle east. However, again, the state could not have survived its birth if the Jews from its neighboring countries did not migrate, did not flock to their dream of Israel.
Stephhi raised some interesting points. Regardless of the verity of claims on both sides, Israel is an artificial country, in that it was created, rather than evolved. One could argue the stance that most Middle-Eastern countries are also artificial, and perhaps the grain of truth there sheds light on the discord that has resulted.
I don't know history well enough to take a firm stand either way, but I sense, intuitively, that something is terribly wrong with the way we divide up human groups, and then cultivate rejection of one another.
http://www.matterofprinciple.net/2012/01/arab-jews-and-propaganda-exploring-myth.html
good article on this topic
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