We Mustn't Do It - Muslims Might Get Angry

This week's Observer newspaper reported that the British Foreign Office issued a warning about a year ago that the Iraq War was stirring Muslim unrest in Britain. In a letter from the British Foreign Office Permanent Undersecretary, Michael Jay, to the British Cabinet Secretary, Sir Andrew Turnbull, it said that British foreign policy was a 'recurring theme' in the Muslim community, 'especially in the context of the Middle East peace process and Iraq'.

'Experience of both ministers and officials ... suggests that ... British foreign policy and the perception of its negative effect on Muslims globally plays a significant role in creating a feeling of anger and impotence among especially the younger generation of British Muslims.'

I find this very disturbing. This letter implies that if Muslim hotheads get upset about a particular policy, it must be dropped. The subtext is clear - no foreign policy is worth the risk of terrorist attacks. Does the British Government believe in its presence in Iraq, and its role in bringing about a peaceful transition in that country? I assume it does. If Britain believes in its foreign policy, it should have no reason to allow Muslim passions to block it.

And another thing. How does British foreign policy on the Middle East peace process upset the younger generation of British Muslims? We all know that Tony Blair has gone out of his way to promote the peace process, and has pushed President Bush to prioritize it (albeit with limited success). I would have thought that young British Muslims would support this policy.

For me, the telling point of the letter is this, and I quote: 'This [British Foreign Policy] seems to be a key driver behind recruitment by extremist organisations (e.g. recruitment drives by groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir and al Muhajiroon).

We now have the answer to our question. British Foreign Policy might just as well stay clear of the Middle East because extreme organizations such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir and al Muhajiroon will be upset by it. Of course Hizb-ut-Tahrir will be upset by British policy on the Middle East peace process. They are opposed to any peace in the Middle East, if it means that Israel is allowed to exist. They detest most of the Arab States in the Middle East since they are unIslamic. Indeed, they are opposed to any Middle East which does not take the form of an Islamic Caliphate.

Although these extreme organizations do not represent all British Muslims, it is they who seem to set the tone in the British Muslim community. Unfortunately, it is their voices we hear rather than those of the moderates.

This letter from the British Foreign Office tells us everything we need to know about the cowardice at the heart of the British diplomatic and political establishment.

Israel getting back to normal #1

A clear sign that things are returning to normal in Israel, was the sheer turn-out of people at this years' International Arts and Crafts Fair in Jerusalem. This year saw the return of the fair to the Sultan's Pool concert grounds, which can accommodate at least double the amount of people as the previous venue downtown, and yet - there was still barely enough room to move around.

Although I enjoyed myself I was a bit surprised at how expensive everything was. At 20 shekels for parking, 40 shekels per person for entrance, minimum 20 shekel for a basic meal (hotdog) and all this before you have bought any of the wonderful art pieces on offer. Fortunately, I had a friend give me a free ticket and she paid for parking, I ate my dinner before I went and I didn't buy anything at the fair (although I did take a few cards from stalls with intention to buy things later). So all in all - it's no wonder I enjoyed myself.

Some cool stalls of note had absolutely nothing to do with art. Bezeq had a giant tetris game, where you had to stamp on the controls to turn the tetris shapes, very cool! Lotto were giving away free scratchy cards (well free except the cost of sending an SMS message), but I didn't win the 50,000 shekels my card promised me - boy could I use that money!

Anyway - I have been going to Chutzot Hayotzeh for the last 9 years - never missed a year. I am looking forward to next year too.

An appropriate consequence

Watching the disengagement unfold in full living colour this week has been a literally shocking experience. It is heart-wrenching! I do however come away from each session shaking my head in disappointment at the behaviour of the outsiders who have come to try and score political points at the expense of our country. Worst of all are the teenagers who have been least able to detect the difference between legitimate opposition and outright revolution.

No doubt there will be no reprimands for most of them from parents or teachers, since they are coming in most part with the blessing, if not in fact outright support, of these people who should know better. They shouldn't be allowed to come away from this with the feeling that they are above the law, and I would like to suggest what seems to be the appropriate consequence of their actions. They should be forbidden from serving in the Israeli army! I think that the normality of army service as a "rite of passage" for all Israeli youth is deeply embedded in our national psyche. For a young man or woman to go through life without the "chavershaft" and experience of service will be a life-long stigma, like carrying a sign that they're not good enough. And they have amply demonstrated this week that they aren't!

How to Shoot Yourself in the Foot

I have had serious misgivings about the Disengagement from the very outset. Not because I have a problem with the evacuation of settlers from the Gaza Strip - I am all for territorial concessions, especially if they bring peace. My misgivings are more to do with the unilateral nature of the step, and the lack of coordination with the Palestinians.

Now that the Disengagement is happening, I am beginning to think that it might not be such a bad thing. Over the last thirty years or more, the Settler Movement have had it all their own way. The Gaza Disengagement, however, has exposed the grotesqueness and fanaticism at the very core of the settler enterprise, and has laid it bare for the Israeli public (and the rest of the world) to see.

The sight of little settler children and their parents wearing orange stars and holding their hands up as they were taken away by soldiers was certainly morally repugnant. To even suggest that there can be comparison between the Disengagement and the Holocaust is bordering on Holocaust denial. More than that, however, it trivializes the settler cause, precisely because there can be no comparison. Instead of creating sympathy, these settlers just invited ridicule.
Throughout the day, we have seen pictures of settler children being exploited by their parents for all it is worth, as a means to elicit sympathy. We even saw a bearded gentleman dangling his baby out of the window, ala Michael Jackson. I personally found these images appalling, and I started to wonder whether this whole struggle has crippled the settler movement as a whole in the eyes of the Israeli public. Israelis en masse will start to ask themselves why they are putting their lives at risk to defend such fanatics living in some hilltop settlement, or even in somewhere like Shilo or Beit El.

During the Second Intifada, the Settler Movement emphasized the importance of the idea of Lehitnahel Bilvavot -" to settle in the hearts of the Israeli people". It seems to me,however, that they have cut themselves off from the heart of the mainstream Israeli public.

Will Ariel Sharon be Charged with Incitement.....Against Himself?

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said today that Jewish settlers should take out their frustrations on him and not on the Israeli soldiers. He said, "Don't hurt them[the soldiers], hurt me."

Does this count as incitement?

Eicha

Tonight, myself, my husband, and at least 100 other people, trudged up a hill in the darkness - sat before Rabin's grave and sang Eicha under the stars.

How serene, how poignant. I cannot think of a more fitting place to lament.

Have an easy (meaningful) fast!

Yesterday was the start of the days of mourning in Australia

Feel for us! Mourn with us! Weep, shed bitter tears. So close. Within our grasp, and we allowed it to slip away. If only I were a poet, I would be able to express the depth of our pain, so that others would be able understand. (Not bothering with Americans, of course. Such matters are beyond the grasp of their attention span.)

Two runs! Two measly little runs. A statistical insignificance, a nothingness. 0.16% of all runs scored. Yet they make all the difference between darkness and light.

And the gall of the conquerors, to hold our shattered bodies up in triumph and claim victory. Dancing down the streets, blood dripping from their savage hands on their way to celebrations where they imbibe copious amount of what they call beer and regale each other with tales of their personal role in this infamy! As if anything other than blind chance, and our own sins, had allowed such a thing to happen.

My Poem
Merit to them ... never!!
Shame on us ... forever (or at least until the next test, when we'll wallop them good!).

Israel's double standard questioned!

At around 9pm tonight my mother called to ask me to look at channel 11 and see what was going on. At first I thought Piguah as the camera spanned a bus, windows shattered and blood stained seats. But the Hebrew subtitles said "Yeri" not Piguah. So I said to my mum there has been some kind of shooting up North - immediately assuming we had been shot at again.

It was only when my husband returned and we watched the news together that it became clear that this time one of our own had done the shooting. My immediate thought was to hope that Israel treats this terrorist exactly the way they treat Islamic ones - by banishing his family and raising their homes - why should we accept double standards.

But it only just occurred to me now that, while watching Israeli news report on channel 11, at no time did they call it a Piguah???? Now THAT is a double standard - how can we constantly abuse BBC and CNN for their editorial bias when we ourselves are just as disgusting?

One thing I know for sure - we must all speak out at this disgust - we must all condemn this soldier and any others like him out there - we must all do everything in our power to make sure this does not happen again and that we will not tolerate it - Unlike Muslim people around the world who, for the most part, keep fairly silent.

Beckhamburgmanson

Apparently have just gotten Hebrew tattoos to celebrate their 6 years of marriage - So if the marriage doesn't work who will they blame?

Brilliant Front Page

Blair: "We must track down the evil mastermind behind the bombers"
Livingstone: "...and invite him round for tea"

At least the British know how to poke fun at themselves.

Hat Tip: Greenspan