The conflict should not tear the Jewish Americans and Muslim Americans apart; instead it should bring us together to build a cohesive America, and hopefully cohesive societies across the world where no human has to live in fear of the other.
The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is a humanitarian one, and it would be wrong to label it as Jewish and Muslim or between Judaism and Islam. We have to guard ourselves from labeling each other as enemies which we are not, and we shouldn’t be. Of course a few among us look to the other Americans as if they have wronged us. No, none whatsoever.
On the other hand we need to ask people to appreciate the efforts of Jewish and
Muslim peacemakers in the United States who are making every effort to find
solutions. Calling it a Jewish Muslim problem amounts to belittling their
efforts. Let’s guard ourselves from such short sightedness.
Rabbi Elana Zelony of congregation Beth Torah in Richardson affirms the above,
“With all the media about violence between Muslims and Jews, it’s easy to
forget that many of us are yearning for peace. We will gather to strengthen one
another with our prayers and affirm a vision of a peaceful world.”
It is easy to destroy the relationships with reckless language, and I urge
everyone to use the language that restores goodness. Of course when passions are flared, anything short of telling the other is 100% right amounts to outright rejection by both sides. That is the precise reason we have problems, we need a few of us who are willing to speak sanity. Let’s take this as an endurance test of our
wits. I hope we come out unscathed as conflict mitigaters and goodwill
nurturers, and not the ones who mess up.
Shaheen Khateeb of Indian American Muslim council shares the note from Andrea
Winters of Pace University, “It really was lovely dinner and opportunity
to reconnect- and share- felt good, all the more because of what is happening
in the world. Very painful.. but it is heartening to know that important
connections can be made and kept despite all the bloodshed elsewhere. Now the
world has to figure out what to do about the bloodshed.”
Here is a summary of the conflict in the most simplistic expression;
1. The Palestinians are made up of Christians, Muslims and others, before the
creation of Israel, even the Jews from the area were referred to as Palestinian
Jews.
2. When Jews were persecuted or discriminated throughout Europe and the US
respectively, Arab and Muslim nations were a safe haven for Jews for nearly
1300 years of Islamic existence and India and Hindus for nearly 2000 years after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.
some blabber, it’s just 67 year old, since Israel was carved out of Palestine
in 1947. There were no significant flare ups between Jews and Muslims until
then, while Europe was bent on annihilating Jews in the same period of time.
4. The United Nations rightfully took the responsibility to settle the
Holocaust survivors in the then Palestine. The land was given to Immigrant Jews
(even the United States refused a Jewish refugee ship to land on our shores),
and it was handled poorly without proper local consent and cooperation, instead of dialogue and kindness people
resorted to fighting and denying each other’s rights.
5. Shamefully, the fight for the land began and continues today, the Jewish settlers
are robbing the land from the Palestinians, bulldozing their homes, and building
their own settlements, there is no rule of law and justice.
SOLUTIONS
it guilt free. We have been subsidizing Israel with over $3 billion a year; and
we can reduce it to $1 billion for one year and use the funds to offer them federal lands to
build their settlements. It will create a lot of
Jobs in the United States and peace in the Middle East.
We can offer the same deal to Palestinians; let’s welcome them to the United
States to raise their families in peace and prosperity instead of fighting a daily
battle for survival and their own land. We can help compensate the Palestinians from the same
funds and offer lasting solutions for them as well.
There are always people who eke out their living by evil means. Indeed, they
have successfully built up prejudice against Arabs in general and Palestinians
in particular, and many of us Americans have lost a sense of fairness and
justice. There is no reason for us to be
prejudiced against any people; we need to fight that instinct and live a
prejudice free life. We don’t have to be unjust to either Jews or the Palestinians (Christians and Muslims).
I have been to several Mosques during this month of Ramadan, and it was good to
hear supplications seeking justice and relief to the Palestinians, but no
hatred towards Jews was expressed and that was the right thing to do. What a
relief it was to know that the bad guys are not Jews, Judaism or Israel, but
the leaders who are hell bent on seeking revenge.
unanimously in favor or Israeli leader’s short-sightedness in justifying revenge,
two wrongs doesn’t make it right, the first wrong was by Hamas for firing the
rockets and the 2nd wrong was the revenge seeking by the Israeli
government (not Jews, Judaism or Israel) both caused by occupation and blockade.
disagree? We the people are not that sheepish, are we?
to Israel and Justice to the Palestinians, their false belief has made sure
Israel is not secure for a long time to come by encouraging military solutions,
instead of a forging a dialogue between the two. Damn them for funding furthering
Iron dome and damn them for funding Gaza to rebuild their homes to be destroyed
again. What a waste of our funds!
use the place of worship to seek God’s help and guidance in finding the
solutions; security for Israel and Justice for the Palestinians. I do hope the
moderate Jews, Christians and others besides Muslims speak up against any hate
sermons and justifications of rockets or revenge in their places of worship.
I will be visiting a few places of worship in the coming weeks and I hope to
hear nothing but peace and goodness in our churches, temples, mosques,
synagogues and other places of worship.
Dear God guide us from keeping the places of worship free of malice
Dear God lift us above pettiness
Dear God give us guidance to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill.
Dear God remove hatred and bias towards fellow beings.
Dear God give us strength to speak up against bias and hatred in our
gatherings.
Dear God strengthen the sense of Justice in our hearts and souls.
Dear God don’t let a few stray Jews and Muslims justify killings
Dear God strengthen empathy towards fellow beings in our hearts.
Dear God help us heal our relationships between fellow Americans.
Dear God help us become instruments of peace and harmony.
Amen
Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesive work
places. He offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His information
is at www.MikeGhouse.net