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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel's first Muslim minister sworn into office |
| 2007-01-30 |
| Israel's first Muslim cabinet minister was sworn in by parliament on Monday after a weeks-long battle over his nomination that drew fire from far-right parties as well as Arab lawmakers. The parliamentary confirmation was expected after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's cabinet voted on Sunday to make Galeb Magadla of Israel's Labour party a minister without portfolio. "I am certain that minister Galeb Magadla will be a place to turn to help deal with the gaps between the Arab and Jewish sectors," said Defense Minister and Labour party leader Amir Peretz. Arabs make up about 20 percent of Israel's population and have long complained of being treated like second-class citizens and about a paucity of government funds for their towns and villages. "The first step has been taken and this has given Israeli Arabs a feeling of belonging," Magadla told Army Radio on Sunday. But several Muslim lawmakers spoke out against his nomination, saying Magadla would only represent his party's ideology and not the entire Arab population. Others said he was joining a government that was not interested in making peace with its Arab neighbors. Israeli officials have denied any policy of discrimination against the country's Arab citizens, saying they enjoyed more political freedom in Israel than in anywhere in the Muslim world and had a strong representation in parliament. Magadla was nominated by the Labour Party for a ministerial post after one of its members quit the cabinet in protest at the addition of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu faction to Olmert's coalition government in October. Israeli media said Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beitenu was the only cabinet member to vote against the appointment. In 2001, an Israeli Druze became the first non-Jewish member of the cabinet, serving as a minister without portfolio. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #9 Well, since the Druze feel that the Mahdi has already come and gone, they are formally classified by most Muslim sects {whether Shia or Sunni} as heretics and blasphemers. Also, Druze believe in reincarnation {human form only}, which puts them outside the pale as far most Muslim sects are concerned. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2007-01-30 22:11 |
| #8 I would imagine most of the muslim world doesn't even know that muslims have equal rights in Israel. This news certainly isn't getting to them -- their governments are censoring it. |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2007-01-30 22:05 |
| #7 I first thought like LH *shudder* about shoving this in their faces that Israel's a mature democracy that can allow a Muslim to represent his constituents. But, then, I realized it won't matter to the enlightened progressives. I won't hold my breath for a Joooo to be elected ANY Arab Legislature (as if any Arab nation has a Legislature, well, except Iraq, now). |
| Posted by: BA 2007-01-30 20:05 |
| #6 And tu3031 hits it out of the park. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-01-30 15:14 |
| #5 Did they swear him in using Ben Gurion's Koran? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-01-30 13:18 |
| #4 I, at least, would like to have a picture for swooning with joy. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-01-30 13:16 |
| #3 everybody in Israel knows its a bigger deal when a non-Druze Arab enters the cabinet. Thats a social and political reality. And I doubt many Israelis keep up on whether the Mormons are real Christians or not. Anyway, I think its good the media is talking about this. Remind the world that Israel is a democracy, where Arabs have rights, despite the insane Jimmy Carter type propaganda. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2007-01-30 10:18 |
| #2 n 2001, an Israeli Druze became the first non-Jewish member of the cabinet, serving as a minister without portfolio. Er, most neutral observers describe the Druze as Muslim. Well, more Muslim than the Alawites and more Muslim than the Mormons are Christian. What, are we taking the Wahabi line on who is and isn't Muslim these days? |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2007-01-30 09:21 |
| #1 sounds like the media "Keith Ellison Fellatiothon Pt 2" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-01-30 07:32 |