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Today: 59 articles and 69 comments as of 14:27.
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Area: WoT Operations    WoT Background    Non-WoT        Politix   
Separate bomb blasts rock Nigeria's newspapers, at least six killed
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 6: Politix
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Britain
Muslim, Zionist And Proud
His father praised Hitler, but Kasim Hafeez writes about love for Israel, Jewish people

I am a Zionist, a proud Mohammedan Zionist, and I love Israel, but this was not always the case. In fact, for many years I was quite the extreme opposite. I experienced the high levels of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activity taking place on British university campuses, because I was the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel activist.
 
Growing up in the Mohammedan community in the UK I was exposed to materials and opinions at best condemning Israel, painting Jews as usurpers and murderers, and at worse calling for the wholesale destruction of the "Zionist Entity" and all Jews. In short, there was no accommodating a Jewish State in the Middle East.

To grow up around this constant barrage of hatred directed at Israel has a massive effect on an individual's own opinions. More disturbingly, many of these people weren't radical or extreme, but when it was about Israel the most vicious of rhetoric poured out, coupled with the casual anti-Semitism that seemed too prevalent, when the phrase "stop being a Jew" used as an insult.
 
My father, however, was much more brazen in his hatred, boasting of how Adolf Hitler
...late Fuehrer of Germany, founder of the Third Reich, currently communing with his pals Himmler and Heydrich. He is reincarnated every few days as a politician somebody doesn't like...
was a hero, his only failing being that he didn't kill enough Jews.
 
By the time I had reached 18 I was completely indoctrinated to the fold of radical Islamism. My hate for Israel and for the Jews was fuelled by images of death and destruction, set to the backdrop of Arabic melodies about Jihad and speeches of Hezbullies leader Hassan Nasrallah or the late Osama bin Laden
... who walked in the Valley of the Shadow of Death and didn't make it out...
These views were reinforced when I attended Nakba Day rallies, where speakers predicted Israel's demise as Hezbullies flags were waved proudly in the centre of London.
 
The Case for Israel
Was there a case for Israel? In my mind, of course not, there was no shadow of doubt. Even the most moderate holy mans I came across refused to condemn terrorism against Israel as unjustified; the Jews must obviously deserve it, I believed.
 
So what changed? How could I go from all this hatred to the great love for and affinity with Israel and the Jewish people? I found myself in the Israel and Paleostine section of a local bookstore and picked up a copy of Alan Dershowitz's The Case for Israel. Given my worldview, the Jews and Americans controlled the media, so after brief look at the back, I scoffed thinking "vile Zionist propaganda."
 
I did, however, decide to buy it, content that I would shortly be deconstructing this propaganda piece, showing that Israel had no case and claiming my findings as a personal victory for the Paleostinian cause.

As I read Dershowitz's arguments and deconstruction of many lies I saw as unquestionable truths, I searched despairingly for counter arguments, but found more hollow rhetoric that I'd believed for many years. I felt a real crisis of conscience, and thus began a period of unbiased research. Up until that point I had not been exposed to anything remotely positive about Israel.
 
Now, I didn't know what to believe. I'd blindly followed others for so long, yet here I was questioning whether I had been wrong. I reached a point where I felt I had no other choice but to see Israel for myself; only that way I'd really know the truth. At the risk of sounding cliché, it was a life-changing visit.
 
No apartheid state
I did not encounter an apartheid racist state, but rather, quite the opposite. I was confronted by synagogues, mosques and churches, by Jews and Arabs living together, by minorities playing huge parts in all areas of Israeli life, from the military to the judiciary. It was shocking and eye-opening. This wasn't the evil Zionist Israel that I had been told about.
 
After much soul searching, I knew what I had once believed was wrong. I had been confronted with the truth and had to accept it. But I had a bigger question to confront, what now? I'd for years campaigned against Israel, but now I knew the truth.
 
The choice was obvious: I had to stand with Israel, with this tiny nation, free, democratic, making huge strides in medicine, research and development, yet the victim of the same lies and hatred that nearly consumed me.
 
Doing this is not easy and that's something that has become very obvious. I have faced hostility from my own community and even some within the Jewish community in the UK, but that's the reality of standing up for Israel in Europe today. It is not easy, and that's what makes it so necessary.
 
This isn't about religion and politics; it's about the truth.
 
When it comes to Israel, the truth is not being heard, the ranks of those filed with blind hatred continue to swell, yet many have not been exposed to the reality, away from the empty rhetoric and politically charged slogans they are so fond of.
 
We can change this situation but we need to be strong and united. Israel is not just a Jewish issue - it's about freedom, human rights
...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty...
and democracy, all the values that Western nations cherish. It's also about trying to be a light among nations.
 
Israel's international humanitarian aid work speaks for itself, but if we don't get the message out there, no one will. We don't have to be head-bowed apologists leading with :Israel's not perfect..." - we should never be afraid to say: I am a Zionist and I'm proud. I stand with Israel. Now I ask, will you do that?
 
Kasim Hafeez is a British Mohammedan and former Islamist who is now a proud Zionist and stands with Israel. He runs www.theisraelcampaign.org and has a blog on this site. He is also on the advisory board of StandWithUs in the UK and recently completed a university speaking tour  
A brave young man. One hopes his parents are proud of that, even of they disagree with his opinions.

Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/27/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Europe
'I’m Arab, a Muslim, and I vote Marine Le Pen'
Posted by: tipper || 04/27/2012 15:27 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Why are Muslims more violent and criminal?
Posted by: tipper || 04/27/2012 14:36 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Remember that SF soldier that went nuts and shot up a nearby village?

Would explain the lack of protest.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 04/27/2012 19:06 Comments || Top||

#2  Long and interesting article.

Short answer to the question: because they are Muslims in a Muslim culture.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 04/27/2012 21:14 Comments || Top||

#3  Interesting, indeed. I expect it would make heads explode if given wider notice. (paging John Derbyshire to the white courtesy phone). A couple take-aways:

A culture suited to fighting with neighboring desert tribes in 600 AD is not well adapted to a modern, globalized, multicultural world.

Once you become infected with a poisonous meme, it is *very* hard to get rid of.
Posted by: SteveS || 04/27/2012 23:25 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Why The Sudden Interest In East Jerusalem?
A flurry of visits by Arab and Islamic officials to East Jerusalem in the past few weeks has left Paleostinians wondering what is happening.

Prince Hashem visited Jerusalem followed by a joint visit of Prince Ghazi and Mufti of Egypt Ali Gomaa. The head of Jordan's security service, Hussein Majali, was the last to visit. His visit was followed by statements from Paleostinian Islamic Waqf officials and the Israeli media that an important leader would be visiting soon.

All visits included a tour of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest place of worship.

Jordan's agreement with Israel includes a clause stating that the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has a special right and status vis-à-vis Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem.

Commentary regarding the visits was varied. There were those who said it was connected to the controversy over the bridge to the Maghreb gate. Months ago, Jordan intervened to defuse tension over Israel's plans to tear down the existing passageway and rebuild it.

After Jordan's intervention, Israel agreed to postpone the issue. Since further discussions and a possible decision are pending, Jordanian officials may have wanted to have a first-hand idea of the area and the issues connected with Israel's plans.

As a result of the problems faced by the Paleostinians, many opted to apply for Israeli citizenship, as an indirect way of safeguarding their right to their birthplace.
Another motivation behind the sudden flurry of visits could very well be the future of East Jerusalem. Jordan, which has been playing an important role in facilitating Israeli-Paleostinian negotiations, understands that the issue of Jerusalem is perhaps the biggest obstacle to any breakthrough.

Yet another issue that has been looming in recent months is the status of East Jerusalem's Paleostinian population. Numbering nearly 300,000, Paleostinian residents of Jerusalem are officially a stateless population. Israel provided East Jerusalemites residency, but has been withdrawing it from many.

Israel says it is withdrawing residency rights for administrative reasons, a practice described by Paleostinians as ethnic cleansing.

The current right-wing government of Premier Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have accelerated this process. As a result of the problems faced by the Paleostinians, many opted to apply for Israeli citizenship, as an indirect way of safeguarding their right to their birthplace.

Paleostinians from Jerusalem who obtain Israeli passports are asked to hand in their temporary Jordanian passports. In response, Jordan decided to deny those Paleostinians entry into Jordan using their Israeli passports, even those who have close relatives in the Kingdom.

As the number of Paleostinians receiving citizenship has risen in recent years, reportedly reaching 60,000, the issue has been brought back to Amman to rethink the policy.
Israelis or Arab Israelis who are not from Jerusalem are routinely granted visas at the Sheikh Hussein Bridge. As the number of Paleostinians receiving citizenship has risen in recent years, reportedly reaching 60,000, the issue has been brought back to Amman to rethink the policy.

The Jordanian minister of interior also made a surprise visit to Ramallah. Sources at the interior ministry say that Jordanian officials are divided between those who understand the reasons for trying to obtain Israeli citizenship and feel those individuals should not be singled out for punishment.

On the other hand, some feel that if the pressure of a ban is lifted, almost all East Jerusalemites may end up applying for Israeli citizenship.

In this regard, there is yet another point of view, suggesting that Jordan should offer citizenship to those interested because of their unique situation and because Israel is refusing to allow them to hold Paleostinian passports.

Israel allows its citizens to hold second passports and thus an East Jerusalemite could easily have an Israeli and a Jordanian passport.

The sudden flurry of visits also came after the Paleostinian president, the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
, publicly called on all who can to visit Jerusalem as a statement of solidarity. Abbas said what Faisal Husseini said in this regard, namely that visiting a prisoner doesn't equate recognition of his jailers.

Jerusalemite Paleostinians and the general Paleostinian and Jordanian public are curious about the reason behind this sudden interest and wish they could be included in the discussion, rather than learn about it in the media.

Jordanian-Paleostinian relations have improved considerably in recent decades. The friendly relationship and trust between King Abdullah and Abbas are obvious to all concerned.

Jordan's persistent and unwavering support to the Paleostinian cause, in word and deed, are beyond reproach.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/27/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Why The Sudden Interest In East Jerusalem?

Short answer?
Strike from, within.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 04/27/2012 22:49 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2012-04-27
  Separate bomb blasts rock Nigeria's newspapers, at least six killed
Thu 2012-04-26
  Libya bans religious, tribal or ethnic parties
Wed 2012-04-25
  Sacked Yemen Air Force Commander Quits Post
Tue 2012-04-24
  India orders deportation of 10 French nationals over Maoist links
Mon 2012-04-23
  Kazakh court sends 47 men to prison for terrorism
Sun 2012-04-22
  Tons of Explosives Seized from Militants Planning Attack in Kabul
Sat 2012-04-21
  Sudan Rebels Kill 79 Troops, Militia in Blue Nile
Fri 2012-04-20
  8 die in Michoacan state as conflict goes hot
Thu 2012-04-19
  Qaeda leader suicide bombs himself and family in Iraq
Wed 2012-04-18
  Hadi Refuses to receive Former Yemen President
Tue 2012-04-17
  UN Camp in South Sudan Targeted by Sudanese Warplanes
Mon 2012-04-16
  US drone strike kills senior al-Qaeda Militant in Yemen
Sun 2012-04-15
  Afghan capital hit by blasts, gun attack
Sat 2012-04-14
  U.S. drone strike kills 7 al-Qaeda members in Yemen
Fri 2012-04-13
  23 Reportedly Dead as Syria Regime, Opposition Trade Charges of Breaking Ceasefire

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