Kesher Talk

Mutually assured humiliation. I have often facetiously remarked that if the Palestinians want to excuse their bigoted destructive behavior by claiming unbearable "humiliation" - well, two can play that game. Not only do they try to blow us up on a regular basis, they tear up my holy places, deny my history, lie about and incite violence against my people in global forums, and organize voting blocks of nations to gang up on us at the UN.

It's too much to bear! So hey - I feel humiliated too! And enraged! Yeah! Maybe I'll start blowing up mosques and beating up random Arabs on the street. What? You say I should make a distinction between peaceful Arabs going about their business and actual terrorists? You say a mosque in New York has nothing to do with suicide bombers in the disputed territories? Oh, I get it. Only one side in this war is expected to behave in a restrained civilized fashion. How convenient.

Meryl expresses this concept much more elegantly than I could:

If Israel's actions are causing adverse reactions to the Jews throughout Europe, why aren't they causing attacks on Jews in America? America has a large Muslim population scattered over many states. Some of them must be radical, Jew-hating Muslims. There are certainly anti-Israeli Muslims in Paterson, Jersey City, Detroit, northern Virginia, and New York City. So riddle me this, Eurocrats, Indymidiots, Chomskyites, and the rest of the Blame Israel crew: Why are there not more attacks on Jews by Muslims in America who are enraged by the actions of the Israeli government? Why are there not more attacks on Muslims by others in America who are enraged by Al Qaeda's attacks on Americans?

I'll tell you why not: Because it is not acceptable behavior in the United States. Because there is a strong police presence that seeks out the perpetrators. Because there is a strong sense of community that will not allow such hatred to commence, whether it is in defense of Muslim women shopping in the aftermath of 9/11, or a group of midwesterners putting menorahs in their windows to protest anti-Semitism in their towns. Because, with few exceptions, the authorities here in America will investigate hate crimes and call a spade a spade, instead of going out of their way to insist that an explosion in front of a synagogue is purely coincidental, or that if only Israel would stop "humiliating" the Palestinians and give them their own state, Muslims in Europe would stop attacking Jews.

Bullshit.

Right. And may I point out that here in the States, any government official who suggested that individuals respond to fear of attack by hiding their religious symbols would be laughed out of office?

posted by Judith @ 12/16/2003 11:35:54 AM