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| A great article. |
ETWolverine |
03/02/06 |
This is probably the best, most honest article about the Danish Cartoon riots that I have seen, written by a Muslim. I've never heard of Nonie Darwish before, but I intend to keep an eye on her work. The article was found in the NY edition of Metro newspaper.
http://ny.metro.us/metro/blog/my_view/entry/Roots_of_the_recent_Muslim_rioting/1352.html
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Roots of the recent Muslim rioting
my view by nonie darwish
MAR 2
The ongoing controversy regarding the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad completely misses the point. Of course the cartoons are offensive to Muslims, but newspaper cartoons do not warrant the burning of buildings and the killing of innocent people. The cartoons did not cause the disease of hate that we are seeing in the Muslim world on our TV screens at night — they are only a symptom of a far greater disease.
I was born and raised as a Muslim in Cairo, Egypt, and in the Gaza Strip. In the 1950s, my father was sent by Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser to head the Egyptian Military Intelligence in Gaza and Sinai, where he founded the Palestinian Fedayeen, or “armed resistance.” They made cross-border attacks into Israel, killing 400 Israelis and wounding more than 900 others. My father was killed as a result of the Fedayeen operations when I was 8 years old. He was hailed by Nasser as a national hero and was considered a shaheed, or martyr. In his famous speech announcing the nationalization of the Suez Canal, Nasser vowed that all of Egypt would take revenge for my father’s death. My siblings and I were asked by Nasser, “Which one of you will avenge your father’s death by killing Jews?” We looked at each other speechless, unable to answer.
In Gaza elementary schools, I learned hate, vengeance and retaliation. Peace was never an option, as it was considered a sign of defeat and weakness. At school we sang songs with verses calling Jews our “dogs.” Criticism and questioning were forbidden. Sadly, the way I was raised was not unique. Hundreds of millions of other Muslims also have been raised with decades of anti-West and anti-Israel blame and hate as a way to distract from the failings of their leaders.
Today, the Islamo-fascist president of Iran uses nuclear dreams, Holocaust denials and threats to “wipe Israel off the map” as a way to maintain control of a country where unemployment, prostitution and drug addiction are out of control. Indeed, with Denmark set to assume the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council, the flames of the cartoon controversy have been fanned by Iran and Syria. This is critical since the International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to refer Iran to the Security Council and demand sanctions. At the same time, Syria is under scrutiny for its actions in Lebanon. Both Iran and Syria cynically want to embarrass the Danes in order to achieve their dangerous goals.
But the rallies and riots come from a public ripe with rage. Is it any surprise that after decades of indoctrination in a culture of hate, people actually do hate? Arab society has created a system of relying on fear of a common enemy. It’s a system that has brought them much-needed unity, cohesion and compliance in a land ravaged by tribal feuds, instability, violence and selfish corruption. It’s time for Arabs and Muslims to stand up for their families. We must stop allowing Arab and Muslim leaders to use the West and Israel as an excuse to distract attention from their own failed leadership and their citizens’ lack of freedoms. What is needed is hope and not hate. Unless we recognize that the culture of hate is the true root of the riots surrounding this cartoon controversy, this violent overreaction will lead to a clash of civilizations that the world cannot bear.
Nonie Darwish is a freelance writer and public speaker who lectures to audiences worldwide about the need for change in Muslim society. She recently completed a cross-country “Mothers for Peace” tour for the Israel Project.
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Ms. Darwish hits the nail right on the head. It's not about the cartoons, its about the culture of hate, taught to children from a very young age over decades.
Elliot |
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