Give the Jews a Break!

In the theme of talking about how population figures tell a story, I want to point out the disparity between Jewish and Muslim population world wide.

I am under the impression that Palestinians are seeking to use natalism to change the facts on the ground in Israel and Palestine. This means they are trying to breed their way into being a larger population than the Jews.

This attitude is not a new or novel idea. Catholics valued large families greatly especially in the last century. Catholic beliefs ban birth control and divorce even now.

Christians in general were estimated to number 2,133,806,000 world wide in (Encyclopædia Britannica Book of the Year 2006).

Muslims are counted differently by various sources. There are about 1.6 billion Muslims in the world from what I can estimate.

There are 13.3 million Jews in the world. That means the Muslims world wide outnumber the Jews 100 to 1. In light of this discrepancy can't we give the Jews a break and let them have a small part of their traditional lands in the middle east? To make the understatement of a century, The Jews have had a hell of a time.

I feel like Muslim peoples who hate Jews must, at first, have felt humiliated by the loss of the Ottoman Empire to the allies. This is what allowed the British to draw the borders in the region and ultimately drive the UN decision to restore the Jewish homeland to Jews.

I understand that there a Palestinians who lost property and inheritance in this global decision. There are many Jews who lost property in Europe as well. There were many Jews who lost their lives. I think that if the history of the Nazi aggression were at least taught in schools in Muslim nations then there would be a chance for these peoples to understand the reason for Israel, the plight of the Jewish people. This may prevent them re-enacting such horrific choices. How else can they learn from history if they do not study it?

It is my view that Muslims would do well to stop hating and resenting the Jews, stop waging and endless campaign of venom, of terror and intolerance against a comparitively tiny Jewish global minority. Stop the intolerance and intransigence regarding other religions. Maybe there might begin to be understanding and benefits from the cultural and economic innovation going on in the West and elsewhere.

Now, the rich kings and princes of these lands know of Western freedom and the rule of law that makes economies function, but the people often dwell in ignorance of democracy, and of the trust based legal systems of the west.

One could so easily say that I am just as ignorant of the Islamic world as they are of me, but this is just factually not so. I have viewed and studied correct and representative information from many reliable sources. I understand, at least academically, the 5 pillars of faith. I have taken a compelling interest in the practices of the Haj (or Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca) and I have read large parts of the Koran. I even understand that one must read the entire Koran in Arabic to claim to have read it. While I have not, that's ok. Because I am not of the same faith and it is enough to care and to understand at such a level as I do.

I do not wish death and destruction on anyone. Therefore I reject the notion that any belief system warrants the destruction of anyone else. I come out from a stance that enlightenment breeds peace. I do not desire that my own people or Islamic peoples should live in ignorance. To put it plainly, the reasoning does not reverse and reliance upon dogma truly is a vanity of the highest degree. That vanity being that the life of another is not valuable because one does not comply with or submit to some tennet of faith.

This little rant should be given by the apparently silent and invisible moderate Muslim majority.

If the vast and populous Muslim world wants to help Palestinians, they should take them in, help to house and feed them, help them to keep what land they have and develop a peaceful coexistence with the Jews. If ones religion teaches that the tiny minority of Jews somehow all "deserve death", or are "vermin" or need to be lorded over and bullied by any other majority...let that person examine his own faith and consider that such a belief is false, wrong and unsustainable. Hatred of ones fellow beings is not righteousness, not fidelity, it is ignorance and foolishness.

I long for those who hate blindly to wake up, to grow up, to rejoin the human family, to receive an education and be enlightened.

Though I hear "Death to America" I still do not hate those who shout it, I do not think they deserve to die. I want only that they should live in peace and if they be free to choose and please to do so, practice a religion of peace.

I do not believe in Islam, Judaism or any other religion as such. I do believe that man should be free to think for himself or herself without fear. If there is a divine presence, perhaps tolerance is the test and lesson of life. Even if there is no higher power, Man should understand that what he brings to another can just as readily be brought upon him. Remember the old golden rule?

Don't hate Jews, or anyone for that matter. The population tells the story. As the figures have shown, Muslims outnumber Jews 100:1. It just looks bad to want more advantage, more dominance. I cannot sympathize with anyone who sees fit to wish destruction upon others who do not share their beliefs.

I know good Palestinian families lost their homes and lands in 1948. The world would love to hear the case and assist and compensate these 60 year old wounds as is appropriate. The sound of suicide bombing is drowning out the cry. The sound of tribal war-lordism's rockets deafens the West from hearing this complaint. To us, some must simply sacrifice a little so that this Jewish people might recover from the offense history has committed against them. Palestinians have no shortage of brethren who could come to their aid if blindness and vanity did not prevent it.

The Haulocost was real, all too awfully real.

Israel is justified in its existence. That's why we Americans sit on our hands and allow them to defend their lands. There are just as many Muslims Americans as Jewish Americans. Before there is one more shout of Muslim indignance, let these angry men do their due diligence, study the history, understand the circumstances surrounding U.S. policy. Take note of how the U.S. came to the aid of Muslims in Kosovo to stave off their tragedy, a lesson learned from the Holocaust. Note how Muslim men bring down hell upon their fellow men in Darfur. Let there be some reason in the debates before there is more blood-lust.

=sw