PSA

[sabotabby]

If you believe that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and sundry conflicts throughout the Middle East, will never be solved while current political and economic structures are intact, then I think you're likely right.

If you believe that said conflicts will not be resolved because you are the sort of curmudgeon who believes that people will always be fighting for some reason in one part of the world or another, then I disagree with you, but I'll shrug it off and not think any less of you for being cynical. I like cynics—I am one, at times—but if I didn't think a better world was possible, I'd have to pretty much give up, y'know?

If, however, you believe any of the following:

• there is something different about people in the Middle East that makes them fight more than people elsewhere, either because of a genetic factor or because of deeply rooted cultural values;

• Jews and Arabs have never gotten along and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on since the beginning of time and they never will get along because of something moronic written in some book somewhere;

• the ones who want to fight should be put on an island somewhere where they can duke it out and everyone else will shrug their shoulders and go on with their lives, and furthermore you are very clever for coming up with this solution all by yourself;

• "they" don't want peace;

• a resolution will only be reached once one population is deported or slaughtered; or

• the only way there will ever be peace in the Middle East is if a) the desert is turned to glass, b) the desert is turned into a parking lot, or c) someone drops a giant fifth-dimensional alien squid on a heavily populated area;

then really, you are an idiot, you lack historical perspective, and you are a racist schmuck. I got over that "turn the desert to glass" bullshit in high school at around the same time I got over Ayn Rand. It's basically the fascist end of the liberal "a plague on both their houses/cycle of violence" mentality and is just as absurd. The only reasons to think that you're living at the end of history are because you have an ego problem or are heavily invested in your own apathy, or both.

Yeah, just braid my hair and call me Pollyanna, motherfuckers. This too shall pass.

Comments

[metalana.livejournal.com]

The Middle East conflict is rather unpleasant to read about, so I have remained quite ignorant. So I was under the impression that Jews & Arabs have been conflicting for a long time. Can you point me to some more accurate history?

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

Actually only since Zionists started trying to buy up land in Palestine (early 20th century). Before that Jews had been living peacefully in large numbers in the Islamic world for centuries. No pogroms in Baghdad or Damascus. Historically it's Christians and Jews who don't get on (or, more accurately, Christians who persecute Jews). Favourite Jew/Arab coxistence story; Maimonides was Saladin's personal physician.

[seilduksgata.livejournal.com]

Well actually there were pogroms in both Baghdad and Damascus...for example the 'farhood' in Baghdad and the Damascus Blood Libel. I dont have access to sources right now but theres some stuff on wikipedia.

General: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_under_Muslim_rule#19th_Century
Syria: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_affair
And some books on the pogroms/anti-semitism in Iraq: http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/index.html

One thing we seem to agree on though is that Jews in Islamic countries had it better than those in Christian Europe.

[seaya.livejournal.com]

This is kind of sanitizing things. What seliduksgata said and also during and after WWII the Arab world expelled a lot of Jews in reaction to Zionism...which had the opposite effect they had intended.