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What Do Muslims Want: Co-Existence or War?
Source
In regard to Cynthia
Ozick's June 30 editorial-page essay "Where Hatred Trumps Bread":
Muslims generally deny
the right of Israel to exist at all. Make no mistake; this is the major
stumbling block to peace. There are two factors being ignored in this
issue. One, the Jews are the indigenous people of Palestine, having been
there thousands of years before there were any Muslims. And two, it
should be acknowledged that while the Western powers re-established the
Jewish state in the wake of World War II, it should also be noted that
of the more than 50 Muslim countries around the world, about half of
them also came into being in the last half of the 20th century, carved
out by Western powers -- and no one is questioning the legitimacy of
even one of them.
Palestinians, and
their Muslim neighbors, who have refused to accept them as citizens or
help them build a flourishing society, claim a "right to return" to the
homes and land they inhabited before Israel came into being (or at least
since the 1947-48 war waged against the fledgling Israeli state).
Not only would this
destroy the Jewish state (making it yet another Muslim nation) -- a
stated goal of most Muslims -- but it is based on misinformation. A
study of both Western and Arabic media in the 1947-48 period clearly
shows that while the Jews were pleading for co-existence with their Arab
co-inhabitants, Jordan, Syria, Iraq and other Arab nations urged the
Arabs to leave Palestine so their armies could destroy the Jewish state.
This, they said, would allow the "Palestinians" to return and take all
the valuables and homes of the Jews. At the same time, the Arab nations
actually expelled almost all of the Jewish people from their countries,
and no one has demanded a "right of return" for the expelled Jews.
The Muslims want
Israel to return all land it conquered since its formation. Israel has
been attacked or embarked on "pre-emptive" wars five times when Arab
nations amassed their troops at Israel's doorsteps, and won land each
time, claiming it for security reasons and then building "settlements"
on them or, as in the case of Jerusalem, incorporating them into Israel
proper.
Not once in the
history of mankind has a nation that has been attacked been requested to
return land it won against its attackers. There is ample evidence, such
as Iran's nuclear ambitions and its declared intention to destroy
Israel, that if Israel gave back all the territory it has won, these
strategic points would become launching pads by the Arab nations seeking
yet one more, final war against Israel. There is no evidence, such as a
pan-Arab declaration of Israel's "right to exist," that even suggests
otherwise.
The Muslims now claim
Jerusalem as one of their "holy cities" and are demanding its return or
a sharing of control. This is a disingenuous fabrication at best: First,
the Muslim "holy cities" are in Saudi Arabia (Mecca and Medina); second,
Mohammed never set foot in Jerusalem (he allegedly flew over it); third,
Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran and fourth, when the
Muslims did have control for 20 years (prior to losing the 1967 war),
they never treated Jerusalem as either a holy city or as a capitol. They
refused to allow Jews to enter or pray at the holiest of Jewish sites,
the "western wall" of the second Jewish temple (which today they deny is
even real), and they joyously destroyed Jewish artifacts (as they did in
damaging Rachel's tomb in Hebron when taking control there in recent
years). That the Israelis are willing to cede some territory and control
over mosques to the Muslims is more than has ever been offered to the
Jews.
There are about 1.25
billion Muslims in the world, and they are a majority in more than 50
countries. There are about 15 million Jews in the world, and they are a
majority in one country. The last time a world leader threatened to
exterminate the Jews, only a generation ago, he destroyed 75% of the
Jewish people. This time the Jews are again openly threatened -- and
have been repeatedly attacked -- but are in a position to defend
themselves.
So the only real
remaining definition for those who hope for peace in the Middle East is:
What do the Muslims want - co-existence with their older cousins, or the
obliteration of the only Jewish state and, perhaps, the Jewish people?
If they want co-existence, the road to peace can be traveled. If not,
then . . . different, more volatile and violent avenues will be
traversed.
Alan Bromley
New York
Updated July 8, 2003 |
