It was only last month when Jews around the world were inspired by the words and actions of Mohammad Zoabi. He cloaked himself in an Israeli flag in the midst of his bedroom as he spoke into a video camera the following statement:
“I am an Israeli and will remain an Israeli. Israel will remain a Jewish and a democratic country.”
The amazing thing about Zoabi’s convictions is that he is an Arab-Israeli teenager, and within days, Israeli police arrested three men in his own family for plotting to cause him harm in retaliation for his stance. His cousin, Hanin Zoabi – a member of Arab Knesset – called her young cousin a sleazy, mixed-up kid with identity issues. Despite the Muslim persecution that may follow, there are reports coming in that many voices, like Mohammad Zoabi, emerging among Muslims standing on the side of the Jews and the Israeli state.
In the initial article by JNS , it reports numerous teenagers with Arab roots, making their voices heard in the same month of the kidnapping of three Israeli teens and the weeks following the launch of Operation Protective Edge. Another Israeli Arab from Ramia, Bissan Salman, blogged on July 23rd her refusal to choose between her Arab and Israeli friends in the following statement:
“My tears choose the side of peace. We are tired to hear about more killings. We are tired to run every time we hear the sirens. Don’t judge, pray. Pray for this to be over.”
Dr. Qanta Ahmed, the author of Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor’s Journey in the Saudi Kingdom , further explained that the media focuses on the war in Israel, but there are similar wars waged across the world. What most of what is shown about Islam is the inexorable advance of political Islamism, and it is the driving force between Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) and Iraqi government forces, between the Pakistani Taliban and the Pakistani Army, the Afghan Taliban and the would-be Afghan democratic leaders, Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamists and the Nigerian government, and between Jama’at Al-Nursa rebels and the Syrian regime. As a matter of fact, Ahmed expressed how unfairly Israel is globally condemned in which she said:
“Muslim militaries are not held to global condemnation in the way the Israel Defense Forces must face – despite their targeted attacks, pre-strike warning and efforts to contain civilian deaths.”
We here at The Inquisitr reported numerous times of the differences in how Israel and the Radical Islam group, Hamas, conduct warfare. Israel calculates striking terror cells with such efficiency, they took out 80 in less than 30 minutes . Hamas however tries to strike areas to cause as many civilian deaths as possible, including an attempt to blow up an Israeli nuclear power plant . Israel is known for using text messages and cell phone calls to warn civilians to evacuate an area they are about to strike. We have no news of the Hamas doing returning the favor. As for civilians, there are numerous reports of Hamas using human shields , especially ambulances filled with children . Israel doesn’t use such inhuman tactics.
In another article by Charisma News , Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, the founder and president of American Islamic Forum for Democracy, works to provide a platform for Muslim Americans who advocate liberty, freedom, and the separation of mosque and state. He too expressed similar sentiments as Dr. Qanta Ahmed as he stated his views about the Muslim-Israel situation:
“I don’t believe Israel is a religious issue for Muslims. Hamas and other radical Islamic groups have propagandized the issues for decades and the latest conflict demonstrates that. It is constant warmongering. Hamas creates, starts these wars, commits acts of terror, and then uses the war as a platform to say all its grievances are Israel’s fault.”
Also in the article, Tawfik Hamid, a former member of the terrorist organization Jamal Islamiyah who broke away thirty years ago and founded the International Center for Countering Radicalism, explains from personal experience one of the main reasons why terrorists do such terrible things is the absence of beauty:
“Terrorist organizations deprive their followers of anything beautiful, such as color, art, music, fashion, etc. Over time, the followers become unable to appreciate beauty, and this make them more receptive to ‘extremely ugly things’.
It is like if someone destroys the receptors of their tongue, they cannot distinguish between good and bad tasting things. This is what happens. We need to reintroduce the beauty.”
All three have said they are frustrated by international media offering sensational sound bites instead of the whole picture. But for now, Operation Protective Edge continues and unless the world sees the whole picture, Dr. Qatar Ahmed said it best that most likely, both Israelis and Palestinians are likely to both lose.
[Images via Bing]