Sunday Herald, 12 September 2010
A senseless animosity
The boycott of Israeli goods by Muslim shopkeepers is regrettable (Anti-Israel Boycott by Muslim shops goes Scotland-wide). Mixing politics and religion in this negative way has already caused immense suffering across the Muslim world, notably in Iran, Pakistan, Gaza and Afghanistan. It brings to the surface a disturbing sense of motivation in anti-Israel sentiment and action. The first war to be launched against the new state of Israel was loudly declared to be a jihad and was fought in the main for religious reasons.
Today, Hamas, the Iranian regime, al-Qaeda, and millions of other Muslims declare their hatred of Israel and their wish to see it destroyed in religious terms: Jews are unbelievers who have no right to rule over territory that was once ruled by Islam. This is a longstanding legal ruling that has no place in the modern world. Few things have done more harm to the Palestinians across the years. By taking this stance, Scotland’s Muslims simply reinforce an animosity that does good to no-one, least of all themselves.
Dr Denis MacEoin
Newcastle upon Tyne
Sunday Herald, 19 September 2010Boycott has but one motive
Dr Denis MacEoin’s letter castigating the boycott of Israeli goods by Muslim shopkeepers employs the usual confusion between a supposed attack on Jews and the denunciation of Israel as a state (A senseless animosity, Letters, September 12). Indeed, Dr MacEoin’s ill-informed lumping of an Islamic monolith, intent on seeing Israel “destroyed in religious terms”, only exacerbates the very animosity he claims to denounce.
Hatred does exist between Palestinians and Israelis, feeding hostility between Muslims and Jews. But any containment of such must address the core causes, rather than symptoms, of the conflict: Israel’s historic and continuous aggressions against a displaced and brutalised people.
The international Boycott, Divestment Sanctions (BDS) campaign is driven by a singular concern for Palestinian human rights, not religious motives, a cause which many Jews of good conscience also support. That’s the kind of civil solidarity, helping to dissipate religious animosity, Dr MacEoin might better seek to promote.
John Hilley
Glasgow
My original letter to the Sunday Herald, which was edited for publication:
Dr Denis MacEoin's letter castigating the boycott of Israeli goods by Muslim shopkeepers ("A senseless animosity") employs the usual confusion between a supposed attack on Jews and the denunciation of Israel as a state. Defenders, outright or implicit, of Israel's illegal occupation and apartheid policies often resort to such 'don't mix politics with religion' warnings, part of the false, default-line 'antisemitism' intended to evade the key issues.
Indeed, Dr MacEoin's ill-informed lumping of an Islamic monolith, intent on seeing Israel "destroyed in religious terms", only exacerbates the very animosity he claims to denounce. Hatred does exist between Palestinians and Israelis, feeding hostility between Muslims and Jews. But any containment of such must first address the core causes, rather than symptoms, of the conflict: Israel's historic and continuous aggressions against a displaced and brutalised people.
Contra Dr MacEoin, "few[er] things have done more harm to the Palestinians across the years" than his kind of contrived concern over religious animosity while those same Palestinians endure daily Israeli violence and persecution.
Hence, the international Boycott, Divestment Sanctions campaign, similar to that effected against apartheid South Africa. BDS is driven by a singular concern for Palestinian human rights, not religious motives, a cause which many Jews of good conscience also support. That's the kind of civil solidarity, helping to dissipate religious animosity, Dr MacEoin might better seek to promote.
John Hilley
Glasgow
No comments:
Post a Comment