|
11, August 2015 Cecil the lion
Recently, the
whole world was in an uproar over the killing of Cecil the lion. According to
the US media, Cecil was moved out of a safe sanctuary and then shot with a
poison dart. As he was lying wreathing with pain, he was shot by an American
doctor, Walter Palmer. It is only appropriate that Cecil’s killer be brought
to justice for the despicable crime of killing such a beautiful animal for
the pleasure of hanging the severed head in his home. What is largely unknown
are the hunting activities of Syedna
Mufaddal, the current chief priest of Dawoodi Bohras, numbering a million
worldwide. The current Chief Priest of Bohras
(a Muslim sect), Syedna Mufaddal, like his late Father Syedna Burhanuddin, is
an avid hunter. The father and son have killed well over 100 of those
beautiful animals.Syedna Mufaddal lives a life of luxury unbecoming of a
religious leader. It is surprising that a person who claims to be
representative of God on earth, enjoys killing exotic animals. His Bohra followers
in Africa pay near half a million US dollars in fees for Syedna’s
Lions/Elephants killing expedition. Visas should be denied to Syedna
Mufaddal, when he visits the US. During past visits, mayors of prominent US
cities host Syedna Mufaddal and often provide him police escorts. This
practice should be stopped. Finally, trophy hunting should be immediately
banned lest these beautiful animals disappear forever.
|
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Cecil the lion 8-11-2015
Monday, August 10, 2015
Printed in NYT 10, August 2015
|
Printed in
NYT 10, August 2015
It is past
time that the US confronts its own dark history before slewing darts at other
nations who have engaged in acts of brutality, perhaps beginning with the
genocide of our native Indians who were constantly vilified as savages in
Hollywood Westerns. We have stolen their land and decimated their beautiful
culture; it is no surprise that their young are ending their lives in such
large numbers. We have constantly meddled in other countries domestic affairs
overthrowing and replacing popular leaders with US puppets who have tortured
and killed dissidents, treating the world in Cohen’s word ‘like some
diabolical chessboard”. Remember our overthrow of Iran’s democratic leader
Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953 which has radicalized the Shias?
Our support for the maniacal General Yaya Khan of Pakistan which resulted in
the genocide of the Bengalis; our unconditional support for Israel who have
stolen land from the indigenous Palestinians; 3-6 million killed in Vietnam,
Laos & Cambodia, still suffering multi-generational birth defects from
Agent Orange. The US orchestrated the 1965 genocide in Indonesia that left
between 1 to 3 million people dead. The glass encased US seems content at
throwing stones at other nations shortcomings instead of getting our own
house in order.
|
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Nuclear W eapons 8-8-2015
|
8, August 2015 Nuclear
Weapons
Last week marked the 70th anniversary of the US bombing of the
Japanese city of Hiroshima causing the death of 140,000. Three days later,
the US dropped a second bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki killing another
74,000. Historians consider these attacks as war crimes as the victims were
all civilians. The anniversary galvanized many Japanese across the nation to
oppose the contentions decision of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to
change Japan’s pacifist constitution to send troops into conflict zones for
the first time since World War II. Acclaimed Japanese novelist
and winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize for Literature, Kenzaburo Oe vehemently
opposes his government’s decision to abandon its pacifist policy.
Prominent Japanese activists and politicians
joined a world-wide call for the total abolition of all nuclear weapons. Oe
described nuclear weapons as personification of “pure evil” and
was also highly critical of Japan’s decision to build nuclear power stations
which resulted in the disaster in Fukushima.
Oe’s son was born with a severe birth defect – a hole in his skull, a tragic
symbol of the US atomic bomb attacks. Many other survivors recalled seeing
their loved ones vaporizing before their very eyes.
Hundreds of peace activists from across the nation
convened to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where the atomic bomb was built. The
Obama administrations plans to upgrade its nuclear arsenal at a cost of $1
trillion is a tragic testimony that we have learned little from the sins of
the past.
|
|
|
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Jon Stewart 8-6 2015
|
6, August 2015 Jon Stewart
In an age when network ‘news’ is becoming
increasingly irrelevant, more and more young people are seeking alternative
news sources and comedy to escape the highly repetitious FOX, MSNBC, CNN .
. Talking points. It hardly seems that
16 years have passed since Jon Stewart took over the "The Daily
Show" anchor desk. His quick wit
and biting satire made a complete mockery of network news exposing their
journalists as shallow and witless. The program won Peabody Awards in 2000
and 2004 for its election coverage and has won numerous Emmys. It was no
accident that the producers of ‘Meet The Press’ requested Jon to host the
program validating his well-deserved reputation as being one of the best
interviewers on television. Jon occasionally suspended his comedy monologue
when he thought it would be appropriate to do so. The murder of nine people
at a black church in Charleston, S.C. revealed a somber and immensely sad
Stewart. Jon has also been at the forefront of demanding justice for 911
first responders and has worked quietly running a training program to place
veterans in television and movie jobs. Good luck Jon in your ongoing career –
you will be sorely missed.
|
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Indonesian Genocide 8-5-2015
|
5, August 2015 Indonesian
Genocide
October 1 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1965
genocide in Indonesia that left between 1 to 3 million people dead. Human
rights groups are circulating petitions calling for the U.S. and other
governments, most notably the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan to
acknowledge their role in the genocide and to release CIA, military and other
governmental records related to the mass killings. Sukarno, the first
Indonesian president who led Indonesia out from Dutch colonialism, was ousted
because of his ‘grievous crime’ of wishing to stay independent from Western
and Soviet Union alliances.
The United States provided the Indonesian army with
financial, military and intelligence support at the time of the mass
killings. US embassy officials compiled lists of thousands of names of public
figures in Indonesia and handed these to the army saying, "Kill
everybody on these lists and check off the names as you go, and give the
lists back to us when you’re done." Buoyed by US support, the Indonesian
government went on a killing spree and wiped out one third of the people of
East Timor who were seeking independence.
Joshua Oppenheimer produced two film documentaries
highlighting the genocide, -“The Look of Silence" and a companion film
titled "The Act of Killing" which have been nominated for an
Academy Award.
In light of these findings, it seems hypocritical for
the US to constantly wag its finger at other nations for their human rights
shortcomings when past US government have engaged in such horrific mass
killings.
|
Monday, August 3, 2015
Are the five articles of faith in the Sikh religion still relevant? A Sikh perspective.
==
by Jagjit Singh
The killing of Sikhs at the Oak Creek, Wisconsin temple has focused a great deal of media attention on our brief history and identity. We were largely an ignored minority often mistaken as Arab or middle-eastern. Early Sikh migrants were small groups of farm workers who settled down in California finding the climate similar to their ancestral Punjab. Their numbers were tightly controlled by Federal laws and they encountered widespread discrimination, Unable to sponsor their spouses from Punjab many chose to marry Mexican girls and their offspring grew up in a multicultural home, eating traditional Mexican food as Indian spices and provisions were unavailable. They were not permitted to own land until many years later.
Their numbers swelled after 1965 when a wave of educated Sikh students arrived and further increased by others seeking refuge from the political upheaval in East Africa. Sikh farm hands were often favored by white farmers impressed by their strong work ethic and love of the land. Eventually, the local municipalities allowed Sikhs to own farms. Currently, some of wealthiest fruit farms are owned by Sikhs.
Many of the early Sikhs chose to abandon the outward symbols of their faith, most notably the turban and beard and were often mistaken as ‘south of the border brownies, Mexican Asians or Mexican Hindus.’
After the attack on the Golden Temple in 1984, many Sikhs fled Punjab to escape the pogrom and wide spread ‘encounter killings’ and settled in the UK, Canada and the US. A number of Sikh immigrants donned on turbans and grew beards to show solidarity with their beleaguered Sikh Punjabi brethren back home. Like other minorities who adhere to distinct customs, most notably Muslims, Sikhs did not integrate smoothly into mainstream American society, There are many notable exceptions who have made a profound effort to propagate Sikh values and customs, such as Narendar Singh Kapany (a pioneer in fiber optics) and Dr Marwah, a well-known philanthropist who has supported many worthy causes in Los Angeles.
The relative harmonious relations between the Sikhs and the host nation changed abruptly after 911. Images of Bin Laden and his henchmen were beamed into our living rooms and Sikhs were often targeted as ‘the enemy’ with their close resemblance to the Taliban fighters. Many Sikhs were assaulted and suffered (and continue to suffer) indignities of racial profiling. A few courageous Sikhs responded to the Clarian call and conducted an aggressive outreach program to educate law enforcement agencies on Sikh beliefs and customs.
Many Americans have responded to the recent attacks against Sikh worshipers and asked how they could offer support. The general responses by Sikhs spokespersons –“come and visit our temples and see who we are!” - brings me to the central theme of my article.
First a little history: I grew up in a predominately blue collar neighborhood of Birmingham, the center of the manufacturing base of the UK. My father opened his medical family practice in the early 1930’s. My three elder brothers had already experienced foreign travel, my eldest was born in India, my second eldest arrived in East Africa, my third eldest was born in India and I arrived on the planet as the only ’true Brit’.
My father was determined to continue the Sikh traditions and legacy of his faith and so we grew up sporting pigtails which quickly morphed into donning on turbans and later attempting to flatten out beards with various hair lotions tightly wrapped with snoods. Many decades later hair dryers became available which served as a great aid to drying our long hair and beards.
Growing up in an all-white neighborhood was extremely challenging. We experienced a great deal of unwanted attention, bullying by the local louts forced us to engage in fist fights and endure ethnic slurs almost on a daily basis. We fought most of our battles without sharing our frustrations with our parents with the mistaken belief that it would only betray weakness in our long traditions of being members of an invincible martial race.
There were no Indian grocery stores and no Sikh temples with one notable exception. The Sikhs in London had purchased an old building on a 99 year old lease at 79 Sinclair Road in Shepherd’s Bush – a suburb of London habituated by artists and voyerers. We used to make the long trek from Birmingham to London either by train or car, a journey that took 5 – 6 hours. Newly purchased cars would have to be treated with tender loving care and had the sticker ‘running in’ to warn other drivers to pass. During the Second World War petrol was strictly rationed and my dad would save his allotted coupons to make trips to the Sikh temple in London.
Driving was often hazardess because of the inclement weather and narrow roads. There were no motorways, few ‘dual carriageways’ and ‘bypass roads’ which forced us to drive through small British towns adding to our overall travel time. During the Second World War, Britain was on a tight lock-down and my dad was often stopped and asked for his identification card. Troops with bayonets would be posted at prominent round abouts.
There were very few Sikhs in Birmingham – my dad was the only Sikh doctor in the second largest city in the UK. Contrast this period with the current large number of professional Indians and proliferation of Indian restaurants and temples which number in the thousands.
Intermarriage was fairly common among the Indian elite especially among the medical community. One sad story that is etched in my memory was the marriage of a very dark skinned Sikh doctor who married a local girl. Their offspring were very dark skinned and often teased and heckled at school. They often shared their frustrations with their mother and lamented that her marriage to their dark skinned father was the cause of all their misery. Eventually, their father heard of their travails and in a fit of despair took the lives of his wife and children and then committed suicide.
On Sundays dad or mom would hold ritual prayers in our home in a language which was largely incomprehensible. Our trips to London to celebrate our Guru’s birthdays were a mixture of intense pleasure (the journey through Britain’s plush countryside) and foreboding. The religious rituals were extremely long and incomprehensible followed by endless speeches which were invariably delivered with much passion but devoid of a theme and inspirational message. Donations were made for the langar (lunch) and kra Prasad (sweet offering following the religious service) by tossing pound notes onto a large bed sheet and public accounting made by announcing the donors. Thereafter the funds would often disappear in a Houdini sleight of hand. There was no internal or external auditing of the hand-written accounting books. This archaic system has continued largely unchanged right up the present day.
The ‘Sikh uniform, the 5 K’s, especially the long unshorn hair and knife had great importance and relevance during the time of our last Guru, Gobind Singh who courageously resisted the persecution of Hindus by the fanatical Mughal emperor who insisted that all non-Muslims convert to Islam or die by the sword. This ‘emergency uniform’ proved invaluable to separate friend from foe.
To those readers unfamiliar with our Kakaars or 5 K’s. They are as follows:
Kesh or uncut hair, Kanga (comb), Kara (bracelet), Kirpan (sword) and Kachehra (a special type of shorts)
The Kanga, or small comb is largely symbolic and is rarely used nowadays. It has been found unsuitable for managing long hair.
Likewise, the Kachehra has been replaced by modern day Boxer Shorts.
The Kara is largely worn as an ornamental symbol and has lost its symbolic meaning in ‘discouraging evil deeds’
The Kirpan used to be used a weapon of defense but has also lost its importance in the age of assault weapons.
Kesh is the only symbol that has survived and its retention is somewhat controversial. There is little doubt that many Sikhs may challenge this assertion.
These external symbols look magnificent on soldiers but I submit have largely outgrown their purpose and impose an enormous burden on our youth, especially those growing up in foreign countries such as the US. I believe the Sikh Holy Scriptures, which are filled with inspirational and devotions songs, will continue to serve our community if delivered in a universal language such as English. Like many faiths we need to usher in modernity in favor of outdated customs and traditions. A number of progressive Sikhs have embraced technology and are projecting the kirtan (devotional songs) on white screens with English translations which is an encouraging development.
There is little evidence to support the claim or fear that the Sikh religion would disappear were it not for the kesh symbol, the last surviving K. We do not require such props to survive. Sadly rituals have smothered the essence of our faith and should be resisted. For example, the ritual of swinging a chauri - a fan or fly whisk behind the priest may have served a useful purpose before the advent of air conditioning. Many temples encourage worshippers to gift Rumalas (the cloths that drape the holy book) but often discard the Rumalas after a single’s day’s usage. This is unnecessary and a colossal waste of money. Placing our holy book in an AC room serves no useful purpose. The common custom of ‘akand path’ or outsourcing continuous recitation of the holy scriptures by assigned volunteers or ‘paid priests’ can only benefit the readers and not those who have paid for the service.
All the prior preamble is to set the stage for my belief that the 5K’s articles of Sikh faith should be abandoned in favor of a much greater emphasis on the basic tenets of our faith which, like all religions should serve as a moral guide and a sense of purpose through life’s journey.
So I believe the advice given by a number of Sikh elders, following the attack at Oakridge Sikh temple to encourage Americans to visit Sikh temples to experience ‘who we are‘ is a hollow message. American visitors would be confronted with a service which would be totally incomprehensible. However, they would be offered ‘free lunch’ and would no doubt see kar seva (voluntary service) in action. It is entirely appropriate to ask all visitors to remove their shoes but benches and chairs should be offered to the ‘uninitiated’, and elderly and wheel chair access to the disabled.
The use of English as a medium of instruction should be encouraged and modernity aggressively promoted otherwise our faith may suffer like so many of the world’s religions – a lack of meaning and purpose. The message of our guru’s is extremely relevant – an abiding love, gratitude and a constant connection to our creator. It is possible that some Sikh youths will survive unscathed but it is likely that many other more sensitive children may suffer emotional trauma by the incessant bullying that often takes place in our adopted country. I have experienced tragedies in my community where parents who have ignored these realities and insisted that their offspring follow the traditions of the faith oblivious of the consequences.
Let us live up to important lesson of our founder, Guru Nanak, God is only interested in our noble thoughts and actions and was vehemently opposed to meaningless rituals.
Throughout his life he mocked and vigorously denounced rituals and symbolism as impediments to seeking spiritual enlightenment.
by Jagjit Singh
The killing of Sikhs at the Oak Creek, Wisconsin temple has focused a great deal of media attention on our brief history and identity. We were largely an ignored minority often mistaken as Arab or middle-eastern. Early Sikh migrants were small groups of farm workers who settled down in California finding the climate similar to their ancestral Punjab. Their numbers were tightly controlled by Federal laws and they encountered widespread discrimination, Unable to sponsor their spouses from Punjab many chose to marry Mexican girls and their offspring grew up in a multicultural home, eating traditional Mexican food as Indian spices and provisions were unavailable. They were not permitted to own land until many years later.
Their numbers swelled after 1965 when a wave of educated Sikh students arrived and further increased by others seeking refuge from the political upheaval in East Africa. Sikh farm hands were often favored by white farmers impressed by their strong work ethic and love of the land. Eventually, the local municipalities allowed Sikhs to own farms. Currently, some of wealthiest fruit farms are owned by Sikhs.
Many of the early Sikhs chose to abandon the outward symbols of their faith, most notably the turban and beard and were often mistaken as ‘south of the border brownies, Mexican Asians or Mexican Hindus.’
After the attack on the Golden Temple in 1984, many Sikhs fled Punjab to escape the pogrom and wide spread ‘encounter killings’ and settled in the UK, Canada and the US. A number of Sikh immigrants donned on turbans and grew beards to show solidarity with their beleaguered Sikh Punjabi brethren back home. Like other minorities who adhere to distinct customs, most notably Muslims, Sikhs did not integrate smoothly into mainstream American society, There are many notable exceptions who have made a profound effort to propagate Sikh values and customs, such as Narendar Singh Kapany (a pioneer in fiber optics) and Dr Marwah, a well-known philanthropist who has supported many worthy causes in Los Angeles.
The relative harmonious relations between the Sikhs and the host nation changed abruptly after 911. Images of Bin Laden and his henchmen were beamed into our living rooms and Sikhs were often targeted as ‘the enemy’ with their close resemblance to the Taliban fighters. Many Sikhs were assaulted and suffered (and continue to suffer) indignities of racial profiling. A few courageous Sikhs responded to the Clarian call and conducted an aggressive outreach program to educate law enforcement agencies on Sikh beliefs and customs.
Many Americans have responded to the recent attacks against Sikh worshipers and asked how they could offer support. The general responses by Sikhs spokespersons –“come and visit our temples and see who we are!” - brings me to the central theme of my article.
First a little history: I grew up in a predominately blue collar neighborhood of Birmingham, the center of the manufacturing base of the UK. My father opened his medical family practice in the early 1930’s. My three elder brothers had already experienced foreign travel, my eldest was born in India, my second eldest arrived in East Africa, my third eldest was born in India and I arrived on the planet as the only ’true Brit’.
My father was determined to continue the Sikh traditions and legacy of his faith and so we grew up sporting pigtails which quickly morphed into donning on turbans and later attempting to flatten out beards with various hair lotions tightly wrapped with snoods. Many decades later hair dryers became available which served as a great aid to drying our long hair and beards.
Growing up in an all-white neighborhood was extremely challenging. We experienced a great deal of unwanted attention, bullying by the local louts forced us to engage in fist fights and endure ethnic slurs almost on a daily basis. We fought most of our battles without sharing our frustrations with our parents with the mistaken belief that it would only betray weakness in our long traditions of being members of an invincible martial race.
There were no Indian grocery stores and no Sikh temples with one notable exception. The Sikhs in London had purchased an old building on a 99 year old lease at 79 Sinclair Road in Shepherd’s Bush – a suburb of London habituated by artists and voyerers. We used to make the long trek from Birmingham to London either by train or car, a journey that took 5 – 6 hours. Newly purchased cars would have to be treated with tender loving care and had the sticker ‘running in’ to warn other drivers to pass. During the Second World War petrol was strictly rationed and my dad would save his allotted coupons to make trips to the Sikh temple in London.
Driving was often hazardess because of the inclement weather and narrow roads. There were no motorways, few ‘dual carriageways’ and ‘bypass roads’ which forced us to drive through small British towns adding to our overall travel time. During the Second World War, Britain was on a tight lock-down and my dad was often stopped and asked for his identification card. Troops with bayonets would be posted at prominent round abouts.
There were very few Sikhs in Birmingham – my dad was the only Sikh doctor in the second largest city in the UK. Contrast this period with the current large number of professional Indians and proliferation of Indian restaurants and temples which number in the thousands.
Intermarriage was fairly common among the Indian elite especially among the medical community. One sad story that is etched in my memory was the marriage of a very dark skinned Sikh doctor who married a local girl. Their offspring were very dark skinned and often teased and heckled at school. They often shared their frustrations with their mother and lamented that her marriage to their dark skinned father was the cause of all their misery. Eventually, their father heard of their travails and in a fit of despair took the lives of his wife and children and then committed suicide.
On Sundays dad or mom would hold ritual prayers in our home in a language which was largely incomprehensible. Our trips to London to celebrate our Guru’s birthdays were a mixture of intense pleasure (the journey through Britain’s plush countryside) and foreboding. The religious rituals were extremely long and incomprehensible followed by endless speeches which were invariably delivered with much passion but devoid of a theme and inspirational message. Donations were made for the langar (lunch) and kra Prasad (sweet offering following the religious service) by tossing pound notes onto a large bed sheet and public accounting made by announcing the donors. Thereafter the funds would often disappear in a Houdini sleight of hand. There was no internal or external auditing of the hand-written accounting books. This archaic system has continued largely unchanged right up the present day.
The ‘Sikh uniform, the 5 K’s, especially the long unshorn hair and knife had great importance and relevance during the time of our last Guru, Gobind Singh who courageously resisted the persecution of Hindus by the fanatical Mughal emperor who insisted that all non-Muslims convert to Islam or die by the sword. This ‘emergency uniform’ proved invaluable to separate friend from foe.
To those readers unfamiliar with our Kakaars or 5 K’s. They are as follows:
Kesh or uncut hair, Kanga (comb), Kara (bracelet), Kirpan (sword) and Kachehra (a special type of shorts)
The Kanga, or small comb is largely symbolic and is rarely used nowadays. It has been found unsuitable for managing long hair.
Likewise, the Kachehra has been replaced by modern day Boxer Shorts.
The Kara is largely worn as an ornamental symbol and has lost its symbolic meaning in ‘discouraging evil deeds’
The Kirpan used to be used a weapon of defense but has also lost its importance in the age of assault weapons.
Kesh is the only symbol that has survived and its retention is somewhat controversial. There is little doubt that many Sikhs may challenge this assertion.
These external symbols look magnificent on soldiers but I submit have largely outgrown their purpose and impose an enormous burden on our youth, especially those growing up in foreign countries such as the US. I believe the Sikh Holy Scriptures, which are filled with inspirational and devotions songs, will continue to serve our community if delivered in a universal language such as English. Like many faiths we need to usher in modernity in favor of outdated customs and traditions. A number of progressive Sikhs have embraced technology and are projecting the kirtan (devotional songs) on white screens with English translations which is an encouraging development.
There is little evidence to support the claim or fear that the Sikh religion would disappear were it not for the kesh symbol, the last surviving K. We do not require such props to survive. Sadly rituals have smothered the essence of our faith and should be resisted. For example, the ritual of swinging a chauri - a fan or fly whisk behind the priest may have served a useful purpose before the advent of air conditioning. Many temples encourage worshippers to gift Rumalas (the cloths that drape the holy book) but often discard the Rumalas after a single’s day’s usage. This is unnecessary and a colossal waste of money. Placing our holy book in an AC room serves no useful purpose. The common custom of ‘akand path’ or outsourcing continuous recitation of the holy scriptures by assigned volunteers or ‘paid priests’ can only benefit the readers and not those who have paid for the service.
All the prior preamble is to set the stage for my belief that the 5K’s articles of Sikh faith should be abandoned in favor of a much greater emphasis on the basic tenets of our faith which, like all religions should serve as a moral guide and a sense of purpose through life’s journey.
So I believe the advice given by a number of Sikh elders, following the attack at Oakridge Sikh temple to encourage Americans to visit Sikh temples to experience ‘who we are‘ is a hollow message. American visitors would be confronted with a service which would be totally incomprehensible. However, they would be offered ‘free lunch’ and would no doubt see kar seva (voluntary service) in action. It is entirely appropriate to ask all visitors to remove their shoes but benches and chairs should be offered to the ‘uninitiated’, and elderly and wheel chair access to the disabled.
The use of English as a medium of instruction should be encouraged and modernity aggressively promoted otherwise our faith may suffer like so many of the world’s religions – a lack of meaning and purpose. The message of our guru’s is extremely relevant – an abiding love, gratitude and a constant connection to our creator. It is possible that some Sikh youths will survive unscathed but it is likely that many other more sensitive children may suffer emotional trauma by the incessant bullying that often takes place in our adopted country. I have experienced tragedies in my community where parents who have ignored these realities and insisted that their offspring follow the traditions of the faith oblivious of the consequences.
Let us live up to important lesson of our founder, Guru Nanak, God is only interested in our noble thoughts and actions and was vehemently opposed to meaningless rituals.
Throughout his life he mocked and vigorously denounced rituals and symbolism as impediments to seeking spiritual enlightenment.
Israeli Settler Terrorism 8-3-2015
3, August 2015 Israeli Settler Terrorism
The latest settler terrorist
attack occurred when a Palestinian home was firebombed, killing an 18-month-old
baby and severely injuring other members of the family. Graffiti scrawled on
walls near the homes read "Revenge" in Hebrew.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the firebombing
"an act of terrorism" rings hollow given that his government has
encouraged settlement expansion for decades in complete defiance of stated US
goals and international law. The blatant theft of land is itself an act of
terrorism.
Settler terrorism has been ongoing for decades with
complete impunity. No settler has ever been charged with vandalism or other
acts of violence.
The attack revived painful memories of the abduction
and killings last July of Muhammad Abu Khdeir, 16, who was burned alive by
Jewish extremists after he was snatched from his East Jerusalem neighborhood.
Tragically, our government is complicit in these blatant acts of terrorism by rewarding Israel for its bad behavior with $3 billion of our tax money every year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)