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Cultural And Religious Differences

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I just watched the news on TV. Another “suicide murderer” blew up a bus in Jerusalem. We suffered the dead, the injured, the ruined families and the destroyed lives. The world just does not understand the cruelty of the Arab mind that accepts and encourages the murder of children and other innocent civilians.

These murderers who send their own sons and daughters to commit murder and suicide, unfortunately, have seen the success of their terror. Fewer tourists visit Israel, fewer people travel on buses, there is more fear, more willingness to give away parts of Israel and more willingness to flee and abandon our homes or even negotiate with cruel murderers.

Israel’s capitulation in Lebanon has proven to the Arabs that Israel will retreat under the pressure of terrorism. Former Prime Minister Barak has wetted Arab appetites by offering them 95% of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Now, the new-left (former “right-wing” leaders), Sharon and Ulmart, are tripping over themselves to offer the Arabs more than the other offers. “We erred,” states Ulmart, when we established the City of Ariel (named for Ariel Sharon). Let’s surrender and run away, he cries, without negotiations and without reciprocity. We are afraid of terror and the terrorists! It seems that these Israeli leaders will just pray that the Arabs will be satisfied with what they offer.

How foolish they are. Have they forgotten all they had learned about the Arab mentality? The lives of the young suicide murderers mean nothing to Arab leaders. They are proud of the dead, and even their parents glorify their children’s’ terror and distribute sweets in honor of their martyred children. They are proud of the devastation they have caused. They are
encouraged by the bleating of the Jewish sheep who call for one-sided withdrawals and for additional transfer of Jews from their homes. After Israel capitulates and retreats from the settlements, who will bother to negotiate with us?

No one has bothered to answer the question “What next?” Has Arafat said that he would sit down and negotiate? Has America said that it will now understand and allow Israel to solve the terror problem in its own way? Will Europe and America allow the security fence to be built and stop criticizing targeted elimination of terrorist leaders?

A major problem is that Americans, even many American Jews, have no clue about the Arab mentality. They believe that the Arab thinks like a Westerner, with Western concepts of good and evil and right or wrong. This is not meant to imply that all Arabs are bad and evil, yet their concepts of right and good are much different from those of Westerners. Their willingness to encourage their children via daily TV programs and classroom education to slaughter innocent Jewish civilians, as the highest religious goal, should show that there are significant cultural and religious differences between an American and an Arab. With the type of education and cultural and religious brainwashing that the religious and secular leaders preach daily, should blown up buses, devastated restaurants or the events of 9/11 be any surprise?

The innocence of Americans is sometimes just amazing. Did President Bush really believe that any Moslem leader would thank him for deposing Saddam Hussein? Are the Saudis and Iraqis not demanding an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq? The Palestinians will demand even more. Americans, to the Moslem world, is the devil incarnate and no American activity will result in appreciation. It is time that America realized that Israel is America’s only friend in the Middle East and in much of Europe.

America is also quite innocent about the attitude of Western Europe. To the Europeans, America is an uncultured upstart nation without any history or manners. Americans do not see how petty the European bureaucrats behave and they will never understand that the snobby Europeans will never forgive America for saving them from Nazi Germany. America has demonstrated how impotent the French, Italians, English and Swiss are, and these “royal” nations will oppose anything that the U.S. favors, especially if it is good for the Jews.

America truly needs to wake up and stop being so provincial. America may be stronger, richer, more humane and just than the Arabs, Asians and Europeans but none of these attributes will gain the U.S. any love or affection from the world. The U.S. does not need to isolate itself but it also not need to be so unsophisticated when facing its enemies. America
should be more concerned about helping its real friends and in being concerned for its own interests.

Mother, apple pie, baseball and honor to the American flag may make us Americans loveable to each other, but the pseudo-sophisticated Europeans will continue to laugh at us and the Arabs will continue to hate and exploit us.

(Comments may be sent to dov@gilor.com)

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