I am a Christian of Arab descent. I grew up in Jerusalem together with my Muslim neighbors and friends. It infuriates me to witness the bigotry of a large number of politicians, particularly Republicans, toward Islam, the Syrian refugees, and the Sharia law.
The leading Republican presidential candidate has gone mad. Donald Trump has called for surveillance of U.S. mosques, the creation of a database of Syrian refugees and would not rule out creating a registry for all American Muslims. Trump also called for deporting the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in America and building a large wall along the border with Mexico.
Dr. Ben Carson, the neurosurgeon, presumably a smart man, who trails only slightly Trump among Republicans, insisted in a CNN interview that for a Muslim to become a U.S. president he or she has “to reject the tenets of Islam.” He also said he “would not advocate putting a Muslim in charge of this nation.”
On Nov. 19, the U.S. House passed a bill, with 289 members supporting it, including Democrats, that seeks to enforce unreasonable security demands on the U.S. admission of Syrian refugees – people who are fleeing a war-torn country and a brutal, inhuman and a savage terrorist group – ISIS. These refugees are part of the largest wave of refugees since World War II.
To add insult to injury, some 32 mostly-Republican governors signed off on orders saying that they would refuse to cooperate with federal efforts to resettle Syrian refugees fleeing the barbaric Islamic State group, known as ISIS.
Sadly, America has done this before, and we have not learned from our mistakes. During last century’s two World Wars, we did it to the Italians, the Germans and the Japanese. And, in peacetime, we persecuted Blacks (take note Dr. Carson), Jews, Asians and Latinos.
The First Amendment’s fundamental religious freedom guarantee and Article VI of the Constitution forbid religious tests for any government office.
This past week, the Democratic National Committee fired back. The DNC launched an ad titled “Inciting fear isn’t presidential.” The ad shows clips of an unlikely figure, President George W. Bush, saying, “We do not fight against Islam. We fight against terrorism. That’s not what Islam is about. Islam is peace.”
Between 1989 and 2006, the United States welcomed with open arms, as it should have, 325,000 Jews from the former Soviet Union countries. Are Jews human beings while Muslims are savages and terrorists?
All of us, except Native Indians, are immigrants to this country. The parents of Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are first generation immigrants and look at what their sons have achieved. They are members of the U.S. Senate. Why are then these two self-righteous bigots opposed to legalizing the status of illegal immigrants in this country (who are mostly Latinos) and not welcoming refugees from Syria?
Americans of Arab heritage have contributed greatly to this country. Apple founder Steve Jobs’ father was a Syrian immigrant. Professor Elias Corey won the 1990 Nobel Prize for chemistry. George Mitchell was the Senate Majority Leader. Candace Lightner founded MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving); and Danny Thomas founded St. Jude’s Research Hospital.
ISIS does not represent Islam, nor are they practicing Muslims. They are a bunch of thugs, murderers and rapists who commit their crimes in the name of Islam. The Quran only permits fighting in self-defense or to protect “churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques.” Any wars committed in the name of Islam have nothing to do with Islam. They are politically motivated.
Bishara A. Bahbah is a Scottsdale resident. He taught at Harvard University and serves on the national board of directors of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
The third Palestinian intifada has erupted. It will go down in history as the Jerusalem intifada.
“Jerusalem is exploding, the West Bank is on fire…the rioting has spread to Jaffa,” wrote Asher Schechter in the Israeli newspaperHaaretz on Wednesday.
On Friday, at least six Palestinians were killed and over 60 were wounded during clashes with Israeli forces near the Gaza border fence. In Hebron, a 22-year-old Palestinian was killed. Throughout East Jerusalem and the West Bank, 410 Palestinians were wounded during clashes with Israeli troops and right-wing Jewish vigilantes.
Israelis were also killed and wounded by Palestinians, however in much lesser numbers. The frightening development from Israel’s perspective is the high number of stabbings and attacks in pre-1967 Israel.
What has precipitated this intense wave of violence?
The spark of this intifada has been East Jerusalem and the endangerment of the status of Haram Al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, and what the Jews call the Temple Mount. A campaign by right-wing fundamentalist Jews, supported by right-wing members of the Israeli prime minister’s own cabinet, has raised suspicion that Israel intends to change the status quo and effectively take control of the site.
-- The continued and unabated building of Israeli settlements in both East Jerusalem and the West Bank has led to fears among Palestinians that it is a matter of time before the viability of a Palestinian state will evaporate;
-- The Israeli government’s abandonment of the peace process has led to the loss of hope among Palestinians for an end to Israel’s oppressive occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly recently, “We cannot continue to be bound by these signed agreements [Oslo Accords] with Israel, and Israel must assume fully its responsibilities of an occupying power.”
This could be interpreted as the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority or, more narrowly, the end of security cooperation with Israel. Either option would be detrimental and costly to Israel’s interests;
-- To the chagrin of the Palestinians, the world’s focus and attention has shifted to other parts of the world, especially Syria. During the most recent UN General Assembly speeches, none of the leaders of the five countries who hold veto power even mentioned the moribund Israel-Palestinian peace process.
At the same time, many parts of the Arab world are embroiled in internal uprisings and are too busy to worry about, let alone, support the Palestinians. In short, the Palestinians have to fend for themselves.
-- Israel’s response to the violence has been to use more violence, such as loosening the live-fire regulations against Palestinian demonstrators. Some Israeli officials have called for civilians who own arms to carry them at all times.
Not much will happen until the casualties on both sides are too large to be ignored by the international community. The Palestinians have reached a point of no return — an existential threat looms before them. They either fight for their freedom or they will be relegated as Israel’s cheap labor and third-class inhabitants, not citizens, of an expanded Israel.
With the exception of the two wars with Hamas, Israel has enjoyed relative peace and calm while building settlements and eliminating the prospects of a viable Palestinian state.
Violence begets violence, which is the sad reality. However, before Israel and Palestine explode, it is imperative for the world to intervene and, if need be, force both sides, to sit down and hash out a peace agreement that will satisfy Palestinian aspirations for a state of their own, and provide for Israel’s long-term security.
The alternative is utter destruction.
Written By Bishara A. Bahbah