"If a Palestinian suicide bomber kills several dozen Israeli teenagers in a Jerusalem restaurant, is that an act of terrorism, or wartime retaliation against Israeli government policies and army actions?"
Williamson County, Tennessee is embroiled in a textbook controversy as presented by this Fox interview with Laurie Cardoza-Moore. This is disturbing.
http://video.foxnews.com/v/2335574399001/
In the interest of full disclosure, I have had the pleasure of meeting and having lunch with Ms Cardoza-Moore and her husband in Irvine. She is the founder of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, dedicated to Christian supporting Jews against anti-Semitism.
Do not think that it is an accident that Tennessee, of all places, should be having problems with propagandist textbooks like these. According to Islamist expert Bill Warner, also a Tennessean, as the center of the Bible belt, the Islamists have targeted Tennessee for their expansion-witness the controversial mega-mosque in Murfreesboro. So the thinking goes, if they can gain a foothold in Tennessee, everywhere else will be easy, according to Warner.
If you wish to lend your support, the contact information for the school authorities is in the video.
Its a good question for students to grapple with. A good argument can be made that what is described in the question is an act of terrorism. But when they grow up, or perhaps go to college, the students will encounter people from all the groups Gary loves to pillory, telling the students why it is legitimate retaliation for horrible Israeli atrocities. Students should start learning now how to dig into the facts, recognize that there are people who believe such acts are legitimate resistance, and present rational arguments for why it isn't.
ReplyDeleteTaking the Israelis at their worst, the proper response to one government committing atrocities against the civilian population of a nearby or occupied territory is never to commit random acts of violence against the civilian population of the aggressor or occupying government. The proper response to to target the military outfits committing the atrocities.
We could break it down further from there, but my point is, its a legitimate question to present, and students should be free to give whatever answer they believe they can sustain.
Of course, Siarlys. It is the same kind of navel gazing I had to endure in my philosophy classes in college. Thankfully, I developed my own values in the real world.
ReplyDeleteThis question is neither navel gazing nor philosophy. Its a live issue in the world, whether you or I like it or not.
ReplyDeleteWhy did you take philosophy classes in college? What a waste of money.
Gary, I am constantly amazed at how many refuse to acknowledge the ideological underpinnings of hatred of Jews by Muslims, to say nothing of the historical reality of jihad. I won't address the latter; plenty of others have already done so.
ReplyDeleteAs to the former, let me quote just one source among many available. Kate McCord has written a book about her five years in Afghanistan living among Afghans. In her book "In The Land of Blue Burqas" she recounts the following:
An Afghan man, a graduate of Sharia law school, explained what he called the correct Islamic perspective on Israel. He said that the Jews have disobeyed God and are forever beyond redemption. That means, even if they convert to Islam, they still cannot be saved. He said that God hates the Jews and will never forgive them. He said that God has ordered the nation of Islam, the entire worldwide community of Muslims, to annihilate the Jews.
McCord, Kate (2012-04-20). In the Land of Blue Burqas (p. 67). Moody Publishers.
Because I had to. You apparently took too many.
ReplyDelete