This is an important public service announcement: Supporting Israel is not defeating Jihad.
An unknowing observer of the contentious ads, drawing from Ayn Rand while distinguishing the moral superiority of the civilized man from the savage, might stumble into an understanding of “Jihad” as being against “Israel”. I put two words in quotes because - forgive me and please prove me wrong - I don’t believe more than one out of every ten Americans knows an informed and conventional meaning of both words.
The hostility and the insecurity of the world, across all its sects and sectors, towards these two words takes the fun out of offering any further definitions for public discourse.
Like other muslims, I want to 'reclaim jihad' from the mainstream media and encourage nonmuslims to contemplate its mystic invitation. Like other political scientists, I want to explore the implications of protecting ignorance and xenophobia under the first amendment. Like other morning riders of the DC metro, I want to get from the train car to the exit swiftly and in good spirit, without drama or delay. Most urgently, however, I want to share why this ad bothers me:
I am a friend of Israel - and proud to be. As a taxpaying American, I have always considered myself to be at least a fake friend of Israel. As a student of Arabic in several Middle Eastern countries, I learned to be a sort of fake enemy of Israel, too. This juxtaposition made me deeply curious about Israel, this complicated place that I had read and heard so much about but had never seen with my own eyes. This inspired me to seek a David L. Boren Fellowship and as a result, I had the privilege of living in Israel for six months in 2010. During that I time I taught myself basic Hebrew and made many, many friends. It is only now - being connected via facebook while worlds apart - that I realize how special these friendships are.
Pamela Geller’s ad bothers me because it socially and politically excludes people seeking a personal jihad of their own from supporting Israel. There won’t be peace in the Middle East if you don’t include muslims, there will only be war.
An unknowing observer of the contentious ads, drawing from Ayn Rand while distinguishing the moral superiority of the civilized man from the savage, might stumble into an understanding of “Jihad” as being against “Israel”. I put two words in quotes because - forgive me and please prove me wrong - I don’t believe more than one out of every ten Americans knows an informed and conventional meaning of both words.
Israel is a very special place. Jihad is a very special concept.
The hostility and the insecurity of the world, across all its sects and sectors, towards these two words takes the fun out of offering any further definitions for public discourse.
Like other muslims, I want to 'reclaim jihad' from the mainstream media and encourage nonmuslims to contemplate its mystic invitation. Like other political scientists, I want to explore the implications of protecting ignorance and xenophobia under the first amendment. Like other morning riders of the DC metro, I want to get from the train car to the exit swiftly and in good spirit, without drama or delay. Most urgently, however, I want to share why this ad bothers me:
I am a friend of Israel - and proud to be. As a taxpaying American, I have always considered myself to be at least a fake friend of Israel. As a student of Arabic in several Middle Eastern countries, I learned to be a sort of fake enemy of Israel, too. This juxtaposition made me deeply curious about Israel, this complicated place that I had read and heard so much about but had never seen with my own eyes. This inspired me to seek a David L. Boren Fellowship and as a result, I had the privilege of living in Israel for six months in 2010. During that I time I taught myself basic Hebrew and made many, many friends. It is only now - being connected via facebook while worlds apart - that I realize how special these friendships are.
In Israel I volunteered at the African Refugee Development Center.
Since 2006, Israel has hosted an increasing number of asylum-seekers.
Their presence and questionable legal status has created a
controversial public discourse around migrants and refugees, in addition
to public health and security concerns. While working alongside
Israelis, other visitors, and refugees in South Tel Aviv I lost track of
who’s from where or where we are.
Pamela Geller’s ad bothers me because it socially and politically excludes people seeking a personal jihad of their own from supporting Israel. There won’t be peace in the Middle East if you don’t include muslims, there will only be war.
No comments:
Post a Comment