Nigerian outs the Inner Zionist in me.

Strangely enough, I received an email from a man in Nigeria who didn’t ask for my active participation in helping him defraud the Nigerian government for a huge profit. Instead, he accused me of being a Zionist and then proceeded to explain why that is such a bad thing to be. He accused me of misleading the “public” by hiding my alleged Zionism and demanded that I out myself. I'd told him I'd blog it.

I really don’t bother debating people on the existential nature of Israel or even on secular or religious Zionism. My experience of being "the other" at various times in my life has shown me the deep futility of engaging in such actions. Either you get it or you don’t, and I picked sides long ago.

Furthermore, nothing I have ever learned has made me regret that decision. There is a new rhetoric for anti-Semitism that has risen in a world since the days of the fall of the Third Reich and wraps itself as being “anti-Zionism”. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized it and called it truly for what it is:

Physical security for the Jews has traditionally been improved in a number of ways: usefulness, mobility, bribery and assimilation. Psychological responses to this insecurity and trauma are well known: self-hatred and blame, identification with and appeasement of abusers, obsessive fantasy of a future paradise on earth. These solutions and responses are so integrated into the Jewish psyche that they have been passed down from generation to generation, displaying themselves even in relatively free societies, even in America and the recently liberated homeland, Israel….Despite its significance to the Jewish Nation, the State of Israel has failed to alleviate most of this trauma, and has not reduced the levels of antisemitism - it has simply allowed antisemites to masquerade themselves under the new banner of "anti-Zionism".

We cannot expect antisemitism to disappear - Jewish existence and Jewish philosophy will always be threatening to its children: Christianity, and Islam... The trauma and insecurity, on the other hand, is within our power to diminish - should we decide to do so…And what is anti-Zionist? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely accord all other nations of the Globe. It is discrimination against Jews, my friend, because they are Jews. In short, it is antisemitism….

The antisemite rejoices at any opportunity to vent his malice. The times have made it unpopular, in the West, to proclaim openly a hatred of the Jews. This being the case, the antisemite must constantly seek new forms and forums for his poison. How he must revel in the new masquerade! He does not hate the Jews, he is just 'anti-Zionist'!..."

In 1929 the Arabs of Hebron rioted and massacred they Jewish neighbors with the cry “Palestine is our land and the Jews are our dogs.” Prior to 1929, there has been an uninterrupted continuous Jewish presence in the West Bank City of Hevron since 1540. Archeological evidence places the beginning of the Jewish presence in Hebron around 18th century BCE. According to historical records there have been only 5 separate occasions totally only 217 years when Jews did not dwell in Hebron since 1800 BCE.

But more importantly, let this sink in “the Jews are our dogs” because this is what lies at the root of the conflict in the Middle East.

On a lighter note, I found a link in the comments of the Atheist Jew to a Broom of Truth post at the People’s Cube: Israel Dismantles – World’s Problems End.

Persistent rhetoric coming from concerned progressive critics worldwide has finally convinced Israeli officials that the state of Israel has no moral right to exist. "That's it," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon explained at a press conference. "We are dismantling the Nation of Israel. I'm leaving for Poland next week."

"My cabinet and I had long discussions about world troubles, and we concluded that our critics are right - all the troubles can be traced back to us. So, in order to resolve these issues, we felt it would be best to extend our withdrawal beyond Gaza to include the West Bank and Israel proper," Sharon said. "The Gaza pullout was only a test, and the ensuing waves of peace and brotherhood it had triggered in Palestine and beyond, encouraged us to disband altogether. Without us here, people of the world will finally be able, once again, to live in permanent harmony and understanding - just like they all did before Israel's founding nearly sixty years ago."

The People’s Cube has videos too. My personal favourite is this one - Greatest Movie Line Ever.