Egypt’s mufti on Israel http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/egypts-mufti-on-israel/ In an Op-Ed in The Wall Street Journal, the grand mufti of Egypt writes about Islam’s relationship with the West. The piece by Ali Gomaa is titled "Islam, Israel and the United States," which gives the misimpression that it’s about Israel. It’s not.  en-us uheilman@jta.org Copyright 2009 2009-10-08T;19:15:00-05:00 Comment by Gary Katz garybkatz@comcast.net Well, David L., I hear you, man, but it’s not just the Muslims.  Most of the anti-Israel specialists point to everything Zionists have ever done wrong, while conveniently ignoring most of the bad stuff that was done to the Zionists.  More general Jew-haters focus on rumor, innuendo, and lies, mixed with the occasional fact, while turning a blind eye to all the oppression of Jews throughout history.  They hear what they want to hear, basically. Well, David L.,
I hear you, man, but it’s not just the Muslims.  Most of the anti-Israel specialists point to everything Zionists have ever done wrong, while conveniently ignoring most of the bad stuff that was done to the Zionists.  More general Jew-haters focus on rumor, innuendo, and lies, mixed with the occasional fact, while turning a blind eye to all the oppression of Jews throughout history.  They hear what they want to hear, basically.

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by David L david@landmankids.com What the heck is Palestine????  I have seen the maps going back centuries.  No such place ever existed between the Jordan and the Meditteranean.  The only time such a place existed was 25 years called Mandate Palestine and was a temporary place at that.  Most of the land in the Maps was in transjordan or jordan or Jordan Palestine, whatever you want to call it.  sometimes it included Syria and Lebanon. What is very clear is it is a racist thing when the Arabs and their supporters talk about Palestine, because they never talk about getting the land east of the Jordan from the Hashemites.  Its purely racist, and I mean anti-semitism is racist.  Some will argue against this.  Thats another discussion. For their to be peace in the world, the Arab and more so the Muslim world needs to deal with actual history instead of picking and choosing small periods of time and making up definitions rather than adhering to factual history and world norms. What the heck is Palestine????  I have seen the maps going back centuries.  No such place ever existed between the Jordan and the Meditteranean.  The only time such a place existed was 25 years called Mandate Palestine and was a temporary place at that.  Most of the land in the Maps was in transjordan or jordan or Jordan Palestine, whatever you want to call it.  sometimes it included Syria and Lebanon.

What is very clear is it is a racist thing when the Arabs and their supporters talk about Palestine, because they never talk about getting the land east of the Jordan from the Hashemites.  Its purely racist, and I mean anti-semitism is racist.  Some will argue against this.  Thats another discussion.

For their to be peace in the world, the Arab and more so the Muslim world needs to deal with actual history instead of picking and choosing small periods of time and making up definitions rather than adhering to factual history and world norms.

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by Gary Katz garybkatz@comcast.net The comments were mostly general.  We all agree that Islam needs LOTS of liberalization.  I was glad that Ali Gomaa condemned terrorism, including 9-11 (unlike those Palestinians who celebrated it).  Why, he gets points merely for not trying to blame 9-11 on the Mossad!  Still, I’d be curious if his pronouncements in Arabic are as liberal. The comments were mostly general.  We all agree that Islam needs LOTS of liberalization.  I was glad that Ali Gomaa condemned terrorism, including 9-11 (unlike those Palestinians who celebrated it).  Why, he gets points merely for not trying to blame 9-11 on the Mossad!  Still, I’d be curious if his pronouncements in Arabic are as liberal.

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by David david.ehrens@gmail.com The article was about “common values” that the West and Muslims might agree upon—such as liberalizing Islam and justice for Palestinians. Heilman, as well as half the voices here, apparently can’t read. The article was about “common values” that the West and Muslims might agree upon—such as liberalizing Islam and justice for Palestinians. Heilman, as well as half the voices here, apparently can’t read.

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by Gary Katz garybkatz@comcast.net I don’t know that the UN wanted the Jews liquidated, but that doesn’t mean they would’ve cared much, either.  I recall how UN “peace keepers” meekly left the Sinai when Nasser demanded, prior to the 6 Day War, and how the UN demanded peace when Israel was kicking Arab ass.  Come to think of it, at what point are the Arabs/Muslims going to realize that, given the results of all their wars against Israel, that perhaps Allah is not on their side?  This is actually a rhetorical question, since fanatics never learn. I don’t know that the UN wanted the Jews liquidated, but that doesn’t mean they would’ve cared much, either.  I recall how UN “peace keepers” meekly left the Sinai when Nasser demanded, prior to the 6 Day War, and how the UN demanded peace when Israel was kicking Arab ass.  Come to think of it, at what point are the Arabs/Muslims going to realize that, given the results of all their wars against Israel, that perhaps Allah is not on their side?  This is actually a rhetorical question, since fanatics never learn.

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by Jackie Cappiello jcappiello@knology.net It has always been, since 1947 when the UN partitioned what was left of the Mandate (after creation of TransJordan) the Arabs’ position that Israel was an illegal entity on what they regarded as sacred Muslim lands.  The Grand Mufti is merely reiterating that position.  Why does anyone bother to question what the Arabs have wanted since Day One?  I was at the UN the day partition was voted on and my opinion—for what it is worth—is that Europe voted for partition knowing that Arabs would try to kill off the Jews in the Middle East.  They weere right about the armies attacking Israel; they were wrong about the Arabs being able to bring about the Final Solution they so dearly desired? It has always been, since 1947 when the UN partitioned what was left of the Mandate (after creation of TransJordan) the Arabs’ position that Israel was an illegal entity on what they regarded as sacred Muslim lands.  The Grand Mufti is merely reiterating that position.  Why does anyone bother to question what the Arabs have wanted since Day One?  I was at the UN the day partition was voted on and my opinion—for what it is worth—is that Europe voted for partition knowing that Arabs would try to kill off the Jews in the Middle East.  They weere right about the armies attacking Israel; they were wrong about the Arabs being able to bring about the Final Solution they so dearly desired?

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by Gary Katz garybkatz@comcast.net Does anyone see the irony when Arabs state, “Israel is racist for occupying sacred Muslim land.” Does anyone see the irony when Arabs state, “Israel is racist for occupying sacred Muslim land.”

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by Yosef Hartuv yosefandmelody@gmail.com The Peace With Egypt: 30 Years Old and Still a Terrifying Precedent for Israel - The Camp David Accords were signed 31 years ago this mid-month. The actual Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty was sealed 30 years ago this coming March. This was negotiated between Menahem Begin and Anwar Sadat. (The immediate reward for Cairo was annual emoluments of $3 billion, just about what Israel has received for military aid.) No soldiers have taken up arms against each other ever since. No airplanes have flown hostilely over each other’s air space, no tanks, no missiles, no nothing. Nonetheless, the normalization of relations that many people anticipated would emerge between the two nations (Egypt being the only historic nation in the entire Arab orbit) has never materialized. A poll taken of 1000 Egyptians in 2006 (true, in the shadow of the second Lebanon war) found that 92% considered Israeli an enemy nation. http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com/2009/09/peace-with-egypt-30-years-old-and-still.html#links The Peace With Egypt: 30 Years Old and Still a Terrifying Precedent for Israel - The Camp David Accords were signed 31 years ago this mid-month. The actual Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty was sealed 30 years ago this coming March. This was negotiated between Menahem Begin and Anwar Sadat. (The immediate reward for Cairo was annual emoluments of $3 billion, just about what Israel has received for military aid.) No soldiers have taken up arms against each other ever since. No airplanes have flown hostilely over each other’s air space, no tanks, no missiles, no nothing. Nonetheless, the normalization of relations that many people anticipated would emerge between the two nations (Egypt being the only historic nation in the entire Arab orbit) has never materialized. A poll taken of 1000 Egyptians in 2006 (true, in the shadow of the second Lebanon war) found that 92% considered Israeli an enemy nation.
http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com/2009/09/peace-with-egypt-30-years-old-and-still.html#links

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by paul m berman pb10429@aol.com When you say historic Palistine, just where in history do you find Palistine or Palistinian for that matter?  The Arab people living in the area were called precicely that prior to Yasser Arrafat creating the name Palistinian after the 1967 war. The land was vertually empty ynder the Ottoman Empire.  Most of the Arab population came there following the Zionist movement in the late 1800’s which created jobs there. When you say historic Palistine, just where in history do you find Palistine or Palistinian for that matter?  The Arab people living in the area were called precicely that prior to Yasser Arrafat creating the name Palistinian after the 1967 war. The land was vertually empty ynder the Ottoman Empire.  Most of the Arab population came there following the Zionist movement in the late 1800’s which created jobs there.

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by Rob Brownstein rob.brownstein@litepoint.com I’ll bet it’s also an affront to the grand mufti that Spain is not under Muslim control. After all, any land that has been under Muslim control is ultimately supposed to return to Muslim control. I agree with Cheryl, he means pre-1900 Palestine, that was all part of the then Turkish Empire. I’ll bet it’s also an affront to the grand mufti that Spain is not under Muslim control. After all, any land that has been under Muslim control is ultimately supposed to return to Muslim control. I agree with Cheryl, he means pre-1900 Palestine, that was all part of the then Turkish Empire.

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