Normally I do not think much about Islam and Muslims in general. That has changed recently based on the Israel/HAMAS war. More specifically related to discussions on how to end the war. Medium articles and comments from Muslims (and the vocal left for that matter) focus on the history and actions in the war that suggest the Palestinians are the victims.
Are the Palestinians victims? Seems to depend on three things:
a. Whether you view Israel is an oppressor/colonialist power committing genocide.
b. Whether you discount any historical claim that that Israel has to being a state in the area.
c. Whether you believe the Palestinians did and/or are enabling HAMAS.
I could dive into each one and play out the arguments for or against. From my perspective, there is a bigger issue that really is the elephant in the room.
Islam is incompatible with Western values.
As a gay man, that is obvious. Most Muslims (yes not all) in the world believe being gay is sexual perversion and should be illegal. Punishments for being gay range from being put in jail or if you interpret the Qu’ran literally, killed. Muslim’s view on being gay was clear with the last world soccer cup. Qatar cautioned LGBTQ+ people from being themselves if they attended. Being gay is illegal in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel supports being LGBTQ+.
Does saying that Islam is incomptible with Western values mean I am Islamophobic? I read the wiki article on Islamophobia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamophobia) to decide. What it describes does not represent my view of the Muslim religion. I do not hate Islam or Muslims.
I do not need the Islam religion to be compatible with Western values. Just as I do not need Evangelical Christians to support my marriage to a man. I am good with Muslims having their values and culture being based on their various interpretations of the Qu’ran (lets be real here, there are many Muslim sects/interpretations).
I do need Muslims to not impose their beliefs on me. This is less of a problem with Evangelical Christians. They have given up on making being gay illegal. Now they really want the same as me. Evangelical Christians do not want my gay morality and culture imposed on them. The West’s democracy as messy as it is will sort this out.
In the large part, that is not the case with Muslims and the Muslim world. They are specifically calling the West infidels worthy of being wiped out. To some extent this is the fault of the West given the West is always muddling in their internal politics (i.e. to secure the oil supply). Muslim countries and most Muslims worldwide are calling for Israel to be returned to the Palestinians. They want the area to become Muslim again. Then they can begin fighting over which flavor of Islam should be dominant.
When Muslims immigrate to Western countries– in Europe or the Americas — they largely do not assimilate into the culture of the country. They establish Muslim communities that have Muslim culture and values. That is what is causing the backlash in Europe on Muslim immigration and also now in the United States. I am of Danish heritage. My Danish relatives no longer support having Muslims immigrate to Denmark. Why? Because the Muslims create separate communities with their own values. Muslims do not adopt the Danish culture or learn the Danish language.
In the United States, I (and many others) have a hard time with Muslims (and the vocal left — e.g. Harvard debacle) who suggested that HAMAS is not a terrorist organization. The Israel/HAMAS war exposed the problem with Muslims (and Palestinian sympathizers) in the West. Muslims largely believe the West caused HAMAS to react. Muslims are tearing down posters of Israeli victims. Muslims are calling for an end to the war without addressing the issue of HAMAS wanting to eliminate Israel as a state.
I can empathize with Palestinian views. Many were displaced from Israel. Many do not believe Israel should exist. Many believe the Jews have no claim to be in the area that is Israel and the West Bank. I understand that view. Especially given the Palestinian ancestral tie to area and the dominance of the Muslim religion in the area since the 7th century. I will diverge here on one historical quirk. It is very likely that the ancestors of the Palestinians were Christians or Jews before the Muslims conquered the area in the 7th century.
I believe in only one of two solutions to how the Israel/Palestinian issue gets settled.
Israel is a Western country. They have a state charter and a democracy that defines their laws. Are they perfect? No democracy is perfect. They are all messy. Are they guilty of genocide? The question is moot. It depends on perspective. The question changes nothing. Jews in Israel largely want a Jewish state in their historical homeland. That includes the West Bank and East Jerusalem. As it turns out, it does not include Gaza. But for security reasons, they no longer are willing to allow a Muslim state in Gaza.
Palestinians are Muslim and have been for centuries (roughly 13 centuries). Palestinians have a culture that is largely based on autocratic Muslim leadership. The West has tried to establish a democracy in Gaza and the West Bank. It has not worked. HAMAS is the autocratic leader of Gaza. HAMAS and the Palestinian Authority are fighting for leadership in the West Bank. Palestinians want all of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza to be a new Palestinian state. All recent history points to that being the case.
With this as an overview what are the possible solutions to the Israel/Palestinian issue:
a. Israel takes over the complete area. This is currently where Israel is headed. Israel annexes the West Bank. Israel has already annexed East Jerusalem. Israel maintains security control over Gaza. Israel offers citizenship to Palestinians in Gaza (as they already have to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the Golan heights). Israel keeps its charter as a Jewish state — i.e. Jews are allowed to immigrate. Muslims are not. Muslims in Israel are welcome as long as they align with the founding charter of Israel.
b. Israel, the West Bank and Gaza become a new Muslim state — i.e. Palestine. Jews can be citizens of the state. They will likely be repressed or have to leave given the history of Muslim treatment of Jews. Jerusalem becomes the capital of the Palestinian state.
The idea of two-state solution is not supported by the Israelis. It is clear the Palestinians never supported a two-state solution. The two-state solution is the West trying to impose Western ideals on Muslims. Islam is incompatible with Western ideals, as such, a two-state solution will not work.
A and B above are both brutal to one side of the conflict. Regardless, pragmatically (versus idealistically) those are the only real solutions. B will only happen if a war erupts in the Middle East and Israel loses. Does not seem likely.
I do not really care about the debate on what happened in the last 100 years in the area. Its good to understand the history. But the history does not make either A or B above the right answer. That debate is an intellectual exercise with little pragmatic value. As stated above, the genocide charge against Israel by the ANC in South Africa is meaningless. World opinion is divided into the West and Muslims (with China and Russia siding with the ANC just because). Its largly political posturing (especially when you research more into the ANCs ties to the PLO and the ANCs current approval rating in South Africa). Agreeing or disagreeing on whether genocide is the goal of Israel or HAMAS does not change the pragmatic reality. Islam is incompatible with Western values.
Thanks for reading. Very interested in comments.
