Submitted by Renee Bouvier (United States), Mar 9, 2009 at 11:42
"No Muslims - No Terrorism" is not the same as "No Arabs - No Terrorism." Many of the people on Wall Street, operating the various financial institutions and organizations, and the actual bankers themselves here in the United States are Jewish. So one could easily create a specious argument or syllogism of "No Jews - No Malfeasance" in the United States, especially if one is a victim of the likes of Bernard Madoff.
Singling out an entire racial, ethnic group for elimination and/or expulsion is not the same as criticizing a religion and/or religious belief. It is not only acceptable, but legitimate, to criticize and condemn antiquated religious belief and dangerous ideology. Whereas, it is not legitimate to encourage the extermination and/or expulsion of an entire people, just because a significant sector of its population is causing a lot of pain and suffering to everyone else, including members of their own racial/ethnic group. If one wants to create a resolution to the violence and to the hatred, one must invest in creating an institution, and thereby a culture, which will preclude the growth and flourishing of any type or degree of hatred and racism towards any ethic/racial group and/or entity.
So far, no one in the world wants to make this investment, because they seem to be way too comfortable with their practices of the Bronze Age and antiquated belief systems. Religious belief and other forms of exclusive ideology evidently cause problems -- not people. The fact that people are so easily inculcated into hating another people is the problem. How do we educate the masses into thinking for themselves instead easily being brainwashed into hating "the other?" That's the problem. We should be rejoicing over our differences as human beings; instead, we are hating and killing each other over our differences. Two wrongs do not make a right.
Just because certain individuals on one side of the equation are advocating a final solution, encompassing all sorts of hatred, killing, and racism, does not make it legitimate for individuals on the other side of the equation to likewise practice such hatred. Should the Jews reciprocate in kind by creating their own suicide bombing squads to kill thousands upon thousands of Arab Muslims? After all, the Jews have proven many times over that they are extremely capable, perhaps more capable than their adversaries, in accomplishing and competing in a similar task.
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