Friday, November 22, 2013

Sensibilities and the "Sons of Pigs and Apes"

by oldschooltwentysix

Yesterday, in a brief discussion with a friend, I mentioned a book called, "The sons of pigs and apes": Muslim antisemitism and the conspiracy of silence, by Neil Kressel, that I recently came across.

My friend is a progressive. Not like the ones to be found online. She is more accepting. And this is not to criticize her. It is more concerned with the way things are. About how Jews experience a disconnect when it comes to their status as an oppressed minority, more accurately the deprivation of that status, as hatred and threats to them grow out of all proportion.

After I mentioned the book, of which I had read a Kindle sample, she asked what is that, referring to the phrase "sons of pigs and apes." My conversational response was that it's what Muslims call Jews. This link to Palestinian Media Watch provides context. The belief is ingrained in Islam, past and present. Here is an example, among many, from last July:



Some say PMW disseminates propaganda. However, in 2007 Senator Hillary Clinton praised PMW for exposing child abuse, imposed by the Palestinian Authority, as above, through indoctrination that teaches them to hate Jews and Israel. Such demonization is prevalent in Palestinian society, and simple to discover if one looks.



Back to the story. Rather than acknowledgement of the utter indecency of calling EVERY Jew a son of a pig or ape, my good hearted friend admonished me for suggesting that ALL Muslims call Jews sons of pigs and apes. Did I not see that this is what a listener would conclude from my remark?

Only later did I realize her orientation was more concerned with protecting sensibilities of Muslims, generally, rather than the sensibilities and human rights of Jews, ALL Jews, to be free from these hateful, eliminationist threats, insults and behaviors based on the underlying belief by too many Muslims that Jews deserve to be exterminated.

The summary of Kressel's book says:
Though it is impossible to determine precisely how many of the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims hold anti-Jewish beliefs, Kressel finds that much bigotry comes from the highest levels of religious and political leadership.
There are 14 million Jews on the planet. If only 5% of Muslims held these beliefs, that would be 60 million people. Is my perceived bigotry or bigotry of Jews the real problem here?

Of course, before going forward, I had to clearly concede that I did not intend to suggest that ALL Muslims hated Jews. That should have been a given in the scheme of things. But the main point was lost, that Muslims do call Jews the sons of pigs and apes. With rare exception, ONLY Muslims do this.

There is nothing bigoted about presenting this fact based truth, not to mention the virtually complete silence of the Muslim community to confront it. It is not just Muslims, however. The Kressel summary also says:
[M]any in the West refuse to recognize this issue. The growing epidemic of hate has been largely ignored, misunderstood, or downplayed, Kressel reveals, because of apathy, ignorance, confusion, bigotry, ideology, purported pragmatism, and misguided multiculturalism. Those who value human rights ignore antisemitism at their own risk, he cautions, noting that no antisemitic regime or movement has ever been otherwise reasonable or progressive. 
This is what matters, at least to me. To say that "the sons of pigs and apes" is what Muslims (and only Muslims) call Jews (which is accurate), does not imply that ALL Muslims are equally guilty. To raise the implication actually diverts from what matters, which is the express bigotry toward Jews simply for not being Muslim, and the ignorance and indifference of too many among us.

Though not the intention of my friend, the same cannot be said for others, including activists that proclaim the right to define social justice. Diversion becomes a tactic to shut down discussion. In this case it diverted from the very first question asked about the insidious phrase itself, and perhaps lost was an opportunity to become more enlightened about reality that will likely continue to be obscured so long as communication is between those that agree among themselves.

5 comments:

  1. Nicely said, School.

    Speaking as the proud child of both apes and pigs, there is no question but that throughout much of the western political world, to call out obvious anti-Semitism makes one a troublemaker.

    Further, to call out Arab-Muslim anti-Semitism makes one a loathsome racist in need of shunning.

    None of us have the answer on how best to counter this phenomenon, but it is important to note it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It helps to inform, if one can get past the mindset that diverts such as occurred here.

      It also helps to illustrate to others the risks of accepting positions professed by people that have such incomplete knowledge on the subject.

      There are really two interrelated issues. Antisemitism and the evil interpretation of Western Civilization.

      Progressives stand for the rights of all oppressed minorities, or so they say, but they exclude the Jewish minority and cannot seem to see this is discrimination.

      Perhaps it is due to fear, much like what is indicated in this article about European antisemitism at Gatestone.

      http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4041/european-anti-semitism-muslims

      I also highly recommend the essays at Gatestone of Ali Salim to better understand the Arab mentality from an Arab perspective.

      Delete
    2. Or rather than exclude protection for Jews, certain progressives insist that they do in fact stand against antisemitism, as well, with the provision that they reserve the right to define same for themselves. Something they would never dare try regarding prejudice and bigotry against others.

      We see these types all over the place online, in particular.

      Delete
  2. Speech* by then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohammed, at the 2003 OIC summit, attended by the heads of state of the over 50 Muslim state members of the OIC (the Organization of Islamic Cooperation -- which, until 2011, was named the Organization of Islamic Conference):

    Dr Mahathir opens 10th OIC Summit
    http://www.mathaba.net/gci/news/mahathir.htm

    "...Is it true that 1.3 billion people can exert no power to save themselves from the humiliation and oppression inflicted upon them by a much smaller enemy? Can they only lash back blindly in anger? Is there no other way than to ask our young people to blow themselves up and kill people and invite the massacre of more of our own people?

    "It cannot be that there is no other way. 1.3 billion Muslims cannot be defeated by a few million Jews. There must be a way. ..."

    "...We are actually very strong. 1.3 billion people cannot be simply wiped out. The Europeans killed six million Jews out of 12 million. But today the Jews rule this world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them. ..."

    "...We are up against a people who think. They survived 2000 years of pogroms not by hitting back, but by thinking. They invented and successfully promoted Socialism, Communism, human rights and democracy so that persecuting them would appear to be wrong, so they may enjoy equal rights with others. With these they have now gained control of the most powerful countries and they, this tiny community, have become a world power. We cannot fight them through brawn alone. We must use our brains also. ..."

    ----

    "...The propagation of foolish ideas, lunatic affiliations, and galloping myopia among an otherwise accomplished people has left me not only bewildered but also, it pains me to confess, resentful. ..."

    -- David Solway, The Paradox of the Jewish Mind ( http://pjmedia.com/blog/the-paradox-of-the-jewish-mind/?singlepage=true )

    ----

    Note: * Hat tip to Francisco Gil-White:

    Will there soon be an anti-Jewish genocide in Israel? - A slide presentation of crucial evidence, by Francisco Gil-White [PowerPoint PPS file]
    http://www.hirhome.com/israel/catastrophe_en.pps

    The modern "Protocols of Zion" - How the mass media now promotes the same lies that caused the death of more than 5 million Jews in WWII - Part 1 - Introduction: The "Protocols of Zion" in the broadest historical perspective, by Francisco Gil-White
    http://www.hirhome.com/israel/mprot1.htm

    ReplyDelete
  3. One would likely find oneself banned from purported 'progressive' websites like Daily Kos for even broaching this topic.

    Brainless organizational apparatchiks like elfling would insist that their orders must be followed at all times, and that the hive mind must not ever be disturbed.

    Uppity Jews need to settle down. If you refuse to do so, you'll be smeared mercilessly.

    As far as Daniel's point goes, Mahathir Mohammed is even a hero to editors and front-pagers at places like that, as long as he's hating the 'right' people...

    ReplyDelete