I may be the last person to be adding to a blogosphere vibrating with emotion about the apalling terrorist murders in Mumbai.
The horrifying carnage waged by those who believe their despicable acts glorify their god--and are even commanded by their god--leave all sane and civilized people in mourning and shock.
A point made by my favorite talk show host today, however, was different, and struck me. Fave Host was talking about a blog post by Commentary Magazine and NYTimes columnist Max Boot for Nov. 29, in which he suggests that by now, terrorist attacks in India are so common as to earn barely a mention in the Western press.
The Host added that in order to gain the notoreity and importance the killers desired--in order to force the world to take notice--they selected Americans and Jews as their targets. Even if their aim was to foment friction or war between India, a Democratic power, and Pakistan, a goal that did not include the United States or Israel specifically.
Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek International Editor and a native of Mumbai, said in an interview that he thought disaffected Indian Muslims, left behind in the current economic boom, were recruited by outside groups, probably trained in Pakistan. The name offered by those claiming responsibility, the Deccan Mujahedeen, is unfamiliar to terrorist experts.
But while the perpetrators and their purposes are sorted out, we on the sidelines--who can barely stomach the details and watch reports through cracks between fingers we lift to block our eyes--are personally affected by the horror. Americans in India are not just citizens of any foreign country, who happen to be there. The Jews of Chabad House were not just any religious workers selflessly bringing services and solace in an emerging land. Both Americans and Jews stand out on the world stage as much more.
Americans represent the freedom and diversity that Islam seeks to quash. The wealth and upward mobility that extremist Muslims rue. We represent a free press and instant, constant news. Command the airwaves, command the blogosphere, and you have power.
Jews symbolize all of that and more. Historically attacked, isolated, and destroyed partially because communication is central to the religion, Jews are the opposite of diversity--representing unity, in a direction that jihadist Muslims despise. Jews are as completely "not them" as any people can be. And hated all the more because the Jewish connection to God is via a brother and more importantly, a rival, of a figurehead of their religion. Where Abraham is shared by both Judaism and Islam, the Koran claims that Ishmael, the son of Abraham's concubine/wife Hagar, is the inheritor of the Godly mantle. The Torah, of course, shows Isaac as the descendant God favors, one of the "fathers" of Jewish thought and practice.
Rabbi Gabriel and his wife Rivka Holtzberg, 28 years old with five years invested in Mumbai creating a haven of Jewish worship, study and practice surrounded by a cacophony of alien philosophies and religions, were a natural target. For Muslim extremists, The rival is here and must not prosper.
This very physical battle in Mumbai was a victory for the terrorists, whose free reign in the face of unarmed police and few barriers is a grim warning about the importance of weapons for those who keep peace, and a reminder that Americans dare not become complacent.
But more than that, this is a spiritual battle, and on that front, the values and Godly connection of Americans and Jews worldwide need not lose. The response of the Chabad Jewish outreach organization to the tragedy is to urge Jews to take on a new mitzvah, to draw closer to God by fulfilling more of His commandments, with a more fervent spirit. This is a response with a different type of weapon. The kind that suicide murderers cannot combat, no matter what they try to do.
I may be the last person to be adding to a blogosphere vibrating with emotion about the apalling terrorist murders in Mombai.
ReplyDeleteSo worth the wait. As to the Rabbi and his wife: may their memory be a blessing forever.
“The horrifying carnage waged by those who believe their despicable acts glorify their god--and are even commanded by their god..” Yes, of course – but we don’t need to go into the history of fundamentalism in general, do we? Witch hunts, Inquisitions, Mormon Indian killers, Zionist shock troops, and so on. It isn’t just the Muslims.
ReplyDeleteYour “favorite talk show host” – Michael Medved, who recently advocated rounding up all homeless people and putting them in mental institutions, like the Germans used to do with their undesirables – has a habit of changing the subject and going to a commercial when anything starts to make too much sense. It is widely known that America is disliked by certain populations in certain parts of the world, not because of “our freedoms,” but because of our behavior. Just think back to Madeleine Albright saying on international TV news that 250,000 dead Iraqi children was “acceptable.” Imagine that some of those children are yours and you may begin to understand.
You say that “Both Americans and Jews stand out on the world stage as much more” than just ordinary citizens. How superior of you – how utterly, despicably xenophobic. It really gets weird when you talk about the “Jewish connection to God,” how it’s superior to the Islamic version. “Koran claims that Ishmael, the son of Abraham's concubine/wife Hagar, is the inheritor of the Godly mantle,” you say, but “The Torah, of course, shows Isaac as the descendant God favors…” Of course, your book is better than theirs. Yours is the Best Book. Believers in the Best Book living in foreign country “surrounded by a cacophony of alien philosophies and religions.” Cacophony: “harsh or discordant sound,” Merriam-Webster. Again, how superior of you.
Hate them for the sake of the book. Define them, slander them, put them in institutions. Do not listen to them, put words in their mouths, dehumanize and devalue them. And if necessary, kill them in the name of the Book.
Jim, I think you win for 'most vehement comment.' I don't think any of the religiously motivated killings you mention are justified, and I don't know what set you off on your tirade. I was merely commenting on the Mumbai slaughter.
ReplyDeleteMichael Medved doesn't advocate "rounding up all homeless and putting them in mental institutions." Only the ones who are ill and when not supervised don't take the medication that would allow them to improve. If you've ever listened to the show, you know he goes to great lengths to keep disagreeing callers over breaks, which occur at times he cannot control.
I don't claim that Jews or Christians have the only path toward God, but I do consider a religion that now, today seeks to kill everyone else (including other sects of their own faith--witness Sunnis vs Shiites) and force their rule over the world not only wrong, but evil. There are many, many Muslims, btw, who vocally oppose extremists.
I say "of course" re the Torah because I assume my readers have some familiarity with the Bible. Your assumptions and snide comments may be typical on Townhall--and despite the tone, I welcome them here--but I was hoping for a more civil and polite discourse on my blog.
Thank you Northern Light for all your lovely, thoughful posts. Every morning at my office, while my officemates line up at the coffee pot or step outside for a smoke, I click on Searching for Bright Light and check for a little refreshment of a more spiritual or mental variety. I find your ideas insightful (not inciteful!) and uplifting.
ReplyDeleteI've never left a response before. Instead I've been content to enjoy your blog and the comments left by others, but the caustic post by Jim on 11/28 has bothered me for days. And after reading his latest post I can stay silent no longer.
One serious difference between the past evils done by Jews and Christians is that their book (the Bible) condemns such behavior. Look to a peoples' God, too, before you judge their faith. Practitioners of any religion are mere fallible humans and therefore subject to all kinds of failures and often misrepresent/fail to measure up to the standards of their God. Jim cites atrocities (or at least accusations of such) as if there was never an outcry or condemnation of these events from faithful people.
Jews have been targets of hatred and attempted genocide for most of history. Their ability to survive and flourish even against all odds (and some of the mightiest foes) is a testament to God's plan for and promise to them. They aren't the Chosen People because they are better than everyone else (hence no reason for feeling "superior"). Rather they are Chosen because God wills it so. Singled out for His blessings and singled out for the world's curses. Sounds like some pretty severe sibling rivalry that started with Isaac and Ishmael perhaps, as Northern Light described. There's a verse in Genesis (12:3) that reads, "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you." Pretty plain. No mention of conditions.
We could pick arguments apart and get very disputatious, but to what end? Accepting the words of the Bible as God's revelation to man requires trust in Him. The light is there but one is fully able to reject it as an exercise of free will.
Too many words on my part, but I can't bstand the thought of this blog that so blesses my day turning into a source of anxiety and attack. Thank you for sharing, Northern Light.
Thank you Northern Light for all your lovely, thoughful posts. Every morning at my office, while my officemates line up at the coffee pot or step outside for a smoke, I click on Searching for Bright Light and check for a little refreshment of a more spiritual or mental variety. I find your ideas insightful (not inciteful!) and uplifting.
ReplyDeleteI've never left a response before. Instead I've been content to enjoy your blog and the comments left by others, but the caustic post by Jim on 11/28 has bothered me for days. And after reading his latest post I can stay silent no longer.
One serious difference between the past evils done by Jews and Christians is that their book (the Bible) condemns such behavior. Look to a peoples' God, too, before you judge their faith. Practitioners of any religion are mere fallible humans and therefore subject to all kinds of failures and often misrepresent/fail to measure up to the standards of their God. Jim cites atrocities (or at least accusations of such) as if there was never an outcry or condemnation of these events from faithful people.
Jews have been targets of hatred and attempted genocide for most of history. Their ability to survive and flourish even against all odds (and some of the mightiest foes) is a testament to God's plan for and promise to them. They aren't the Chosen People because they are better than everyone else (hence no reason for feeling "superior"). Rather they are Chosen because God wills it so. Singled out for His blessings and singled out for the world's curses. Sounds like some pretty severe sibling rivalry that started with Isaac and Ishmael perhaps, as Northern Light described. There's a verse in Genesis (12:3) that reads, "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you." Pretty plain. No mention of conditions.
We could pick arguments apart and get very disputatious, but to what end? Accepting the words of the Bible as God's revelation to man requires trust in Him. The light is there but one is fully able to reject it as an exercise of free will.
Too many words on my part, but I can't bstand the thought of this blog that so blesses my day turning into a source of anxiety and attack. Thank you for sharing, Northern Light.
Thanks for the feedback. “Michael Medved doesn't advocate ‘rounding up all homeless and putting them in mental institutions.’” Oh yes he does – I heard him say it on his radio show. It listen to it from time to time. Even the caller he was talking to couldn’t believe he said it, but he did.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to Islam you say, “I do consider a religion that now, today seeks to kill everyone else (including other sects of their own faith--witness Sunnis vs Shiites) and force their rule over the world not only wrong, but evil.” And then, immediately afterwards you say, “There are many, many Muslims, btw, who vocally oppose extremists.” You have just contradicted yourself. If it’s the religion that seeks to kill people, as you say in the first sentence, then it would be impossible to be a Muslim of any kind without committing atrocities. I know that the Fave Host has talked many times over his mighty microphone about how there is “something fundamentally wrong with Islam.” Is this what you think too?
“I don't know what set you off on your tirade.” Okay. There has been an official “Crusaders Mindset” in place since 9-11 when little Bush swaggered up to the podium and said, “Dead or Alive.” And there has been an active denial syndrome keeping us from looking at certain realities of our international posturing.
“They” do not “hate us for out freedoms.” That is real dangerous, stupid propaganda. Remember what Madeleine Albright said: 250,000 dead Iraqi children were “acceptable.”
We are changing course now, hopefully for the better. See you down the road…