One wonders if Israeli generosity to the largely Islamic countries that were victims of the tsunami will be remembered or even known by the citizens of those countries. Nevertheless, one Israeli inventor may have done more to prevent future disasters of this nature than any other human being. What a guy!
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Israelís generosity will only impress the more moderate Muslims. Regrettably, the majority remain suspicious of any westernerís motives. We are supposedly vile and disgusting. Itís going be a long time before these hearts and minds will be changed for the better. This is why the war on terror will continue for many years into the future. It may minimally take two more generations before the hard core Muslims opt for modernity. The perspicacious Robert Spencer sees no reason to be overly optimistic:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=16584
Roger:
I doubt if the people of the region would ever know what the Israelis did for them. Vanishing penises they might be hear about, but generosity? Nope.
Actually, I don’t wonder at all. I know that the good we do we do for ourselves–out a sense of higher, personal morality that has nothing to do with how much those we are helping hate us. The beneficiaries of our largesse will hate us no matter what we do or how much we help them because is their hatred is born of one simple yet compelling fact: we are not them.
A bit OT, but there is a debate about whether anti-zionism (or criticism of Israel) is anti-Semitic, and a denial of the rise of anti-Semitism, over on Marc Cooper’s blog. I didn’t have the details to refute the denail of European anti-Semitism. If someone has solid info on Europe, they might want to wander over there. Be advised that it is a Left Wing blog, but Marc is a good guy. His preference is for short posts that stay on topic (which, if you read many of mine, is something I have great difficulty with).
As for the good we (US) or the Israeli’s do, it does help our position among many, and at least it is humanitarian help for those who don’t appreciate it.
It is also true that many people resent help – after they have taken advantage of it – because of it’s impact on their self esteem. This is happening widely in Iraq, where individuals dislike the US (not enough to fight us) because they are ashamed that they couldn’t do it themselves. This is to be expected, especially in a shame culture such as Arab environment.
To give and not to count the cost; To fight and not to heed the wounds; To toil and not to seek for rest; To labour and not ask for any reward Save that of knowing that we do Thy will.
IGNATIUS LOYOLA
Roger:
1 Peter-17, “For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”
John Moore:
They’ve got plenty to be ashamed of.
Scapegoating outsiders is inevitable in a conservative Muslim culture. Some 400-500 years ago, for whatever reason, the Islamic world opted to reject modernity. This resulted in their current second rate status. But arenít they supposedly the children of Allah? Shouldnít Muslims therefore dominate the universe? If they do not—isnít it obvious that Muslims have been cheated, the Jews and other Westerners have taken advantage of them? Revenge, according to this line of reasoning, is merely a common sense response.