Last July, I published an article regarding a recent court ruling banning ritual circumcision in Germany in which I expressed my grave concern about the decision and its parallel to the Nuremberg Laws of the 1930s.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel immediately expressed her concern about the Cologne ruling and how it would undoubtedly affect freedom of religion in Germany. It sounded good at first. She vowed to find a solution as quickly as possible. While I was temporarily satisfied with her voicing her concern, I was not extremely hopeful that the ruling would be reversed or that a compromise would even be found. Two rabbis have already been charged since the June ruling.
Let me reiterate that by virtue of its very bloody track record with the Jews, Germany is obviously disqualified to make such a move. Not that any country really would even have the right to forbid Jews to perform the age old brit milah (circumcision as ordained by God Himself in Genesis 17:9-14). Angela Merkel also expressed her fear that if the ban was upheld, Germany could become “a laughing stock”. Poor choice of words Madam Chancellor, because this issue is certainly NO LAUGHING MATTER!
It so happens that the next move was made yesterday by Germany when it was declared in Berlin that circumcision wasn’t illegal as long as the parents consented and that it was performed by a doctor and not a mohel (a mohel is a Jewish man, usually a rabbi, qualified to perform the ritual of brit milah). So, doctors YES, but rabbis NO!
What seems to be a victory for the Jewish community –and the Muslim community who also performs ritual circumcisions on boys before puberty–is actually a defeat! Circumcision viewed as a medical procedure might be allowed now, but it sends a chilling message to the Jewish community that they continue to be forbidden to perform it from a religious standpoint, something we have been free to do for thousands of years.
Unless Germany’s federal government decides to intervene and revert the ban, Jews in Germany will continue to be harassed, persecuted and even arrested for performing a religious rite that goes back to Genesis. I see no victory there!
It was only 70 years ago when Germany forced the Jews out of society little by little. Back then, it was socially acceptable to loathe the Jews. We can even say that it was a duty to the Third Reich that every good German ought to perform. Anti-Semitism was the fuel that helped to move Hitler’s war machine. We are only two or three generations removed from that event, and Germany is again dabbling with anti-Jewish laws. The sad part, is that we are not even talking about a revisionist country like Iran, claiming that the Holocaust never happened. We are dealing with a country who took decades to recover from the horrors it inflicted upon my people. And if you ask me, it has not recovered and learned from its horrific mistakes but instead it has gone into an inexcusable state of denial that I label convenient historical amnesia!
But, some will ask: “why see this legal decision as anti-Semitic since it is also affecting close to 4 million Muslims?”. After all, Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit just declared that Berlin Jews can absolutely feel safe in his city and that he can even be seen wearing a kippa (skullcap) in solidarity with the Jewish community. Worry not Jews of Berlin your city is safe! Unless of course you are Jewish and wearing a kippa like the rabbi and his six-year old daughter attacked on the streets of Berlin last week by a group of four youth of Arab descent. What an empty statement of reassurance!
By the way, we have yet to hear about Muslims breaking the law by performing their version of ritual circumcision.
The very country that should proclaim their own version of NEVER AGAIN when it comes to Jewish hatred, is the one restraining Jewish life AGAIN. What a shame! What will happen in other countries who don’t even have the shadow of the Holocaust looming in their own backyard? Germans have conveniently forgotten their guilt as they start to target Jews again while the rest of the world justifies anti-Semitism under the names of anti-Zionism and anti-Israelism.
Germany is sending worldwide anti-Semites a clear message: “If WE of all people can forget the past, reenact it and get away with it, what do you all have to worry about?”
I cannot help but be reminded of the verse found in Hebrews 10:31:
It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God
Those who go after my people like the German government at the current time, will have to answer to God for their actions, while those who love Israel (Genesis 12:3) and help my people, will find themselves in the center of God’s will. Where would you rather be?
Hitler in India: Ignorance or Defiance?
This last week, just when I thought that moral debasement had reached an all time low, once again and to my great dismay, I was proven wrong.
Just a few days ago, the Estonian gas company GasTerm Eesti used a picture of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp entrance stating “Arbeit macht frei” (Work makes you free) on their website with the caption: “Gas heating–flexible, convenient and effective”. In all fairness to them, after they received several complaints from various sources, they decided to pull the photo and issue a statement of apology.
This being said, who in his right mind would want to associate ANYTHING to the stigma of the infamous Auschwitz photograph? Let alone a commercial for gas! This was done with such bad taste that I thought we had reached a record low in human depravity. But wait, it actually gets worse! For this, we must travel 5,000 miles south east of Estonia to Ahmedabad, India.
Rajesh Shah is the young co-owner of a brand new clothing store where he sells Western men’s wear. T-Shirts, shirts, jeans and other iconic fashion elements from the West. I always salute entrepreneurship, but in this case, I must make an exception.
The entire branding of his store (storefront, letterhead, cards, logo, etc) bear the word: HITLER with a swastika in a circle as dot on the i of HITLER.
This raises the question of why would anybody want to use the name Hitler to sell anything unless they are promoting neo-Nazi paraphernalia? To this question I only see two possible answers: Ignorance or defiance.
It is part of who I am to give anybody the benefit of the doubt before I draw any conclusions. so, I will look for any validity in Mr Shah’s claim of ignorance.
Mr Shah claimed that until he opened the store, he really didn’t know too much about Hitler and his legacy. He also stated that it wasn’t until then that he found out about the 6,000,000 people that Hitler killed. Apparently, Shah’s partner had a grandfather who was so strict that he was nicknamed “Hitler”, thus the name for the store.
This would definitely be an unfortunate choice if it was true. But is there truly a younger Indian generation who knows NOTHING about Adolph Hitler? I find this hard to believe! Not to mention the fact that if the name HITLER was used without premeditation and without prior knowledge of the dictator’s legacy of blood and hatred, why in the world would the “i” be dotted with a swastika?
I can already see defenders of Mr. Shah quickly come to his rescue and mention that the symbol originated in India and that maybe he was simply adding an Indian touch to his logo? It is correct that the swastika (meaning “to be good” in Sanskrit) originated in India and goes as far back in history as the period known as Classical Antiquity (8th -7th Century B.C.). This being said, we must also note that the Indian rendition of the symbol is always upright (forming a square) and NEVER TILTED (forming a diamond). The tilted swastika was adopted by the Nazi party (either clockwise or counter-clockwise). And it is of course the tilted one that Mr. Shah chose to use.
Maybe he was not aware of the subtle difference? I sincerely doubt it, especially in light of the additional comments he made about the choice of HITLER for his branding as he went on to defend his choice for such a name:
“None of the other people are complaining, only a few families. I have not hurt any sentiments of the majority Hindu community. If he did something in Germany, is that our concern?”
I feel pretty confident that ignorance can be ruled out and this only leaves one other reason: Defiance. Mr. Shah feels that he has not offended the majority of his people. What about the rest of the world? What about the Jewish community? Have we become so narrow-minded and self absorbed that we only care about our immediate community? Yet Mr. Shah is educated enough to know Western culture and its fashion industry. Does he suffer from selective ignorance or careless defiance?
Mr. Shah most certainly saw some shock value in such a name. He claims that he will change the name only if compensated for his expenses. I don’t see much remorse in that statement!. This also comes from a country where Hitler’s biography “Mine Kampf” is still popular in bookstores and amongst street vendors.
What I see here is a tremendous lack of sensitivity and human decency at best, and defiance against the Jewish people (not to call it anti-Semitism) at worst.
Any way you look at it, Mr. Shah is only paving the way for more insensitivity towards Jewish people and the Holocaust. At a time when survivors of the Shoah are dwindling away, such a position is only reinforcing the liberal agenda of Holocaust deniers, something that we can certainly all do without.
Mr. Shah is the exact reason why I will continue to be vocal about such insensitive displays. To educate, speak up and take action.
Anti-Israel Double Standard Sets a Scary Precedent in San Francisco!
Gone are the days when waiting for the bus, one was exposed to billboards and posters inviting them to try the best tissue, soft drink or candy bar. Advertising is as much a part of 21st century consumerism as it ever was, but the rules are changing. At least they are in San Francisco!
Last week, a series of ads started to appear on the side of municipal buses in San Francisco.
The ads, as shown above, were paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, an organization led by very vocal pro-Israel and anti-Islamist, Pamela Geller.
When I label Ms. Geller as an anti-Islamist–a position I actually take as well– I am very specific with my terminology.We must understand the difference between a Muslim and an Islamist before we use the words interchangeably, as they are far from being synonymous. While all professed Muslims follow the religion of Islam within boundaries more our less dictated by their holy book the Qur’an, not all Muslims are Islamists. The term Islamist usually refers to a militant Muslim whose life is entirely ruled by the Qur’an and the Hadiths (commentaries on the Qur’an). As a result, Islamists are more passionate about their beliefs, less tolerant about others (even within Islam) and potentially more violent. I do believe that Muslims who adhere to the Qur’an and promote Sharia have no choice but to follow it’s teachings and as a result become vastly intolerant regarding the “infidels” (ie: all non-Muslim). This being established, I feel that the ad campaign deserves our attention for several reasons.
While I do not support some of the verbiage used in the actual copy of the ad, I support truth, justice and real peace.
I do not believe that the use of the word “savage” was the most appropriate in such a short ad where ambiguity might easily lead to confusion. According to the dictionary, the word savage can mean “uncivilized”, “barbaric”, “vicious” and/or “brutal”. What is implied in the ad as it pertains to the middle-east conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, is that Israelis are the civilized party while the Palestinians are the savages. It this true?
Anyone who is interested in the facts about the middle-east conflict and who is honest enough to search for the truth, will discover that the Palestinian Authority (Hamas and Fatah) are far from honest.
Additionally, Palestinians have been deconstructed and rebuilt by political correctness from perpetrator to victims and, Israelis have been deconstructed and rebuilt by political correctness from victims to perpetrators. A complete role reversal has been taking place under the eyes of a mostly uneducated world whose bias is so flagrant that it could almost be comedic if it was not tragically anti-Semitic.
Have Islamists acted like savages over the last few decades? You tell me?
Of all the terrorist bombings perpetrated in Israel and worldwide over the last six decades, were any done by non-Muslim? NO!
Are civilians (including children) ever used as human shield? ABSOLUTELY YES
We cannot deny that the methods used by radical Muslims (Islamists) are often barbaric. After all, if any culture or belief system values death more than Western civilization values life, “savage” actions will undoubtedly follow, and they have! Yet we must be careful to not label all Muslims as Islamists, something I am not convinced that the ad conveys clearly.
The ad also seems to imply that we will defeat Jihad simply by supporting Israel. I think that that statement also needs clarification.
Many Muslims will tell you, and rightfully so, that jihad simply means “struggle”. They will often insist on the fact that it can mean many kinds of struggles and not necessarily violence and savage killings. In the broader sense, I agree with the definition of the word jihad, but it is rarely if ever used that way within Islam and NEVER used that way by Islamic fundamentalists (Islamists).
In his book The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam, Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch, documents the importance of Jihad for the Muslim world at large:
The unpleasant fact is that violent jihad warfare against unbelievers is not a heretical doctrine held by a tiny minority of extremists, but a constant element of mainstream Islamic theology…This is true of all four principal schools of Sunni Muslim jurisprudence, the Maliki, Hanafi, Hanbali and Shafi’i, to which the great majority of Muslims worldwide belong.1.
So let us call jihad what it is for most of the Muslim world: A struggle to establish Sharia law by force if necessary (why would one want to submit to Sharia by choice continues to be very puzzling to me and most Westerners). The Qur’an is clear: “Mohammed is God’s apostle. Those who follow him are harsh to the unbelievers but merciful to one another” (Surah 48:29).
In the process, infidels either accept Islam and convert, pay the jizya (tax) to the Muslim leadership as second-class citizens (dhimmis) or simply fight the Muslims. There is never an option to peacefully coexist and accept each other’s differences. Multiculturalism and tolerance as promoted by a 21st century postmodern world is only used by Islamists to further infiltrate our world and gain further control (as slowly as necessary, yet as fast possible) , but it is never accepted as an alternative approach to existence.
Looking back at the ad, it will take much more than supporting Israel to fight and defeat jihad simply because it takes a lot more than “helping a friend” to be able to defeat their enemy.
I am a fervent supporter of Israel, her biblical right to the Land and her right to exist. This doesn’t mean that I take a blinded approach to Zionism. I do not agree with every single decision made within the Knesset walls. One can genuinely disagree with a government’s policies without being blatantly against that government or its people. A fair assessment is always within reach as long as the disagreement is based on FACTS and NOT FICTION. Of course, this is hardly ever the case when it comes to the middle-East conflict.
Jihad can stop, but first people have to care and decide that they want to educate themselves about the root of radical Islam.
Jihad can stop if people actually do not allow sharia to taint the fabric of Western civilization.
Jihad will stop when real peace from Yeshua (Jesus) the Prince of Peace is established and not a Muslim caliphate ruling the world (Isaiah 9:6-7).
I guess what even bothers me the most, is the fact that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MUNI) decided to run a series of ads to counter the message of Ms. Geller’s campaign ON THE VERY SAME BUSES where the original ads are (see below). This is a first in advertising, when ads to counter a campaign were not ran by the people who felt targeted, in this case, the Muslim community, but by the organization used as the platform for the ads.
I am outraged because this is such a case of double standard and willful blindness. Multiple ad campaigns have appeared all across America that deface and demonize Israel but you NEVER see the people behind the medium used (such as MUNI) run counter ads to defend Israel. Of course not!
A precedent was set in San Francisco and based on the history of my people and the parallel timeline of anti-Semitism through the ages, I am certain that we will see more of the same in the months if not weeks to come. The scapegoat of humanity has ALWAYS been the Jew.
HOW MANY DIFFERENT WAYS CAN YOU SPELL ANTI-SEMITISM?
1. Robert Spencer, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades (Regnery Publishing, Washington DC, 2005) Page 38.
Time for the Arab “Spring Cleaning” in Egypt!
Recently, I wrote about the change of power in Egypt and the quiet Muslim Brotherhood takeover. The world watched, hopeful and encouraged as a man came to replace Hosni Mubarak in a “free election”. The army was still in place and very much involved in controlling every move the government made. I did not know how long this would last, but I felt it would be short lived.
Well, it didn’t last very long! Newly elected Egyptian Mohamed Morsi seized the day when he saw a unique opportunity to force the current armed forces generals to step aside. It has only been six weeks, and Morsi–a first-class opportunist–grabbed the occasion of the Sinai Peninsula incident of August 5, to restructure the Egyptian army’s leadership. Morsi fired his intelligence chief, the commander of the military police, the commander of the presidential guards and just a few days ago, he ousted defense minister and top military chief Field Marshall Mohammed Hussein Tantawi and his chief of staff Sami Anan. Morsi went as far as suspending the constitutional amendment that had been put in place by the military to restrict and control his power and decision making (article 25).
The path is a lot clearer now!
The new President was quick to assert authority in his first major decision since the elections in June. He is only showing the Egyptian people and the rest of the region who is in charge now. Not to worry, it’s good for Egypt! And to the rest of Western civilization and particularly to the liberal media, this might appear as the right move. To be fair, in a truly democratic government, this would be the ethical thing to do. After all,
We are living in the days of civil unrest!
We are living in the days of economic uncertainty!
We are living in the days of confidence lost!
It is time to have a leader who can lead!
This again is reminiscent of another time of history. Let me refresh your memory as we travel back to Europe in the early 1930s.
In 1930, the National Socialist Party (Nazi Party) took 107 seats in the Reichtag (the German legislative body). It was still a minority position in the German government, but not for long.
On January 30, 1933, aging German President Paul von Hindenburg ( President of the bankrupt and hyper inflated Weimar Republic) was hopeful for change when he named Adolph Hitler the new Chancellor of a coalition government. The National Socialist Party was a shoe in! New Reichtag elections were set for March.
It didn’t take long for Hitler to find flaws in the Weimar Constitution. Two emergency provisions (article 25 that allowed the President to dissolve the Reichtag and 48 that allowed the President to sign into law emergency bills without the consent of the Reichtag) would allow Hitler and his cohorts to tip the scale and firmly assert power. The grip was on, the grip was strong and the rest is history!
No, I am not comparing President Morsi to Adolph Hitler, because nobody should be compared to that evil murderer. But I am comparing desperate measures for desperate times.
Germans were living in the days of civil unrest!
Germans were living in the days of economic uncertainty!
Germans were living in the days of confidence lost!
It was time to have a leader who can lead!
Now what? Morsi has asserted himself as the authoritative leader of Egypt. How long before he is seen or even declares himself as the “Supreme Leader”? With the backing of the Muslim Brotherhood whose motto is worth restating–Allah is our objective, the Prophet our leader, Qur’an is our law, Jihad is our way, dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope– Morsi is well on his way to implement a Qur’anic government in Egypt. All this of course under the eyes of an apathetic “Free World” as reported in this sobering interview by Glenn Beck:
For over three decades, Egypt has been at peace with Israel. Morsi is now considering the possibility of changing the Camp David Peace Treaty with Israel. He of course, is receiving much support from the Muslim Brotherhood in that area.
The vise grip is tightening on Israel! The uncertainty within Syria, Hezbollah’s pressuring from the north, Iran now fine tuning their nuclear arsenal and Egypt much closer to a sharia ruled government are creating a powder keg of proportions never reached before in the history of mankind.
Ah! But if only Israel would get along with its neighbors and give back the land to their rightful owners the Palestinian people, everything would fall back into place in the Middle East and in the rest of the world, right?
WRONG! Because nothing Israel can or will do will change the goal of the Muslim Brotherhood, that same Muslim Brotherhood backing President Morsi and making strides towards a re-established Caliphate WITHOUT ISRAEL AND WITHOUT THE JEWISH PEOPLE!
Someone once said:”We don’t know what the future holds but we know who holds the future”I would like to rephrase that a bit different to say that:
BECAUSE WE KNOW WHO HOLDS THE FUTURE, WE CAN KNOW WITH CERTAINTY WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS!
Olympic Chairman Gets Gold Medal in Hypocrisy!
40 years ago this September, we will commemorate the tragic death of the eleven members of “Team Israel” who where taken hostages and killed by terrorists during the Munich Olympic Games of 1972. The tragedy was perpetrated by Palestinian terrorist group”Black September” under the leadership of then PLO leader Yassir Arafat.
Although debated by some, the events of the Munich 72 Olympics are recognized as having put terrorism “on the map”. As a matter of fact, counter-terrorism organizations were borne out of the Munich tragedy. The world was starting to change then, and it has continually morphed into an unpredictable powder keg, leading to the events of 9/11 and to today’s volatile global situation.
The Munich 11 have been remembered by many over the last 40 years and while we do not want to dwell unnecessarily on the tragedy of their death, we can all agree that their memory must live on. They went to the Olympics to compete, excel and hopefully bring back a medal or two for Israel. They didn’t bring a political message, they didn’t promote a religious ideology, they had no agenda other than be the best athletes they could be as they proudly wanted to represent their country, just like every other athlete before and after them. But these men never got a chance to do that!
On Friday July 27, 2012 at least 3 billion people watched the London Olympics opening ceremony. I WASN’T ONE OF THEM!
Almost half the planet was watching though. Talk about a great opportunity to remember the Munich 11. Additionally, days ago, some of the Munich 11 widows made a request to International Olympic Committee (IOC) chairman, Jacques Rogge, to have a minute of silence during the opening ceremony and remember the Munich 11 on the 40th anniversary of their death.
Not a speech, politically charged or not!
Not a prayer possibly promoting one religion over another in such a multicultural event!
NO…just ONE MINUTE OF SILENCE with no other agenda but the promoting of human decency!
The request was denied by Jacques Rogge on the premise that the opening ceremony was not the appropriate venue for such a moment of silence to take place. In a press conference last week, Rogge went on the record stating that: We feel that the opening ceremony is an atmosphere that is not fit to remember such a tragic incident.” Rogge later declared to one of the Munich 11 widows that his “hands were tied” and that he could do nothing. Are Rogge’s hands tied by the 46 Muslim nations members of the IOC? and if yes, is that a politically charged decision? Rogge also insisted that they were no precedents for such a moment to be shared with the world at an opening ceremony.
The decision by Rogge is unfortunate and hypocritical at best, especially in light of the fact that past Olympic opening ceremonies DID INCLUDE special moments of remembrance for various victims of world tragedies. The war in Bosnia was remembered at the opening of the 1996 Olympics and/or the 9/11 tragedy was remembered by a flag being carried into the 2002 Salt Lake City Arena to honor the World Trade Center victims (including a request made by Mitt Romney back then to have a minute of silence on the 30th anniversary of the Munich 11). That request was denied of course!
To add insult to injury, the London opening ceremony included a tribute to the 52 victims of the London subway terrorist attack of July 7, 2005. Wait a minute! how did that one creep in? or was it planned all along?
I am not saying that the London 7/7 victims didn’t deserve recognition and a tribute, of course they did! I am just noticing a pathetic double standard and I cannot help but think that the decision to exclude the Munich 11 was nothing but a political move, misguided by a biased and bigoted committee and fueled by anti-Semitism.
When we also consider that the BBC just refused to list Jerusalem as being the capital of Israel, we start to understand the possible reasoning behind Jacques Rogge’s decision. Mr Rogge was emboldened by a pro-Palestinian media giant as well as possibly forced by the powerful and arrogant Islamist block of Great Britain. The result is an OLYMPIC MEDAL IN HYPOCRISY at best, and A MEDAL IN ANTI-SEMITISM at worst.
Mr Rogge, your decision last Friday to ignore the Munich 11 was a slap in the face of human decency and dignity. At a time when sportsmanship and athletic prowess are the only qualities to be displayed, you chose to cowardly hide behind a facade of rules and regulations. You are a disgrace to the spirit of the Olympics!
Many athletes will make history in an unforgettable positive way in the next 17 days, but YOU will make history in a very negative way as you boldly and wickedly ignored the right thing to do.
You claim that “your hands were tied” and in a sense you declared that you answered to a higher authority.Well Mr. Rogge, I and many others also answer to a higher authority (you will too one day)
We all answer to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, also known in the Bible as the God of Israel. It would have been very easy, not to mention very appropriate to bless Israel last Friday (Genesis 12:3) But as you denied the Munich 11 widows their renewed request, you also denied God His request. May God have mercy on you and all the other enemies of Israel! I will pray for you while I am not watching the Olympics!
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31)
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