Religious States
A question has always vexed me concerning the ways in which we pick and choose the states we support in the Middle East. Outside of the clear self-serving economic reasons that lead us into support oppressive dictatorships and monarchs, while at the same time talking about spreading democracy, we seem to have at least one state that we support not only because it is a democracy, but also because of its religious affiliation. The state that I speak of is Israel.
Now let me come out right up front and say that I am not against the Israel being a state. Nor am I against the Israel people, or the Jewish people that make up a majority of the citizens of that state. In fact, of the being three western monotheistic religions, I think that Judaism is the most pure and natural of the three.
What I am against is the United States being in support of Israel as a Jewish state. This stance has for to long pitted us against other Middle Eastern states and organizations that have very major issues with Israel being a state at all, let alone a Jewish state. It also runs the danger of making the United States appear to be supporting one religion over another. Something that we are not even meant to do within this state.
Now it should be as no surprise to anyone why the United States chooses to continue to support Israel not just as a nation state, but also as a Jewish state. Now the obvious reason, and the one that many who do not what to face the deep reality of things, would point to would be the long history of religious persecution that the Jewish people have faced, most notably during WWII (while there is truth to this it has problems). At a deeper level, the one that many do not see, or for some reason choose not to see, is the religious tie that the Christian world has to that part of the world and the fate of the Jewish people.
Before you baulk at the idea, consider the way in which the Christian world, especially the United States, has interacted, and reacted, to events in that area. When radical Palestinians, who are more often then not Muslim, whose tactics I do not support, kill women and children, the United States goes up in arms about the attacks and condemns the attacks as terrorism. Yet when Israeli troops do the same thing in retaliation, the United States gives them little more then a slap on the wrist. The reaction is unequal, and it shows a clear support for one side over another.
Now in any conflict this kind of support is going to be a natural thing. But this is no ordinary conflict, it is a religious war, Jew against Muslim, over one of the most holy lands in the western world. In the middle of that war the United States has, some may say righty, put its nose in it. It has not done so objectively though. It has, as expected, pick a side to be on. Unfortunately, the underlying reasons for picking one side over the other is not one based on democratic ideals, because if it were we would be equally supporting the democratic rule of the Palestinians, those reasons are of religious origin as stated above.
As I said above, I have no problem with the United States supporting Israel, what I do have a major problem with is the United States supporting Israel as a Jewish state. But it is not just Israel, the United States should not be supporting any state that claims to be a religious state. It does not matter what the religion is, any state that claims to be of any one religion is not representing the totality of its people. And by supporting any religious state, and supporting its actions against another religious people only makes the United States look like bigger hypocrites then we already are internationally.
So the question is, by what means are we meant to support Israel, or any other state for that matter? The answer to that is simple. We must decide what principles to do we believe makes for a fair and just state. Well we already know at least two principles:
--A state must first be secular. (This is necessary because even in theocratic states that are democratic, not all members of the state are represented due to their differing religious views, so religion in government is out.)
--A state must be democratic. (Only in a state in which all people have an equal say in the government can a state stand the chance of being fair and just.)
With out meeting these two elements, no matter the the other positive qualities that a state may have, the United States should not support a state. Yes it is a hard line, but if we are to be true to our own principle, it is one that we must take.
With that in mind then we must pull out our support for Israel until it abandons it label of being a Jewish state. We must denounce the building of new Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas. We must insist that the Israelis recognize Palestine as a state, as well as insist that Palestine recognize Israel as a state. We must also bring Israel in to answer for the religious war that it has been fighting against the Palestinian people. But likewise, we must do the same toward those that attack Israel because it is a Jewish state. All must be made accountable for the death that has been caused during the religious war between Judaism and Islam.
Now let me come out right up front and say that I am not against the Israel being a state. Nor am I against the Israel people, or the Jewish people that make up a majority of the citizens of that state. In fact, of the being three western monotheistic religions, I think that Judaism is the most pure and natural of the three.
What I am against is the United States being in support of Israel as a Jewish state. This stance has for to long pitted us against other Middle Eastern states and organizations that have very major issues with Israel being a state at all, let alone a Jewish state. It also runs the danger of making the United States appear to be supporting one religion over another. Something that we are not even meant to do within this state.
Now it should be as no surprise to anyone why the United States chooses to continue to support Israel not just as a nation state, but also as a Jewish state. Now the obvious reason, and the one that many who do not what to face the deep reality of things, would point to would be the long history of religious persecution that the Jewish people have faced, most notably during WWII (while there is truth to this it has problems). At a deeper level, the one that many do not see, or for some reason choose not to see, is the religious tie that the Christian world has to that part of the world and the fate of the Jewish people.
Before you baulk at the idea, consider the way in which the Christian world, especially the United States, has interacted, and reacted, to events in that area. When radical Palestinians, who are more often then not Muslim, whose tactics I do not support, kill women and children, the United States goes up in arms about the attacks and condemns the attacks as terrorism. Yet when Israeli troops do the same thing in retaliation, the United States gives them little more then a slap on the wrist. The reaction is unequal, and it shows a clear support for one side over another.
Now in any conflict this kind of support is going to be a natural thing. But this is no ordinary conflict, it is a religious war, Jew against Muslim, over one of the most holy lands in the western world. In the middle of that war the United States has, some may say righty, put its nose in it. It has not done so objectively though. It has, as expected, pick a side to be on. Unfortunately, the underlying reasons for picking one side over the other is not one based on democratic ideals, because if it were we would be equally supporting the democratic rule of the Palestinians, those reasons are of religious origin as stated above.
As I said above, I have no problem with the United States supporting Israel, what I do have a major problem with is the United States supporting Israel as a Jewish state. But it is not just Israel, the United States should not be supporting any state that claims to be a religious state. It does not matter what the religion is, any state that claims to be of any one religion is not representing the totality of its people. And by supporting any religious state, and supporting its actions against another religious people only makes the United States look like bigger hypocrites then we already are internationally.
So the question is, by what means are we meant to support Israel, or any other state for that matter? The answer to that is simple. We must decide what principles to do we believe makes for a fair and just state. Well we already know at least two principles:
--A state must first be secular. (This is necessary because even in theocratic states that are democratic, not all members of the state are represented due to their differing religious views, so religion in government is out.)
--A state must be democratic. (Only in a state in which all people have an equal say in the government can a state stand the chance of being fair and just.)
With out meeting these two elements, no matter the the other positive qualities that a state may have, the United States should not support a state. Yes it is a hard line, but if we are to be true to our own principle, it is one that we must take.
With that in mind then we must pull out our support for Israel until it abandons it label of being a Jewish state. We must denounce the building of new Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas. We must insist that the Israelis recognize Palestine as a state, as well as insist that Palestine recognize Israel as a state. We must also bring Israel in to answer for the religious war that it has been fighting against the Palestinian people. But likewise, we must do the same toward those that attack Israel because it is a Jewish state. All must be made accountable for the death that has been caused during the religious war between Judaism and Islam.
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