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The closet anti-Semites, along with the openly anti-Semitic people, groups and nations of
the world have the unmitigated gall to accuse Israel of being an Apartheid nation. These hate-mongers have the
audacity to blather on about the poor down-trodden Muslims and Arabs that are being oppressed by Israel. Let’s
look at the real facts instead of the unfounded accusations and hate-filled innuendos.
First, let’s look at the basics. The Hebrew Old Testament provides the fundamental rules
to be followed by Jews for the treatment of non-Jews or Gentiles in their midst.
We read in Leviticus, Chapter 19, line 34 the following:
“The stranger that sojourns with you shall be unto you as the homeborn among you’ and you shall love
him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
( Ref. 1)
We read in Numbers, Chapter 15, lines 15 and 16 the following:
“As for the congregation, there shall be one statute both for you, and for the stranger that sojourns
with you, a statute forever throughout your generations; as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. One
law and one ordnance shall be both for you, and for the stranger that sojourns with you.”
( Ref. 2)
In other words, Jews are forbidden in their holy Torah from treating non-Jews
differently than themselves. There is to be one set of laws that is to be applied to Jew and
non-Jew.
In modern time, the rights of non-Jews in the State of Israel are spelled out in the
Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel. “The declaration stated that the State of
Israel would ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of
religion, race or sex, and guaranteed freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and
culture.” ( Ref. 3)
The principles stated in the Israel’s Declaration of the Establishment of the State of
Israel were reinforced when “In 1994 the Knesset amended two basic laws, Human Dignity and Liberty and Freedom of
Occupation, introducing (among other changes) a statement saying that "the fundamental human rights in
Israel will be honored (...) in the spirit of the principles included in the declaration of the establishment of
the State of Israel". ( Ref. 3)
As expressed in the actual language of the Israeli Declaration of Independence, the State
of Israel committed itself to “foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its
inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure
complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it
will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places
of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United
Nations.” ( Ref. 3) Funny, for some reason, this just
doesn’t sound like Apartheid as I understand the term Apartheid. Maybe some of those who are screaming that Israel
is an Apartheid state can explain what they mean by their derogatory depiction of Israel.
So then, what about the treatment of non-Muslims by Muslims and Arabs? Were they and are
they as tolerant toward non-Muslims as Israel has been, is, and will be toward the non-Jew?
The treatment of non-Muslims, who are more commonly referred to as Infidels by
the Koran and many Muslims, is defined under the term dhimmitude which describes the sociopolitical status
of indigenous non-Muslim peoples. With respect to Christians and Jews, we read, “communities of the People of the
Book might remain within the {Arab} land, but they must be in subjection [Emphasis mine]
. . . deriving their rights from the supreme Muslim community, not from any recognized rights of their
own.” ( Ref. 4)
An 11th century Islamic scholar wrote that with respect to the lands and infidel
populations subjugated by jihad, the native infidel population had to recognize Islamic ownership of
their land, submit to Islamic law, and accept payment of the poll tax, or jizya.
( Ref. 5) Payment of the poll tax was to be a deliberately humiliating
imposition and procurement of this tax. The ceremony for collecting the jizya is described by a 13th
century Islamic jurist as follows: “The infidel who wishes to pay his poll tax must be treated with distain by
the collector: the collector remains seated and the infidel remains standing in front of him, his head bowed and
his back bent. The infidel personally must place the money on the scales, while the collector holds him by the
beard, and strikes him on both cheeks.” ( Ref. 6) So much for
equality and tolerance of the non-Muslim – this is beginning to sound like Apartheid to me.
Arab states and their sycophant supporters interminably introduce and debate U.N.
resolutions condemning Israel as an Apartheid state but have either ignored or hypocritically wrung their hands
over the enslavement and ethnic extinction perpetrated on the people of Dafur. As the American Anti-Slavery Group
has pointed out, the conflict in Dafur has been racial - between Arab raiders and the black African people of
Dafur.
Since February 2003, the Islamist fundamentalist Sudanese government recruited and
sponsored Janjaweed (literally "armed men on horseback") militias to displace native black African
civilians. These fundamentalist Muslim Arabs have used slavery, rape, organized starvation, and mass murder to
ethnically cleanse the region of inhabitants who are not Muslim Arabs.
In 2002, the Islamist fundamentalist government of Sudan conducted a similar campaign of
genocide, rape, murder, enslavement, along with forced conversions to Islam of Christians and Animists in Southern
Sudan. As with many conflicts within the Muslim world, the situation in Darfur has Arabs massacring other
Arabs.
While the U.N. and much of the "civilized" world have continually debated the "urgent"
issue of whether or not the State of Israel is an apartheid and racist state, they have conveniently closed their
eyes to the facts that the Sudanese Islamic fundamentalists have been carrying out enslavement, genocide, murder,
rape, mass starvation and forced conversions of anyone who has not submitted to their form of religious
tyranny.
Israel Says Welcome to All – What do the Arabs Say?
In 2009, the Arab population of Israel numbered 1.5 million people - almost 10 times more
than the Arab population in Israel in 1948. In 2001, Israel's Arab population was 1.2 million - of this 1.2 million,
82% were Muslim, 9% were Christian, and 9% were Druze. The Arab population currently comprises about 20% of the
population of Israel, similar to its proportion in 1948. If Israel is an Apartheid state, why are there so many
Arabs and Muslims living there? They are free to leave any time they want. Maybe they live in Israel because they
are much better off than in any other Arab country.
Let’s look at the population figures for Arab countries - some 18 states and 2
territories. Their Jewish populations in 1948 totaled around 814,000. In the year 2001 their Jewish populations
had declined to around 7,000.
While not an Arab state, we can also look at Iran, an Islamic nation. It's Jewish
population in 1948 was around 120,000. At the end of 2001, the Jewish population was estimated at 25,000. In
today's environment, the number of Jews in Iran is cetainly much lower.
While the Arab population of Israel was increasing from some 150,000 to 1.2 million, the
Jewish population in Arab countries and Iran decreased from something close to 1.0 million in 1948 to around 30,000
or less in 2001. By far, most of the loss of Jewish population in Arab states and Iran has been
involuntary.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has laws specifically protecting
every resident from discrimination regardless of the religion practiced or citizenship. In the Arab world,
however, Jews (and Christians) are subject to the Dhimmitude laws, a set of laws that prescribe specific
methods of discrimination against non-Muslims. Many Arab Israelis live harmoniously in Israel, and Israel openly
welcomes Israeli Arabs who want to live in peace. Israeli Arabs are even represented in the Knesset, Israel's
parliament. In 2007, an Israeli Arab was appointed as a director of the Jewish National Fund (JNF), which works
to purchase land in Israel for Jewish settlement.
(Ref. 7)
In Arab countries and in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority, Jews may not
live per dictates of the Arabs. Usually, there is no freedom of religion. All citizens must be Muslims, and only
Islam can be practiced publicly. Religions other than Islam are tolerated if practiced discreetly. In Saudi
Arabia, a number of Christians were deported in 2000 because they practiced “apostasy” in too public a manner.
The B’hai religion is banned in several Arab countries while it has been welcomed and based in Israel. Egyptian
Coptic Christians have suffered discrimination and attacks. Within the Palestinian controlled areas of Israel,
no law protects religious freedom. In recent years, there have been allegations that several converts from Islam
to Christianity have been subjected to societal discrimination and harassment by Palestinian officials. Bethlehem,
prior to the Palestinian Authority taking control of the city, was almost entirely populated by Christians.
Because of the discrimination under the Palestinian Authority, however, most Christians have moved out of the
city and many Christian tourists visiting the Holy Land no longer go to Bethlehem for fear of being attacked.
Bethlehem is now primarily an Arab city, and the few Christians remaining are directly associated with the
church and live in fear. (Ref. 8)
An article titled "Islam's Global War against Christianity" published by "American Thinker"
on July 5,2007 at: http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/07/islams_global_war_against_chri.html is introduced
by the following words,
"From Nigeria to Indonesia, Christians are under siege in virtually every single country
in the Muslim world, the victims of countless acts of discrimination, depredation, brutality, and murder that are
so widespread and systematic, that it can rightfully be called the new Holocaust.
"This time, however, the perpetrators of this Holocaust aren't wearing swastikas, but
kufi skull caps and hijabs. Some of the oldest Christian communities in the world are subject to relentless
attack, and teeter on the brink of extinction at the hands of the 'Religion of Peace': Palestinian Christians
in Gaza and the West Bank; Assyrian, Syriac and Chaldean Christians in Iraq; Coptic Christians in Egypt;
Evangelical and Orthodox Christians in Eastern Ethiopia and Eritrea; Armenian Orthodox Christians in Turkey;
and Maronite Christians in Lebanon. Several of these communities date back to the beginning decades of
Christianity and all have weathered wave after wave of Islamic persecution for centuries and more, but in
the very near future some will simply cease to exist. In our lifetime, the only trace of their past existence
will be in footnotes in history books (and probably only Western history books at that) . . ."
(Ref. 9)
So, once again, I’ll make the case that Israel clearly says Welcome to
All! What do the Arabs Say? – Stay out unless you’re a Muslim belonging to the majority
sect, are content to live under the laws of Shari’ah, and are happy living under the thumb of an intolerant
theocracy, autocracy, or dictatorship. Should you still want to be “welcomed” into a Muslim country, you may
want to read up on the laws and restrictions on Zimmis (those in custody) who are non-Muslim subjects
who live in Muslim countries and agree to pay the Jizya in exchange for protection and safety, and to
be subject to Islamic law. (Ref. 10)
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References:
- The Soncino Edition of the Pentateuch and Haftorahs, Second Edition, Edited by Dr. J.H. Hertz,
Page 505, 1969.
- The Soncino Edition of the Pentateuch and Haftorahs, Second Edition, Edited by Dr. J.H. Hertz,
Page 631, 1969.
- Israeli Declaration of Independence, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Declaration_of_Independence, 2010.
- The Political Importance of Islam, Arthur Jeffery, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 1,
Page 386, 1942.
- The Laws of Islamic Governance, Al-Mawardi, Pages 60, 77-78, 200-201.
- Islam and Dhimmitude, Bat Ye’or, Page 70.
- The Week In Review, Shmuel Ben Eliezer, The Jewish Press, Page 42, 13 July 2007.
- U.S. State Department Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2000-2001.
- Reader response to reader comment on “Muslim treatment of non-Muslims in Muslim countries”,
Lactantius Jr., http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/128449 , 12 May 2008.
- Rights of Non-Muslims in an Islamic State, Samuel Shahid,
http://www.answering-islam.org/NonMuslims/rights.htm, 30 May 2010.
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