Who Believes In Freedom Of Religion In Jerusalem?
Richard H. Shulman
Shulman
Historically and according to continuing Muslim Arab threats, Islam
does not believe in freedom of religion. The older Islam believes in
subordinating Judaism; the new, Islamist strain believes in murdering
the Jews.
When Jordan, the Palestinian Arab state, seized and controlled
Jerusalem from 1948-67, it demolished the synagogues and barred Jewish
worship on the Temple Mount. The Muslim Waqf, now running the Mount,
bars Jewish worship there and destroys ancient Jewish religious
artifacts. Fatah leaders declared that if they controlled the holy
site in Hebron, they would bar Jews from it.
Muslims have been squeezing the former Christian majority out of the
Mideast for centuries, by arson, rape, murder, extortion, and forced
conversion.
What is Israel’s record? Israel has given Muslims and Christians
equitable access to their holy sites, including ones holy to Jews,
too. Israel maintains security there, while Muslim thugs attack
Christians in Bethlehem, P.A..
When Obama talks about negotiating Jerusalem, and the State Dept.
doesn’t want Israel to have the Old City, and Olmert suggests sharing
or ceding the Old City, what do they think would happen there? It is
easy to foresee discrimination and oppression by the Muslims. It also
is easy to foresee continued terrorism. Why don’t those officials and
groups see it? Perhaps they do.
Those officials and groups pretend that negotiations would bring
peace. A Hizbullah warrior put it more realistically. In discussing
Lebanon, his operating principle is the same as with Jerusalem. He
said that Hizbullah would continue the war on Israel even if Israel
cedes the land that Hizbullah claims is Lebanese. In other words, the
Muslim war is Islamic, not territorial. Otherwise, why would Iran
make war on Israel? Why would Hizbullah continue it even after it had
no national grievances against Israel? It never had national
grievances, those were pretexts -- it doesn’t believe in national
boundaries. It wants a universal caliph. Is that too hard for Obama,
Olmert, and the State Dept. to understand? Obama wants only to get
elected. He’ll say anything and then its opposite, to do so. Olmert
will say anything to appease his jailors. The State Dept. probably
thinks that America still could defend itself after Israel goes down,
but beware the momentum from an Islamic victory over Israel.
Some Jewish groups are asking Obama to affirm a belief that Israel
should remain Israel’s undivided capital. If he did, he’d be
criticized by both sides for having switched. I had just written that
he wouldn’t use force against Iran. Now he says he would, if
necessary. What does he mean, “if necessary?” It could be too
late. He changes positions so often and fast, I can’t keep up with
him. The Jewish’s groups’ faith in what Obama says next is
perplexing.