On a recent YouTube trolling expedition, I came across something that really floored me. Granted, I've seen lots of videos online - everything from people getting their heads cut off with a hunting knife to two girls and a cup but this video was something like I had never seen.
Apparently Hamas has a television show for kids. "Tomorrow's Pioneers", as it is called, could be the title of a show about Mars colonists. Instead, it is a medium to deliver messages as innocuous as good nutrition with a hint of radical Islamist proselytism.
Jew-Eating Jihad Bunny wants to Kill Danes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tkvlQkuWpo
The show seems innocent enough at first. There is Farfur, the Hamas version of Mickey Mouse; Nahul, the cuddly bumblebee; Assud, the bunny; and the show's 11-year-old host, Saraa Barhoum, the exemplar of Islamic modesty in her colorful hijab .
Ostensibly the show seems more like a poor production value version of Sesame Street than an arm of radical Islamist children's propaganda, but examination need not get much closer to reveal the motives of the show. For example, some episode titles include (I'm not joking about this folks), "Farfur Vs. Bush, Olmert, & Condoleeza", "Farfur and the AK-47", and "Assud vs. Denmark".
The show has incurred the condemnation of the likes of the Anti-Defamation League for what it sees as the show's anti-Israeli, anti-Jewish stance. This is understandable given the shows content. For instance, in one episode, Farfur is martyred when he is beaten to death by an Israeli officer demanding his land. In fact, martyrdom seems to be a recurrent theme as Nahul was also "martyred" because the Israelis closed the border with Egypt and he could not get a life-saving operation.
The creators of the show counter with the fact that art is imitating life and that the show addresses problems Palestinian children face on a regular basis, most often at the hands of what is seen as a brutally oppressive Israeli regime they are taught from a young age has stolen their land. Terrorist (or liberator, depending on your point of view) aggression against Israel from the Palestinian Territories has caused Israel to make life intolerable in these areas as it seeks to protect its own territory from rocket and suicide bomb attacks. The consequence, however, has been that Palestinians feel all the more justified in their hatred of Israel and are all the more willing to act, with nothing but starvation and unemployment to lose.
However, this hatred is misplaced. A quick review of Arab-Israeli history reveals that the Israelis were not the primary aggressors. If the Palestinians wish to blame someone, they should first direct their anger at the nations of which they are former citizens.
Before World War I, for nearly 500 years, Palestine was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The defeat of the Axis Powers in World War I lead to Palestine falling under British mandate. It was the intention of the British to set aside Palestine as a Jewish homeland, in accordance with the Balfour Declaration of 1917. In 1947, UN Resolution 181 provided for a two-state partition to Palestine, dividing the area into Arab and Jewish enclaves. One day after Israel declared its independence on 14 May, 1948, the nations of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq attacked the fledgling state.
Keep in mind, Israel is a sliver of land. In terms of land area, it is slightly smaller than New Jersey. Before it was attacked by its Arab neighbors in 1948, it was even smaller!
It is not as if the Arabs were short-changed by the UN. Israel has little arable land and few natural resources. While most Arab nations are swimming in oil, Israel has desert, coastline, and a body of water so salty they declared it the Dead Sea. Given this Arab-beneficial land distribution, it would seem reasonable to allow the Jews some land. But this has little to do with rational partitioning and everything to do with ingrained religious hatred.
If Palestinians should be angry at anyone, they should be angry at the Arab nations of which they used to be citizens, that repeatedly attacked Israel from its inception. The nations of Egypt and Jordan doomed their citizens living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to live under occupation as a result of their repeated incursions into Israel. However, rather than bemoan the wages of the aggression of their parent states, and accept the state of Israel, groups like Hamas continue to fight a proxy war they will never win, perpetuating a cycle of suffering among present-day Palestinians.
This is a situation with no politically easy answer. On one side we have Israelis who have been repeatedly attacked by their neighbors, without any more provocation than their mere existence. On the other side we have the Palestinians, a people betrayed by their parent governments through repeated military aggression and who are now being starved to death as a result of their desire to repay their "aggressors" the Israelis.
The only way this will be solved is either through brute force a battle of attrition until either the Israelis or Palestinians capitulate to the demands of the other or a grand reconciliation, in which the Israelis recognize the Palestinians are a suffering people manipulated by factions funded by opposing governments and Palestinians recognize Israelis as neighbors they can coexist with.
Through peace, both sides would be better off than they are now. The key is recognizing that they have more in common than what separates them. Children's programming with militant overtones is a result of the stubbornness of both sides. It is a battle of wills and one-upmanship in which both sides end up the loser. The question remains, however, how much one side is willing to back down to allay the fears of the other.
©2008 Lojiko, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Saturday, April 26, 2008
Last modified: Sunday, April 27, 2008
The views expressed in this article are those of Lojiko only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Lojiko is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Report violation by Lojiko of Nolan Chart LLC's terms of use policy.
| More Articles By Lojiko |
Reader Comments:
Posted By: Lloyd Kempson
Date: 2008-04-26 18:25:51
Finally a nuetral argument.
Are you by any chance an Atheist? If so this article makes sense.
In my observations I have come to believe that the Palestinians are racist professional complainers and the Israelis are no better than the European, Asian, and African Occupiers of several tribal lands within the American Contenants.
To be truely nuetral we would have to say that all land belongs to the humans who show the greater ammount of force to defend it from those who seek to claim it for themselves. In that regard Israel has a right to exist.
Thanks for the great article, and Ph*ck religion!
Posted By: Lojiko
Date: 2008-04-26 19:17:35
You pinned me, Lloyd. Glad you enjoyed the unique perspective.
Posted By: Dan Alba
Date: 2008-04-27 01:32:01
Neutral my asp. It's called Zionist mythology and agitprop.
The notion that Israel is always responding to Palestinian terror is an inversion of reality that is legitimated and kept alive in the consciousness of Americans and people the world over simply because Israeli propaganda dominates the Western news media, universities, and think-tanks.
Now granted, Israeli-occupied Palestine is not free of fanaticism; only a fool or liar would say so. But for you to come in here and sell the online world on the simplistic notion that Palestinians are the bad guys and the Israelis are the good guys is ludicrous and an insult to every reader. The original terrorists—the ones who introduced terrorism to the Holy Land and who commit the bulk of it to this day—are the Zionist colonizers.
You assume that readers can not comprehend the fact that that military occupations and land and resource theft radicalize the occupied people and drive them to desperation. What chutzpah! (Perhaps decades from now, after the U.S. vatican building in Baghdad is overrun by some Iraqi national militia, neocon propgandists will try to convince everyone that the Americans were innocent and the evil, Jew- and-Christian-hating Iraqis were never radicalized or ethnically cleansed.) The worst part (for your credibility, that is, Lojiko) is that you're employing a well-known and long-exposed source of Zionist fraud—MEMRI. (Did you check your sources before you wrote?)
For months, here at NolanChart, there were virtually no articles written concerning Israeli-Palestinian issues until I began exposing fraudulent media coverage of it. My articles received little fanfare—no problem—but by the same token, they received no antagonism. That is, until "Lloyd" came along...
Lloyd left a comment on one of my latest articles ([link edited for length]), parroting all kinds of Zionist myths, along the same lines as the ones trumpeted in the current piece. I gave Lloyd the benefit of the doubt, knowing that most people are simply fooled by the indomitable influence and scope of Israeli propaganda in the U.S. So I kindly but thoroughly debunked it—with mainstream, scholarly Jewish and Arab sources, including Israeli govt. officials and historians.
Needlesss to say, Lloyd was not fazed, and carried on with more fallacy. Through it all, Lloyd employed zero sources—a typical trait of someone without a leg to stand on in these debates. Recognizing this, I let my sourced argumentation speak for itself. No sense in trying to convince someone who is obviously so brainwashed or who is actively perpetuating the myths.
Now, here's a newcomer to NolanChart—Lojiko—in his/her first article, reeling off more Zionist myths, implying the similar points as Lloyd's and again, offering zero sources to back up the state-worshiping revisionist Zionist history. Very peculiar. Perhaps it's fitting that Lloyd is the first to comment, adorning the author with praise for the article's neutral [sic] stance.
Again, I will give benefit of the doubt to you, Lojiko. I have no intention of making a scene or getting personal. But I'm the kind of person who doesn't just sit down while my fellow Americans are taken for fools, being solicited a bill of goods to keep them dishing out billions every year to subsidize the Israeli occupation and perpetual death and tyranny for Arabs and Jews in the Levant or anywhere. I won't put up with that.
And I welcome anyone to come in here and debate these issues. This is a very appropriate place for this debate to be had—in public. All readers of Nolan Chart need to see the evidence and the arguments; they deserve to know what is being done in their names and with their tax dollars.
I will leave you and all readers with some sources as a primary rebuttal to the substance of the article—kinda like how Ron Paul offered Rudy Giuliani reading material after it was discovered that Mr. 911 thought they hate us and attack us because of our freedom. (BTW: Do you agree with Rudy, or do you side with the scholarly assessment of Ron Paul/Michael Scheuer/CIA/horse's mouth [bin Laden]? If you agree with Rudy, then I can understand your position on the Israel-Palestine issues; otherwise, there's a root-level inconsistency in your position from the get-go.)
Regards. –D.A.
On MEMRI's mistranslation/misrepresentation of the Palestinian children's shows
On the general fraud of MEMRI (source of the cited YouTube video in the current piece)
[link edited for length] & [link edited for length] & [link edited for length]
On the history of the conflict
So you think the hatred began with an inherent Arab hatred for Jews? Think again...
And guess who is teaching racism and hatred in school textbooks...
And guess who is terrorizing whom...[link edited for length] (video)
Can you dispute these facts about Israeli terrorism?
[link edited for length] (video)
The original plans for the founding of Israel had NOTHING to do with the Holocaust...
[link edited for length] (video)
Again: The original terrorists—the ones who introduced terrorism to the Holy Land and who commit the bulk of it to this day—are the Zionist colonizers. Don't believe it? Ask Israelis themselves about who is committing the most terrorism on whom...
Posted By: jimmy the dhimmi
Date: 2008-04-27 06:29:41
Dan Alba, you sound like every other apologist of Islam. Many people will automatically be more sympathetic to Israel because they've never heard of an Israeli suicide bomber blowing up civilians (notice I didn't say innocents, that's a nebulous term, eh?), while Muslims carry out suicide bombings against civilians daily, all over the globe.
More and more people are waking up to the fact that Palestine and its Muslim neighbors are commanded by the Koran to hate and kill Jews and other unbelievers, that the Koran actually calls Jews 'apes' and 'pigs'. People are waking up to the fact that Muslims are commanded by the Koran to spread Islam by violence, deception, and any means necessary.
More and more people are waking up to the fact that Islam is incompatible with the most basic human rights.
Given that most of us in the West are given to rational thought, and compromise, we are eager to believe there is a peaceful solution to Palestine and Israel, and a peaceful solution to the conflicts instigated by the Islamists in Europe, and Australia, and Africa, and Asia, and America.
Islam is not rational, though jihad, which very clearly was invented by a barbaric warlord in seventh century Arabia to further his political agenda, is very rational. It is a win at all costs mentality that all Muslims share, though not all have the constitution for outright violence.
Posted By: Lojiko
Date: 2008-04-27 07:12:53
Jimmy and Dan, I don't see the solution as either of those two extremes, but as a middle path.
Dan, you bemoan the "Jewish colonizers", but the fact is that long before the UN mandate, the Jews were already in the Jewish areas. They had purchased land, set up homes and towns, under Islamic Ottoman rule. The only reason the Israelis have as much land as they do now is because they won that land in battle after being repeatedly attacked by their Arab neighbors, unprovoked. So let's not pretend the Jews just jumped off a ship and started pushing Jordanians living in the West Bank and Egyptians living in the Gaza Strip (collectively known today as "Palestinians" after having been abandoned by their parent countries) inland.
Jimmy, I don't think any religion is known for absolute peace. Even Buddhists have a darker undercurrent of violence. The Koran's verses about Jews aren't much better than the Torah's verses against "goyim".
The way I see it is that there are two sides that hate each other for no better reason than that they've always hated each other. There's spilled blood between each party. Both these sides could live in peace, but every time one side backs down enough to make it vulnerable, the other attacks - usually it's the Arabs doing the attacking - because they just can't stand the idea of living in proximity to Jews.
If this goes on long enough, someday the US is going to stop holding Israel back and let them obliterate any remnant of Palestinian life in the occupied territories. Let's hope, for the sake of the Palestinians, that groups like Hammas figure out they have a lot more to gain by working with the Israelis than they do by fighting against them. All that's needed is a little compromise on both sides and a genuine willingness to be happy.
Posted By: Dan Alba
Date: 2008-04-27 09:58:42
"Many people will automatically be more sympathetic to Israel because they've never heard of an Israeli suicide bomber blowing up civilians ."
People are "sympathetic" because, through monstrous media and "PR" fraud (look up "hasbara" if you aren't actually a hasbaranik, that is), they are led to believe that Israel—the world's 3rd or 4th most powerful, nuke-wielding military—is "defending" itself in the tank-less, plane-less, ship-less, nuke-less Palestinians' backyard.
And perhaps people "never heard of an Israeli suicide bomber" because Israeli terrorists use missiles and 1- and-2-ton bombs, dropped from F-16s and drones and heli-gunships into civilian neighborhoods; they use collective punishment, like bombing Gaza's only power plant during "Operation Summer Rains" in June '06, and extra-judicial assassinations and aid embargoes and sanctions which only hurt civilians; they run a concentration camp called Gaza, where a forced mass-starvation has been ongoing since Hamas was elected by a landslide (as punishment for voting thus). You don't know what you're talking about; you're no better than a heckler.
"Dan Alba, you sound like every other apologist of Islam."
I am a proud propagandist for the downtrodden and ethnically-cleansed people against the occupying states. What are you? A bigot, from what I see. A propagandist for the occupying state. Come back when you have a coherent argument to make. Better yet, save your face; don't come back. Your position is an indefensible one of state-worship.
Lojiko: You employ the same Zionist/ADL tactic: Convert all criticism of Israeli policies into criticism of Jews. Where did I say "Jewish colonizers?" Zionism is not Judaism. If you don't know the difference between the two, you have some catching up to do—or rather, waking up. You seem to have been lulled into a dumbed-down coma by Zionist propaganda. Or are you actively promoting it? Just say so. I did above. No shame in admitting it. I am a propagandist for the people against the state. If that's what one could call me, fine. It's a badge of honor.
And you only pretend to be objective. Your "both sides" platitudes are precluded by our contradictory "usually it's the Arabs doing the attacking" and "they just can't stand the idea of living in proximity to Jews." And you feign recognition that there is also Jewish extremism?
You pretend not to see the 41-year-long, illegal, belligerent Israeli occupation as the root of the conflict; which leaves you in the margin, because about 95% of the "international community" does. Take a look at all the dozens of UN resolutions against Israel since 1948. Take a look at who votes against them (US, Israel, and a couple other tiny nations).
You folks are obviously not serious. This is not a serious discussion as long as you insist on reverting to stereotypes and mainstream media punditry. What's next? "Those dirty Ayrabs!"?
Another thing: If you took a truly objective look at the Palestinian factions, you'd recognize that it's Fatah who are the corrupt and inept rulers, while Hamas have shown to be ethical representatives of their people; that means, first and foremost, dedication to resisting the foreign military occupation. Violent resistance is lawful; Israel's 41-year occupation isn't. Abbas is seen as a collaborator with the foreign occupiers, while Haniyeh is the most beloved political figure in Palestine—amongst moderate or fringe elements of the people. It's the same in Lebanon, with Nasrallah. The neocon-Likudniks and their criminal coalition of state allies call them terrorists; the Palestinian and Lebanese people and most of the world call them the resistance to the occupation of their land. (And Fatah's militias have shot as many if not more rockets into Israel as have Hamas'—a relatively irrelevant little factoid.)
And while shooting Qassam rockets into Sderot may be terrorism, and it is, tell me: What exempts Israel's use of tanks, helicopter gunships, drones, and F-16s in crowded neighborhoods from the same label? It's only terrorism when they do it, eh?
Here's the last reading lesson for today, then I'm done...
LewRockwell.com has published many articles on this very subject of religious extremism and common myths about Islam. Here's a really good one you'd do well to read, by Charley Reese:
There is an ongoing slander campaign against Islam, claiming that it is a religion that promotes violence and hinting that it seeks world conquest.
Before you buy the malarkey that is being produced by people with their own agendas or prejudices or who are just plain ignoramuses, follow these few suggestions:
Compare the history of Islam with the history of Europe, which for centuries was called Christendom. An objective look will show you that Christendom wins by a landslide when it comes to violence and wars. After all, Europe and its offspring did not come to dominate the world, including the Islamic countries, because they practiced the gentle virtues of Jesus.
As for the common practice of cherry-picking Scripture from holy writings and presenting it out of context, just check out what Christians call the Old Testament. There you will find God advocating a double standard of morality, condoning slavery, ordering the Israelites to commit genocide and committing infanticide himself on a mass scale. I don't believe you will find anything comparable in the Quran.
The word "jihad," which is so over-used these days, has, like a lot of words, more than one meaning. It means basically to struggle, but this can be personal or spiritual, or a peaceful political struggle. Only if Islam is attacked are Muslims required to defend it. As for that obnoxious propaganda term "Islamo-fascist," just recall that fascism is a European invention by nominal Christians. To my knowledge, the only fascist governments ever to exist on this planet were all European and nominally Christian.
Another canard is that Islam promotes forced conversion. Not so. Even when the Arab empire was expanding, rarely were any of the conquered people forced to convert. The Quran even forbids it, as I recall. Naturally, once Muslims were in charge, a lot of people decided it was in their own self-interest to convert, but this is just one of the sleazy aspects of human nature.
I remember when Florida elected its first Republican governor of the 20th century. I saw plenty of people crawl out from under their rocks and convert to the Republican Party, drawn by the smell of patronage. With some rare exceptions, human beings always act in what they perceive, rightly or wrongly, to be in their self-interest.
It was Christian Europe that slaughtered the Jews, and nothing remotely resembling the Holocaust is to be found in the history of Islam. In fact, during the past, when Jews were being persecuted by Christian Europe, they frequently fled to and found sanctuary in the Muslim countries. Until Israel was established, practically every Muslim country had sizable Jewish populations dating back centuries. And there are still Jews and Christians in some Muslim countries.
A final suggestion is that when you hear some individual radical Muslim being quoted, just remember he is one of a billion people and speaks only for himself and his small following. And be wary of the quotations he uses, for they are often deliberately fabricated or distorted.
If Muslims really desired to conquer the world, don't you think it's strange that we've been living in peace with them for nearly a millennium and a half, except for those times when we attacked them (the Crusades, the European colonial movement and our invasion of Iraq)? Don't forget either that some of the countries the Bush administration calls allies are themselves Muslim – Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc.
You have nothing to fear from Islam. The al-Qaida movement is a tiny percentage of Muslims and wouldn't be the force it is except for the fact that the Bush administration has gone out of its way to make all of Osama bin Laden's propaganda become true.
Posted By: Lojiko
Date: 2008-04-27 10:13:09
My mistake Dan, you said, "Zionist colonizers" before your second to last link, not "Jewish colonizers".
Posted By: Dan Alba
Date: 2008-04-27 23:11:32
I appreciate that, Lojiko. The last word is yours; I am bowing out. Shalom ... Salaam ... Peace!