The Blatant Historical Revisionism of Arab Muslims

[Gurgen4]

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/11500#.T4Rd_auo9-N

A few years ago, while visiting the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, I had a very disturbing conversation with a member of the Islamic Wakf who was escorting me to make sure that I didn't pray [Jews are not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount for 'fear of disturbing the peace' , to Israel's shame, ed.] on the holy mountain.

I asked him if he could tell me when the Al Aqsa mosque was built. He looked at me with a straight face and responded that it was always there.

I hadn't expected that, and of course was surprised and asked him again. I thought that maybe he didn't understand my question and meant that the mountain was always there.

So I asked again, and made it clear that I meant the mosque that is located on the southern extension of the Temple Mount that was built by Herod. (Historically, the entire platform that the Al Aqsa mosque is built on didn't even exist during the time of the first Temple.)

It turned out that this “learned” member of the Islamic clergy, whose job is to work on the Temple Mount, actually believed that the structure of the Al Aqsa mosque was just there - from the beginning of time.

This conversation wasa great help to me in understanding the Muslim Arab mindset and culture. Facts are not really so important to them. They can be made up or even changed as needed.

[Scurrilous]

1. The 'more from this writer' function is pretty handy...

Op-Ed: An Open Letter to Barack Obama (Tuesday, July 22, 2008)

<snip>

"We know who you are and who your friends are.

Barack Obama, why don't you just go home?

Barack, your visit here is just a waste of time; you're not wanted or needed here. We'll do just fine without you and you'll probably do better with out us, too. Don't come around here making as if you're looking out for the good of Israel. We know who you are and who your friends are. Zigzagging back and forth about dividing or un-dividing
Zigzagging back and forth about dividing or un-dividing Jerusalem won't clear your history.
Jerusalem won't clear your history.

I'm not talking about your middle name. Any good Christian might have the middle name Hussein (although I can't think of any others). We won't hold that against you. There are worse things than having an Arab name; like for instance being supported by a known Jew-hater, bigot Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam, who among other statements has accused the Jews of bringing on the Holocaust through cooperation with Hitler - "They helped him get the Third Reich on the road." But, of course, it would be wrong to hold that against you, because you haven't been rallying for his support (recently)."

<snip>

"Barack Hussein, why don't you just go home? Your visit to Israel this week is not because you're looking out for the wellbeing of Israel and the Jewish people. You're coming to Israel looking for the Jewish vote; your goal is to speak with the Jewish American voters through the press coverage of this tour to the holy land. You want them to think that you took the time off from your busy campaign to further peace in the Middle East. Your hope is that enough stupid Jews will misread the message and take it as an act of support for Israel.

Don't use us or our land as a photo-op to transmit a twisted call for support to Jewish-American voters. You don't fool us. We know who you and your friends are.

Barack Hussein, why don't you just go home? But on the way out, remember the words you heard here from the proud Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria: "This is our land!" We are back after two thousand years of forced exile and we are not about to leave it again."

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/8126#.T4Rzx_CXSVE

[Jefferson23]

2. LOL

***Barack Hussein, why don't you just go home? But on the way out, remember the words you heard here from the proud Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria: "This is our land!" We are back after two thousand years of forced exile and we are not about to leave it again."

[oberliner]

7. So is the "hide thread" function

Though I guess you can't resist calling out dubious sources.

Although, you only seem to jump in on certain types of dubious sources and not others.

I wonder why that is.

[shaayecanaan]

18. Because you generally do it first...

or someone else from your side of the fence does. The only one on this board who criticises sources equanimously is Leftishbrit. The rest of us, including yourself, jump on bileous sources when it suits us and turn our head and cough when it doesnt, or we implicitly denigrate other posters for having the gall to call out such sources, as in this case.

Thats how we roll around here, and always have. Why should it change now?

[oberliner]

20. I try my best - but don't always catch them

Although when I do, I get told exactly what I just wrote to you - except in reverse!

[Gurgen4]

12. That letter was a bit over the top but it is understandable

Look I could understand how it would be wrong to criticize Obama if these were, say white South Africans. But this is different. Many people in the region, Israelis included feel that the US meddles too much in its affairs. The US in generall has been "meddling" in Mid East affairs on both sides for decades as a policy.

But Ha'Ivri is not so much criticizing the man himself as his policies and his complacency in letting Jews be forced off of land they view as rightfully theirs.

[Jefferson23]

3. Uh huh: * Facts are not really so important to them. They can be made up or even changed as needed.

Too funny...the irony.

[Scurrilous]

4. More:

"It makes much more sense to understand that fantasy and stretching the truth are very deeply embedded in the mindset of the Muslim and Arab culture."

This is good stuff. Important to know. So glad arutz sheva was green-lighted for use on DU.

[Jefferson23]

5. Yea, who knew the Muslim and Arab culture has a long history of fantasy and truth stretching, but

at least we have Arutz Sheva to clear things up here on DU...phew!

Thanks for posting.

[oberliner]

6. If you two posters didn't post five replies the thread would have sunk like a stone

For the life of me I do not know why people continue to post articles from that RW settler website on DU.

[Jefferson23]

8. I like to comment on some of them, and you may not know why people

continue to post articles from AS ( the settler website) but I think it
is pretty clear why they do.

[azurnoir]

9. isn't it unfortunate that they never get locked as "off topic"like ones from

Palsolidarity.org or other Palestinian sites I sure that must be quite frustrating for you

[Scurrilous]

11. I fail to see how that thread violated SOP.

Maybe someone can explain it.

[Violet_Crumble]

10. The same could have been said for the thread started with an ISM article...

People just kept on posting and posting. For the life of me I don't know why the hosts allow a bigoted anti-Arab/Muslim RW source to be used.

[EgaLitE]

13. Criticize the argument not the source

Criticizing Obama goes to far, but it's sad that in the end we have to get information from sources like these. Yes A.S. might be a bit more to the right than many of us would like but at a time when most of the world is anti-semitic what else can we do? Are we just to believe the Arab media/propaganda and assume that all Jews are lying when it comes to Israel. I think not, and I think any reasonable person would think not as well.

Besides let's criticize the actual arguments, not the man making them because he happens to be Israeli. There are many Israeli Arabs who are pro-Israel and just as devoted to the Israeli state as Jewish people are.

Israel is the only country in the middle east. It is the only country that lets women vote and allows gay marriage and which allows you to be secular if you so choose. They at least deserve credit for that.

[holdencaufield]

14. "the only country that ... allows gay marriage... they at least deserve credit"

PINKWASHING!

[King_David]

15. ha ha nt

[EgaLitE]

16. I hope you're being sarcastic about that.

To say that Israel is using the issue of LGBTQI equality as propaganda is beyond malicious and anti-semitic. No, they do it because they are a modern, democratic, and Western nation which shares the same values we do. As progressives we need to support other progressives first and foremost.

[holdencaufield]

17. Just predicting the inevitable Israel-bashing rebuttal.

Allow me to expand on that...


Poster 1: Israelis (of a certain ethnic persuasion) are all reich-winged, war-mongering, fascists whose only pleasure is oppressing the weak. Their country must be de-certified, de-frocked, de-listed (whatever) and certain members of that society jailed and foreever denied franchise. Only then can true freedom and democracy in Israel prevail.

Poster 2: But, Israel is in fact one of the more liberal societies in the world (forget about the Middle-East). They have a robust democracy and voter participation rates in excess of other more established democracies. They have an extensive social welfare system, an ethnically-integrated society that Europe can only aspire to, and are a bulwark of LGBT and women's rights.

Poster 1: Oh yea, screw you! PINKWASHING!

[shaayecanaan]

21. They dont allow gay marriage, nor do they allow civil unions...

nor - given the pivotal role played by religious groups in Israel's politics - is it ever likely that Israel will allow either of these things in future. Israel does recognise gay marriages solemnised elsewhere but does allow them to be performed within its borders.

[LeftishBrit]

19. Although I agree that most Middle Eastern countries are way behind Israel in social liberalism...

it is not the case that only Israel allows women to vote. The only Middle Eastern countries where women don't have the vote are the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia; and Kuwait only gave women the vote in 2006. Women in the rest of the Middle East have had the vote for quite a while.