Could it all be so simple now?
By Usayd
Been having some random thoughts recently, and someone was requested I wrote something again…so here goes, what’s on my mind?
Well as you can see from the pictures, I’ve been browsing some Palestine groups on Flickr and there are plenty of striking images - almost like contrasts between good and bad. What’s funny is that the “Good” and the “Bad” can be heavily inverted by the media. My question is this - couldn’t it just be simple? Lets not go into the details of the conflict, we’ve done that already. Just look at the pictures and ask yourself who the real ‘terrorist’ is.
Of course, that isn’t going to work, and this is something that I’ve come to realise lately. Many have a mentality which obstructs them from being able to see the difference in between the “wrong” and the “WRONG”. A typical response would be - “One’s holding a stone, a type of weapon - the others holding a gun, another type of weapon. They are both wrong”.
Either people just aren’t bothered enough to try and find out the truth of the situation, or they just follow the propganda they’re fed. Another thing I’ve come to realise is that sometimes its so much easier to stick to your old ways, that saying “ignorance is bliss” comes to mind as I think about conversations I’ve had with people who don’t know, and don’t care. I’d rather people didn’t act - then people act on false knowledge.
How about “terrorism is in the eye of the beholder”. Get it? Why do people keep accusing others of crimes, if they themselves are innocent. A typical human response of guilt is to blame another - or “the” other.
The branding of present day “Terrorism” seems to me like a glorified form of racism.
March 15th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Technically, I guess a terrorist anybody that uses indiscriminate violence, or the threat of violence for political gain, but to actually be unambiguous terrorism and not war (or civil war) there would have to be a freely and democratically elected government in place which in turn operates under the observation of the UN in order that there is “a beholder”.
March 15th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
‘…Either people just aren’t bothered enough to try and find out the truth of the situation,’ Don’t think it’s because they’re not bothered about finding out about the truth, I think it’s more to do with selfishness. Think alot of people will choose to ignore these types of pictures because they will bring some sort of heart ache, sympathy or distress to them. These emotions bring a person down so by avoiding pictures such as these they can continue with their lives and ignore the shameful acts that are happening around them.
Again it’s a lame excuse for sitting back and not doing anything and if people did look more closely and actually LOOK at the images they will be able to see a whole different side to what a lot of the media portrays.
After looking at some of the pictures on the flicker site you linked I doubt any mother regardless of age, race or culture would want to support or even ignore what is happening. People need to start seeing not just glancing.
March 17th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Terrorism knows no race. A terrorist is simply someone who causes violence/terror - it could be anyone, anywhere. The media has stamped the phrase “terrorism” on muslim countries/communities - and there’s no doubt about that. However, for those acts which are morally and religiously wrong, I don’t mind them using this phrase.
The media has keeps on emphasizing the Iraq-Palestine war, ignoring the rest of the conflicts going on in so many other parts of the world. Terrorism is a substitute for evil and what one person thinks as wrong/evil may not be necessarily the case for the other (eye of beholder).
Iraq-Palestine war will continue on, for a very long time, and in my opinion, won’t finish. The best people to resolve the issue is the people themselves, asking other countries for help is another matter.
March 17th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Ali: Firstly there is no Iraq-Palestine war. There are wars in both Iraq and Palestine. How can the countries who are under occupation (both Iraq and Palestine) resolve something which is the result of illegal action from the worlds superpowers? Terrorism knows no race - but according to the media, it knows a religion all too well.
March 22nd, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Israel-Palestine*
March 27th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
salaam,
totally irrelevant to ur post, but - you should really have an apple category amid ur many geek ones… not being biased in any way
ws
March 27th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
yeah theres been an apple category since …like 2 years ago. Click here.
April 12th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Salams
.
Great site masha’Allah
Please visit the haq Islam site and link it up here if you think it of benefit.
Wasalam
April 13th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Salams Usayd,
Just wished to add something to what you mentioned:
“Either people just aren’t bothered enough to try and find out the truth of the situation, or they just follow the prop(a)ganda they’re fed.”
The problem is there may be competing versions of what is the truth. The only way to determine what is just is to approach the issue from an objective standpoint.
Assuming that such a standpoint is international law, then it is beyond argument that Israel cannot gain any territory beyond the original boundaries given to it under the Partition Plan.
Assuming that such an act is judged even in moral terms, it is also beyond argument that one can’t take another man’s land through force. Stealing is stealing irrespective of whichever culture or whichever religion one professes.
But morality can be a scarce commodity in the international arena. So one is left with international law. The question is who is supposed to implement it when there are rogue states who actively undermine the efficacy of international law.
[The US government comes immediately to mind in this regard. An example of this can be seen from their bilateral immunity (read impunity) agreements with other states so as to undermine the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Courts.
If that suggestion is controversial, then consider this - the United Nation's ability to influence the international arena is subject to the veto powers ( or "blessing") of the 5 members of the UN Security Council i.e. US, UK, France, Russia and China. If we accept that it is appropriate to be critical of dictatorships in African countries or any country for that matter, then it is similarly acceptable to be critical of what amounts to a "5 State" dictatorship of the UN.
For those who wish to be enlightened as to the actual number of vetoes exercised by US when it concerned a condemnation of specific acts of the Israeli GOVERNMENT, please see this - link or this link]
Still, maybe the solution does not necessarily have to lie with the international community. If voices of reason ring loud and clear in Israel, a solution to the issue can be discovered sooner than we think. And for that to happen, there is a need to be constructive and there is a need to engage.
Wassalam,
Niz
April 16th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Thank you for that Nizam, as usual you got it just right.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Asalaamu alaikum, I have moved from opinionated Voice to Radical Muslim so please update your link if neccessary, and keep in touch too.