One of the most difficult points I used to try to bring across to the reporters who used to interview me was the issue of different cultures.
The Arabs have a very different mentality. It's fact, not racism to say so. Sorry, but people aren't all the same. Not everyone wants to live in peace. Not everyone values life, certainly not the American-European/Judeo-Christian concept of it.
I found that it helped to bring up the example of the Japanese Kamikaze pilots of World War Two. They were very similar to the Arab suicide bombers. Reminding the reporters of those Japanese who crashed their planes into enemy positions was effective 15-20 years ago. I don't know if today's young reporters have the same knowledge to associate those suicidal Japanese killers with today's Arab terrorists.
Unfortunately, Israelis are being brain-washed to think that Arabs are kind, peace loving people. I was reminded of this when I read of how the police were attacked for saving an Arab woman who was committing suicide. Apparently, her family had ordered her to kill herself. They preferred her to be dead.
Not only must we know our enemy, but we must recognize that they want to wipe us off the face of the earth.
2 comments:
I agree with you that it is important to recognize the difference in the Arab mentality. The Arabs do not have a concept of the autonomy of the individual. An Arab is subservient to family, clan, village, nation. The Arab who wishes to escape from this may try to do so by leaving the country and sometimes may be successful. Many Arabs have Jewish ancestry which is sometimes the decisive element which enables them to break away from the culture of collective abuse and destruction.
I am not sure, however, whether your assumption that the girl was ordered to commit suicide is correct. It is possible that the violent reaction of the family is simply a xenophobic aversion to anyone from outside meddling in their affairs. From their point of view a teenage girl is much less important than maintaining their obligations to their social and political structure.
thanks
good points
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