re: israel.

having seen far too many people fall victim to blind hatred in the name of islam, i've always tried to be extremely cautious lest i be guilty of the same thing. it's one of the reasons i've been so hesitant about involving myself in any type of politics that is (even, at least, superficially) interlaced with islam. i've seen soo many people with vast amounts of knowledge wither to stuttering, incoherent hatred of another group who's in opposition to their own, regardless of which side's actions are more just or moral.

regardless of the stories and of the propaganda spewed by BOTH sides, i've tried, i've TRIED so damn hard, to try to view any situation involving israel impartially. though i try to give muslims the benefit of doubt in most situations, i have to choose to support the islamic principles of justice, equality, morality and peace rather than blindly root for the muslims in all scenarios.

so i've tried and i've tried and i've tried to understand israel's actions... not just in the last 4 weeks, but in the past few decades... and i can't. i gave up trying to view it impartially; i chose, instead, to just look at things from the israeli perspective. and while i can understand the fear and pain and the paranoia of the people, i simply can't justify the actions of the government. the atrocities its commited against people, against humanity, againt goodness, against kindness... it brings tears to my eyes. and while i will never say all acts of retaliation against that state are justified, i urge everyone to take a step back from our inevitable biases to search for the truth. take the time to actively search (and yes, it takes time and energy and doesnt come easy) and filter through the propoganda spewed from either side and to truly define terrorism and to honestly see who and what is wrong.

it's very easy for two parties in a situation to be wrong... don't maintain the typical "if you're not with us, you're against us" attitude. we all have a duty and an obligation to seek out truth... not just as muslims, but as people.

i'm done ranting. back to links. laters/salaam,
f