ben_dewaal on Nostr: I hate how any condemnation is terrorism by Israel gets called "anti-semitic" and any ...
I hate how any condemnation is terrorism by Israel gets called "anti-semitic" and any condemnation of terrorism by Muslim people gets called "Islamophobia".
As it happens, I think all religion is pretty stupid, but that doesn't mean I dislike people because of their religion. People are free to hold stupid beliefs without me disliking them for it. I dislike people for their actions, not their beliefs. And MANY terrorist actions are done for entirely secular reasons. The religion of the person might get used as an excuse, but the underlying reasons for the action really have nothing to do with it. I don't believe for a second that if Israel had some other random state religion instead of Judaism, that their behaviour would be significantly different in their treatment of Palestinian people; and equally, if Palestine were had any other random religion as the majority instead of Islam, I don't think their response to Israel would be significantly different either.
I get that there's a lot of religious history involved and it certainly shapes a lot of the narrative, but I really don't think it's significantly more than narrative. Similar narratives could and would have been formed regardless.
This also applies to racial/social/cultural tensions throughout the world. It often boils down to "us and them" tribalism, with little regard for what the tribes are, only that they're "different to us", and can be stirred up for any number of other unrelated reasons, be it money, land, access to resources, or just as a way to rally political support for people who want to gain and hold on to power.
As it happens, I think all religion is pretty stupid, but that doesn't mean I dislike people because of their religion. People are free to hold stupid beliefs without me disliking them for it. I dislike people for their actions, not their beliefs. And MANY terrorist actions are done for entirely secular reasons. The religion of the person might get used as an excuse, but the underlying reasons for the action really have nothing to do with it. I don't believe for a second that if Israel had some other random state religion instead of Judaism, that their behaviour would be significantly different in their treatment of Palestinian people; and equally, if Palestine were had any other random religion as the majority instead of Islam, I don't think their response to Israel would be significantly different either.
I get that there's a lot of religious history involved and it certainly shapes a lot of the narrative, but I really don't think it's significantly more than narrative. Similar narratives could and would have been formed regardless.
This also applies to racial/social/cultural tensions throughout the world. It often boils down to "us and them" tribalism, with little regard for what the tribes are, only that they're "different to us", and can be stirred up for any number of other unrelated reasons, be it money, land, access to resources, or just as a way to rally political support for people who want to gain and hold on to power.