'Cartoons reflect Europe's Islamophobia'

[CrONoS]

Aziz Duwaik, professor of urban planning at the Najah University of Nablus, won a parliamentary seat in the recent Palestinian legislative elections.

Aljazeera.net spoke with Duwaik at his Hebron home. The following are excerpts from the interview.

People in Europe value their liberties ...

And we value our religion and our prophet (peace be upon him). Press freedom is a great ideal. However, could one argue that Hitler and the Nazis were practising their freedom prior to the Holocaust? We know the Holocaust started with cartoons like this against Jews, and with books like Mein Kampf, and then came Kristallnacht ... and then we know what happened.

Let's talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Do you still want to destroy Israel?

You are asking the victims of Israeli oppression, occupation and racism if they are interested in destroying their oppressors and tormentors? This is a tendentious question that should be asked to Israel, which is occupying our country and oppressing our people and carrying out ethnic cleansing against us.

In fact, all that we want is to be free. Is freedom for the Palestinian people tantamount to destruction of Israel?

Are you not are evading the question?

I am not evading anything; it is you who is evading and ignoring reality here. Just take a look and see for yourself who is destroying whom, who is stealing whose land, who is savaging and persecuting and brutalising whose people, and who is practising ethnic cleansing and slow-motion genocide against the other.

But the question remains, how can Israel possibly talk with Hamas as long as Hamas refuses to recognise Israel's right to exist?

Why on earth should we recognise Israel while Israel refuses to recognise Palestine? Indeed, we can't understand why the international community, strangely enough including some Arab leaders, is demanding that we recognise Israel but making no similar demands on Israel that it ought to recognise Palestine.


But Israel is a reality while Palestine is not.

Palestine is also a reality. There are nearly five million Palestinians living in Palestine and these people have an inherent right to self-determination. Do you think that we are children of a lesser God or something?

=========

[CrONoS]

Sorry, here the link:

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C727FDC4-85F8-4EBB-AA75-8BB2DF29C09A.htm

[Pekka]

"However, could one argue that Hitler and the Nazis were practising their freedom prior to the Holocaust? We know the Holocaust started with cartoons like this against Jews, and with books like Mein Kampf, and then came Kristallnacht ... and then we know what happened."

No, and if you would argue that seriously, you'd reveal how stupid you are.

OK then.. Are the Danish cartoon artists the SS party? Are they going to destroy races and pretty much dominate the world, build a new reich according to their own weird ideals? No? Ok then. Then in fact this doesn't have any similarities.

Was it party propaganda? Demonizing the future enemy, so that the people will be ready to accept cruelty against them? OH right, it was bunch of cartoonists.. not party propaganda. Did they make 'the enemy' not human? So how does the prophet compare to nazi propaganda, the cartoon that is? If would compare, if the some dude in germany was doing cartoons of the Pope, that were slightly offending. Damn but that must be group of individuals, not party and official propaganda. Oh well.. I guess you get the point. No? I guess you'll die shaving your throat with a blade.

"You are asking the victims of Israeli oppression, occupation and racism if they are interested in destroying their oppressors and tormentors? This is a tendentious question that should be asked to Israel, which is occupying our country and oppressing our people and carrying out ethnic cleansing against us. "

This would translate into 'yes we want to drive the jews into the sea. How do you think we feel, we hate them. I'm sure they don't like us either.'.

"In fact, all that we want is to be free. Is freedom for the Palestinian people tantamount to destruction of Israel?"

No it's not, but with your terms, it is equal to it, yes.

"I am not evading anything; it is you who is evading and ignoring reality here."

No, he's pointing out that you are evading the question. It's him making the questions not you. Idiot.

"Just take a look and see for yourself who is destroying whom, who is stealing whose land, who is savaging and persecuting and brutalising whose people, and who is practising ethnic cleansing and slow-motion genocide against the other."

.... and this is why driving jews to the sea is acceptable. They also run the world. And holocaust never happened.

"Why on earth should we recognise Israel while Israel refuses to recognise Palestine?"

Yes, why indeed. Why would you want to improve the situation of your own people. Why would you expect Israel to negotiate with a gov that is formed from terrorists now?

"Palestine is also a reality. There are nearly five million Palestinians living in Palestine and these people have an inherent right to self-determination. Do you think that we are children of a lesser God or something?"

If you ask me, thne no, because I have one god, so in fact we are equal. And yes I believe you are a real entity and deserving of self-ruling and lands. Now if you can only remove yourself and get some people who can actually negotiate and live in this reality, then maybe some good things will happen. At least I hope good things will happen, to all of us, including Palestinians.

[KrazyHorse]

Pekka, you never disappoint

[Fake Boris]

Why did you even write an answer to such a douchebag?

[CrONoS]

@Oncle
Because there are millions of people in the world who think this.
And by a matter of fact; evolution is not guided by what you think is true. But by the will of people... whatever if it's true and/or false.

So why do I posted this. Because I judged it important. Even if you denied the right to other people to think, to express themself, even if it's crap or not.

[Az]

So why do I posted this. Because I judged it important. Even if you denied the right to other people to think, to express themself, even if it's crap or not.

The man you're quoting is an active and engaged party to silencing freedom of speech and thought of millions, as a part of a paternalistic society. He has the right to say and think whatever he likes, but when he's actively silencing the opinion of others, many times before it's even created (by the indoctrination of children, and propaganda ), he's not participating in an honest discussion.

[techumseh]

Originally posted by Az

So why do I posted this. Because I judged it important. Even if you denied the right to other people to think, to express themself, even if it's crap or not.

The man you're quoting is an active and engaged party to silencing freedom of speech and thought of millions, as a part of a paternalistic society. He has the right to say and think whatever he likes, but when he's actively silencing the opinion of others, many times before it's even created (by the indoctrination of children, and propaganda ), he's not participating in an honest discussion.

What crap!

[Zoid]

Originally posted by Pekka
"However, could one argue that Hitler and the Nazis were practising their freedom prior to the Holocaust? We know the Holocaust started with cartoons like this against Jews, and with books like Mein Kampf, and then came Kristallnacht ... and then we know what happened."

You can´t really compare the muslim situation today with the jew situation in the early 1900´s. The jews had been systematically opressed for several hundred years when the nazis started their propaganda. And they built upon a popullar predjudices spread from as far back as Shakespeare... We´re not there yet, but we might be in a few decades if this situation escalates and hatemongers like Le Pen and Kjersgaard get their will.

This would translate into 'yes we want to drive the jews into the sea. How do you think we feel, we hate them. I'm sure they don't like us either.'.

Palestine is now in the hands of the fundamentalists. And this is Arafats and his cliques fault as well as Israels and the US fault. Arafats fault because he didn´t stop the corruption and looked to their own interests instead of the palestine peoples interests. And the Israel/US fault because they kept dragging their heels on the question of a palestine state and by genreally treating the palestinians as crap. Thus creating the conditions that lead to the formation of Hamas and other fundamentalist organizations.

"In fact, all that we want is to be free. Is freedom for the Palestinian people tantamount to destruction of Israel?"

No it's not, but with your terms, it is equal to it, yes.

Hamas has dropped the call for a destruction of Israel. What that is worth is yet to be seen. It´s probably just tactics, the hatred against Israel is too strong among the fundamentalists to go away over night. But nothing gets better by Israel refusing to negoiate with the democratically elected government of Palestine. It only widens the gap of mistrust between the parties.

"Just take a look and see for yourself who is destroying whom, who is stealing whose land, who is savaging and persecuting and brutalising whose people, and who is practising ethnic cleansing and slow-motion genocide against the other."

.... and this is why driving jews to the sea is acceptable. They also run the world. And holocaust never happened.

Every part in this conflict has got blood on their hands. But again, Israel has the solution to the conflict in their hands. Only (!) religious and political reasons stand in the way of a two state solution. But there is such a huge lack of trust between the parties that that might never happen. The Israel and the Palestines will be locked in trench warfare for several generations to come. Small children will grow up in hatred of each other and welcome every opportunity to either blow the other to bits or shoot them in the head and raze their villages with choppers and tanks...

"Why on earth should we recognise Israel while Israel refuses to recognise Palestine?"

Yes, why indeed. Why would you want to improve the situation of your own people. Why would you expect Israel to negotiate with a gov that is formed from terrorists now?

Because they have to, how much they dislike it. The only way the question can be solved is around the conference table. Both sides must make sacrifices and put away decades of mistrust and hatred. It won´t be easy, but it´s the only chance for peace. Remember that the support for Hamas is based on the appaling conditions in the occupied territories. Hamas has filled a void in the palestine society. And if that void can be filled by something else such as decent living conditions, Hamas will crumble and die. palestinians aren´t hardcore fundamentalists at heart after all...

"Palestine is also a reality. There are nearly five million Palestinians living in Palestine and these people have an inherent right to self-determination. Do you think that we are children of a lesser God or something?"

If you ask me, thne no, because I have one god, so in fact we are equal. And yes I believe you are a real entity and deserving of self-ruling and lands. Now if you can only remove yourself and get some people who can actually negotiate and live in this reality, then maybe some good things will happen. At least I hope good things will happen, to all of us, including Palestinians.

[Az]

What crap!

I bow before your superior arguing skills.

[Whoha]

...

[techumseh]

Originally posted by Az

What crap!

I bow before your superior arguing skills.

Thanks!

[Robert]

I'd say that someone is a dirty pig for insulting one billion people on purpose, but I say as well that someone has the right to be a dirty pig.

I have no respect for someone like the author of the cartoons. And I have no respect for europeans who think that making these cartoons and abusing freedom of expression to insult people is very civilized.
I'd say that it's civilized to give people the freedom to be a jerk. But it's not civilized to be a jerk.

Being an idiot is far away from being civilized.
Like it's civilized to have legal prostitutes who pay taxes and under normal circumstances, rather then that girls are being raped. Though it's not civilized at all to visit a hooker while you're having a woman and children at home.

People should stop mixing those two things up.
Being that civilized that you allow people to do certain disgusting things is not the same as being civilized because you do disgusting things, since in the latter you're not.