Jews and Muslims have much to share

During his twenty two years of rule, Mahathir maintained a notable silence regarding the Palestinian-Israeli issues. Surprisingly, on the eve of his departure, he made these divisive and unnecessary comments. The outgoing and outstandingly successful leader may be losing control over his patience; observing intense exhibition of bias against his co-religionists by Washington and Israel's uninhibited proliferation of settlements in the Palestinian territory.

He reiterated some common terms embodied in the culture of the Muslim world to describe the Jews. Often these terms are unsophisticated, irresponsible, self-defeating and senseless. His remarks are powerful but impulsive.

For Muslims, cultural anti-Judaism provides, among other things, a way to shun reality. It helps them escape responsibility for not having unity and democracy in their own lands. If the cultural preferences of their youngsters disappoint them, they blame the Jews and the Americans for proliferating their addictive materialism. Because most of the mass culture (may include the presence of McDonald, Coca-Cola, Hollywood movies, and computer games among others) they receive originates in the West, they leave the burden of their cultural sins on Jewish and American shoulders.

A typical newspaper in the Muslim world would publish articles like: 'The degrading Western family values,' 'Homosexuals allowed legal rights.'etc. These are some of several thousand similar headlines that appear every year in Muslim papers. Same is true if you browse through the Western media that frantically seek opportunities to undermine Islam and its followers.

No doubt the newspapers know perfectly well that Muslims are also struggling to retain their joint families at a time when divorce rates are rising. And, there are closeted gays among them. But at the same time they want to give their readers a feeling of superiority over Jews and Americans. So the newspapers flatter its readers into believing, incorrectly, that Muslims are in a position to look down on Western inanity.

In this way, double standards become an indispensable element in the Muslim culture. In any act of domestic terrorism, the Muslim media dig out involvement of Tel Aviv spies. Muslim clerics seldom finish a sermon not making slanderous remarks about non Muslims. For many of the Muslims, Israel offers a safe punching bag. Will Muslim reader ever object to a newspaper hammering contempt on Jews and Americans? NO. Because they think the Jeudo-Christian oppression of Muslims must be repelled in all fronts.

In Muslim world, cultural anti-Westernism has been endemic for generations. Critics need to respond whether it emerges from their own political and moral failures. The Israelis have maintained democracy, unity, and security and progressed tremendously in science and technology since the creation of the Jewish state.

In the same period, Muslims suffered from gruesome burdens that its leaders have placed on the people; including dictatorship, poverty, corruption and repression on women and minority. The Muslims were engaged in numerous wars - inside their own land and with their Muslim neighbours. Muslims too should learn something from the unique Jewish experience and successes..