During the youth protests in Egypt over Hosni Mubarak's corrupt, dictatorship-like rule I came across this message on the Facebook profiles of sadly, more than just one Jew.
Can one of you please get the following message to Egypt:
Please do not destroy the pyramids.
We will not rebuild them.
Signed,
The Jews
It makes me sad that I am descended from a people who, in the face of a tragedy in Egypt of such political magnitude, they felt that making snide remarks about historical events was appropriate. These protests had absolutely nothing to do with the Jews; they had to do with a people trying to liberate themselves from corruption, from a President who didn't even care whether the citizens of his country had access to food. The Egyptians made history when Mubarak stepped down, therefore upholding the right people have to a Democratic government. The Jews, of all people, should have recognized the plight of the Egyptians during this time as something akin to what the Jews have struggled with throughout their own history. It was a time for the Jews to stand WITH Egypt, not against it. Are we still not beyond ethnic and religious prejudice enough to recognize that?
That is not to say that Egypt's government is supportive of Israel's right to exist, nor that it is not anti-Semitic, and more likely than not, the ruler who comes to power now that Mubarak has stepped down will continue to preach hatred of Israel. I'm glad to hear that probably for as many Jews that were spewing hatred through messages such as the aforementioned one, there were Israelis standing WITH the Egyptians in support of what they've accomplished in the name of democracy, but this fight is far from over, and truthfully, it may never be. It may be too soon to count on Egypt for support of Israel, but snide comments do nothing to help the situation. The people of Egypt have shown what they can accomplish. Maybe if the Jews continue to stand along with the Egyptians they can show their government that supporting Israel, or at the very least, a neutral attitude towards Israel, is what it should strive for in the future.
- Jessica
- Welcome to The Secular Gospel According to Jess! In this blog you’ll find everything from cartoons that make me laugh, to quotes that inspire me, to stories of my own personal experience when it comes to dealing with religion and pretty much everything in between. The title of my blog is intended to be ironic, as one doesn’t often hear the word, “gospel”, associated with secularism, but my intent is to preach, for lack of a better word, what I think gospel should really be about: love, rationalism, fairness, equality, human rights, science and truth. Enjoy!
Wow..that is quite obnoxious. At the same time, though, I remember someone sent me a link for a youtube video (which of course I cannot find right now) where a bunch of Israeli youth were standing around singing songs of hope and strength for the Egyptians that were protesting....
ReplyDeleteI think it's more that these ppl were being retards and probably are so caught up in their own lives they never would be able to relate to the implications of what was going on in Cairo and understand that there is something to learn and appreciate from such a strong and brave group of ppl.