posted
On October 16, 2003 Dr. Mahatir Mohamad, the recently retired Prime Minister of Malaysia, told the gathered members of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) that Jews rule the world. He also said other things about weaknesses in the Moslem world view. But his particular citations of the influence of world Jewry elicited the most outcry and condemnation, particularly from the western countries.
I think that Dr. Mahatir is correct in his assessment but probably not in the way he imagined. Even paranoids, they say, are sometimes right. The population of Jews world wide are no more than 25 million. But every where you look their mark and influence far exceed their numbers. Even in countries that are openly hostile to "Jewish influence" as in Russia, the richest and most engaged are Jews. Khardovsky, the recently jailed owner of the conglamerate,Yukos, is Jewish, as are at least five of Russian's richest 15.
To Mahatir and many millions in the Arab world and elsewhere the preprodinant Jewish influence suggests an entrenched conspiracy by the followers of Moses. I hear that in the capitals of Arabia, the majestic rulers often present copies of that masterful forgery of the 1920s titled, "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion", as gifts to visiting dignataries. The forged protocol also cites a grand Jewish conspiracy to take over the world. It is probable that PM Mahatir is also familiar with the book.
Mahatir, is of course, correct that Jews rule. But not in the way he imagined. There is no Jewish conspiracy instead what exists is that the Jewish influence on Christianity, and the rise of the reformation created the environment in countries that adopted these ideals for Jewish mindset and goals to flourish.
___________________ Acting Major Benbella Posts: 27 | From: Madison, Wisconsin | Registered: Oct 2003
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I am in th country today and my connection is not good so I will be brief. You asked a very good question; What is the point?
The point is that when Dr. Mahatir Mohamad of Malaysia said on October 16 that "Jews rule the world", he essentially articulated a sentiment that is shared by many. President Nixon is also quoted to have asked "why are the Jews everywhere?", with reference to the presence of Jews in American government. Even the Europeans who condemned Mahatir are obviously duplicitious. Next to Arabs, I think they come second in anti-Jewish sentiments. Not too long ago, the dominant political ideology in Europe was nazism.
My point is to start a debate on this issue because I believe it would help us understand the world and the perceptions of its major players. These perceptions are often unsaid (witness the opprobrium that descended on Mahatir) but oftn govern the actions of these players or leaders.
For example, there are quite a number of people who whisper and a few who pronounce it openly that the reason for Nigeria reopening diplomatic relations with Israel is based on the perceived gain that would arise based on Jewish influence in the United States. Incidentally, this observation is not peculiar to Nigeria. Recently, the foreign strategic policy of India to the Mid-East experienced a major shift when Ariel Sharon visited Mumbai. It appears that India has concluded that it needs a special relation with Israel in order to gain more access to America's economy and technology.
The point, Taiwo, is that the evidence on the ground will support Mahatir's observation which he shared with the OIC members on October 16 in Malaysia. But that a close scrutiny of that evidence proves otherwise. I shall elaborate further when I return to base.
___________________ Acting Major Benbella Posts: 27 | From: Madison, Wisconsin | Registered: Oct 2003
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The West is quick to point out the anti-semetism of others, never their own. What Dr. Mahatir Mohamad of Malaysia said is what is already well known. If there is one country that does not need to finance its own defense today, that country is Israel. One has to give credit to the Jews for employing aggressive lobbying and other means to make the world bend to Jewish wishes under a Pax Americana.
What has to be painful is that whereas previous US leaders were able to package their Middle East policies in a cloak of balance and fairness, George Bush Jr. has introduced an offensively crude bias to the transactions. Bush and his minions claim that Iraq was invaded as part of the "war on terror" and terror threat to the US. Yet, increasingly, support for the suicide bombers in the West Bank and Gaza has become the only acts of terrorism that Bush regime officials are able to accuse Iraq of. So, there, Muhatir is right again, the US armed forces are fighting for Israel in Iraq because Jews have succeeded in placing their long-running war with Palestinians in the context of a nebulous new "war on terrorism."
Posts: 253 | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
Taiwo, first let me tell you that I appreciated that your "what is your point question?".
Acting Major Benbella wants to open a sealed can containing ammonia and rotten eggs. It is very surprising. Nigeria has her own likeness of the Jews. These percieved performers where in every sphere of Nigeria's economic, social, and political arena. Nigeria got scared and and vanquished progress.
So what if Jews ruled the world? Are you a christain? You must know better. So the Jewish people must pay for a "sin" of being blessed?
Benbella, I respect you a lot but this thread is very anti Benbella. It looks like it is now a fade to be anti semite. I digress.
___________________ Emotional Commentaries most often do not solve problems. Being rational makes for intelligence. Posts: 21 | From: Ekpoma, Nigeria | Registered: Feb 2003
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A very good observation. There is no doubt that Jewish influence in America and elsewhere has now led to a situation where it appears that President Bush Jr. is now advancing Likud policy in the middle east. I imagine that this policy will continue for along time irrespective of who occupy's the White House.
Where I differ, not exactly with you, but with those who attribute this American pro-Israeli policy as the fruits of an entrenched Jewish conspiracy. I am likely to see this as the inievitable outcome of Jewish influence on western political and social ideals. Specifically, Christianity and democracy. I will explain this further in my response to Irewele's reading and rebuttal to the purpose of this thread.
Irewele:
I think you did me grievous harm when you concluded as you did. My posting is not intended to fan the embers of anti-semitism but to put before us a major perception held by the former ruler of Malaysia and to dissect that perception to prove his error and also those of many who believe as he does. Before I begin, I think it has become necessary for me to assert and unequivocally, that there is no Jewish conspiracy. Rather Jewish influence in the world arises from the western world embrace of Jewish ideas. And until the Arabs, Mahatir and many others come to understand this as opposed to their tendency to attribute it to Jewish conspiracy, the more they widen the chasm between the west and the Muslim world. In my next posting which follows immediately, I will explain this Jewish influence on the western world.
___________________ Acting Major Benbella Posts: 27 | From: Madison, Wisconsin | Registered: Oct 2003
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Dr. Mahatir Mohamad, besides concluding that Jews rule the world also noted that the Jews invented and successfully sold ideas about "democracy, socialism, communism and human rights" to protect Jewish interest. But there are some problems with Mahatir's conclusion: First, it is not true that the Jews invented democracy, at least its original and ancient variant. That honor should go the Greeks who practiced democracy in their city states long before the Jews were seen as a distinct, ethnic, group. What the Jews invented is modern democracy which was only possible after the reformation of Martin Luther. Modern democracy, essentially arises from Protestanism and its sincerest message that everyman should and must be able to interprete the Scripture for himself. And that congregations should be able to elect their church elders. As soon as this democratic ideals were introduced into matters of religion and church it was only a matter of time before it will be asked for in matters of state and politics.
The Jewish influence here was the original influence of their theologians, scribes and Bible translators on the Christian theologians who eventually founded Protestanism. For example, the concept and ideas of Protestanism arose from the fundamental belief that man has free will and which itself is incompatible with original sin.
In the fullness of time, the Protestant ethos was to found a political form and instrument of this "free will". The European founders of this country were mostly English Separatists, who like the Quakers, belonged to the extreme wing of the Protestanant Church. When the Pilgrims came to the Indian territory of America in the 17th century, it was to create a political state founded on the ideals of every man a king and inspired by the ideals of Protestanism. The earliest reformation grievance against (Catholic) Church hierarchy transformed into the cry of "no taxation without representation".
To the extent that Jewish influence on or invention of American democracy can be alleged, it must only be confined to the instances I had enumerated elsewhere above. Jewish direct influence on American's democracy is only marginal at best. Who in their right mind will make the claim that a "Jewish conspiracy" gave rise to the Massachussets farmers who went to war against regular British soldiers in Lexington in 1775? Except one who lives in a world of conspiracies.
To Mahatir and the Arabs, nothing, absolutely nothing, occurs that is not born out of conspiracy. In that world you don't find local schools or fire departments or civic organizations that are wholly formed of out of the combined voluntary efforts of people who share common goals and beliefs. Almost, everything has to be organized or provided by the state or more correctly, the emir or ruler.
If you want favors from the emir then you must go on the appointed day to where the emir gathers his people to hear their needs. When it is your turn, you walk up to the emir and whisper your need into his ear. These are how requests are made of rulers in th Islamic world. In order that many people could influence the emir by making a request for a communal good like a school or hospital would require that the people discuss and agree in advance of what they would whisper in the emir's ear. For that to occur would require a conspiracy. That is why Mahatir I think was quick to see a Jewish conspiracy in America and Europe when in fact, those independent, voluntary, civic unions, have expressed their political preferences without conspiracy, but sharing a common protestant ethos and ideations, for policies that are pro Israel and pro Jews in Arabia because the centralality of their religion is woven in the concept of a Christ-God who is a God of the poor, the oppressed and the downtrodden. A God who enjoins humility, suffers along with his children when they suffers and one that Nietzsche described as a "God of slaves"
I intend to return to this line of reasoning by explaining how Christianity gave rise to those impulses that are particularly favorable to the followers of Moses. Enjoy!
[ November 03, 2003, 08:04 PM: Message edited by: Acting Major Benbella ]
___________________ Acting Major Benbella Posts: 27 | From: Madison, Wisconsin | Registered: Oct 2003
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As I have had cause to argue on this board or elsewhere, to truly understand Christianity it makes absolute sense to begin from its origin, Judaism. For Islam, understanding Sufism is a periquisite. The essential ideals of Judaism makes it thoroughly suited to the two polarities that govern human nature, emotion or sentiments and reason. Judaism ideals emphasizes a pure monotheism, concern for justice(justice, justice, pursur it), an almost irrational quest for logic and reason, and its emphasis on charity and love and being the midwife of the two other great faiths - Islam and Christianity -makes it non threatening to other beliefs. For example, throughout the reign of the Roman era and the breadth of that empire, Christians were often persecuted but Jews were not.
The imitation of your God is the aim of a true believer. In the Jewish concept of God, this God unlike others before Him (see the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Egyptians, etc) only qualified omnipotence. He was a God that humans can relate to because they can argue with Him. As well as reason with Him to change his mind. As Abraham and later Moses did. A short story here might offer a more productive example of what I'm trying to get across:
There were rabbis eho gathered to discuss one of the commandments that Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai. (Incidentally, while Christians have ten commandments, Jews have 613). For the sake of clarity we will refer to the three rabbis as R1, R2, and R3.
R1 argued that his position onthe law was the right and expected one. R3 argued contrarywise. To prove his point, R1 said, if my position is the right one, may the paw paw tree in front of the synagogue fall off. Immediately he said that, the tree wilted and died and fell to the ground. R1 watching the poor paw paw tree fall interjected and said, "what does the falling of a misersable tree got to do with correctness of your intepretation, R1?". Undeterred, R1 said, "I will give more proof that my view is how God meant it. If R3 view is the correct one, then may the walls of temple collapse". As soon as he said it, the temple walls began to bend. Then R2 interjected again, and said," Please, what does the collapse of a wall have to do with God's position?". And as soon as he said that, the wall stoped half bent because it didn't want to disobey R1 and R2. Now, R1 realized that nothing he would ever say or do will convince his priestly colleagues gave up. Just then the voice of God opened up from Heaven, and said R1 position regarding the law is the right and proper position. There was a defeaning silence, then R2 and R3 said "Well, God thank you for your view. You gave us this law and we have followed it as you gave it to us. Why are you now trying to change your mind. We cannot accept your new intepretation. God turned to his angels and began laughing and said, my children have defeated me again.
The purpose of this is to illustrate that the human attributes that Jews ascribed to their God made it possible for the Christians to ever conceive that Jesus could come to earth, hang out with the weak and the meek and the humble and by age 33, get crucified. A God is compellingly drawn to the weak. Divine humility becomes one of Christ's descriptive term.
In Islam, Allah, the merciful, it is not only regrettable but also unthinkable to think that man's fall rather than his good attributes elicits the love of God. Of Course, Allah has pity on humans but that he loves weakness more than strength is a form of humility that is alien to Allah.
In a poll conducted of Americans some time ago(late 2001) while a majority of Americans believe that Judaism is closer to Christianity, only 31 percent agree that Islam is closer to their beliefs. We cannot fully ascribe this low number to American's ignorance of Islam. This was after September 11 and when American political leaders and networks bent over backward to share with Americans about the peaceful nature of Islam. It was almost ubiquitious, the sheer constancy of Imams who were paraded on American television to educate the public about Islam. Yet, Americans view Islam as very different from their religious beliefs than Judaism. But if truth be told, Judaism is closer to Islam than it is to Christianity. We can start by pointing to the dietary laws of these two religions. But this is a topic for another season. Let us keep our attention on Judaic influence on Christianity.
"Divine humility". This understanding of the Christians for their God translates too into their choice for their civic and political leaders. The American prefers a leader who has more humility than one who has more intelligence or strength. A leader who listens than one who talks. Remember their God is a listener and not a talker.
But the opposite is the same for the Arabs. Their kind of leadership, the type who is worshipped and praised is one like Nasser, Saddam Hussein, Gadaffi, etc.> The type of leaders that Christian Americans and the Europeans reject. I shall return again. Enjoy!
___________________ Acting Major Benbella Posts: 27 | From: Madison, Wisconsin | Registered: Oct 2003
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