Mahmoud Ahmadinijad: Questions of Strategy

by Walid Salem

Jerusalem - Personally, as a Palestinian working responsibly for the last thirty-one years, including five years in prison as a political prisoner, it is very difficult for me to continue as if nothing has happened when hearing a President of an Islamic State returning to the 1960's and 1970's slogans calling for the elimination of Israel. At that period, these were the slogans of the Arab nationalist movements (and also the Palestinian armed Marxist organizations). Today, these slogans have become Islamist political propaganda resurrected by the Iranians and different political movements that use Islam as their announced ideology.

The dangers of such slogans lie not only in their role in incitement, but also in the fact that they express a lack of strategic vision about the following issue, which also relates to post-disengagement issues in Palestine, namely: How do we deal with the "Jewish question" in the Israeli-Palestinian and also in the Israeli-Arab/Islamic context?

The first point in this regard is the question of "the Jewish question" itself: Do we in the Middle East ask ourselves about this question? With the exception of a book written a few years ago by the Lebanese journalist Joseph Samahah, I have not seen other Arabic writings that recognize the "Jewish question," not only as a European question, but also as an Arabic/Islamic one.

The second point is built on the first: if the Jewish question is recognized, then its phenomena should be discussed. In this regard very frank questions need to be asked: Were the rights of the Jews throughout the ages guaranteed in Arabic and Islamic countries? If the answer to this question is yes, then why did the Jews of these countries emigrate to Israel? Was it only Zionist propaganda? If it was only Zionist propaganda that led to the migration to Israel, then why do at least a portion of those who came to Israel from the Arabic and Islamic countries adopt right-wing positions towards the Palestinians and Arabs? Moreover, what have Arabs and Islamic countries done in order to maintain good relations with these Jews after they migrated to Israel? These questions need frank answers and if we continue justifying oversights, the results will only be further deterioration in the Israeli/Palestinian and Israeli/Middle Eastern relations.

My third point centres on the strategy towards Israel. Do Ahmadinijad and others of his ilk think that this kind of propaganda helps Palestinians? Do they, on the other hand, help Israel to integrate in the Middle East? Or does their attitude just help to increase those trends that call for Israel to be part of the West and to disconnect itself with Eastern culture and ties, except those ties of hegemony and dominance? Do such statements help bring peace to the Middle East or more hatred and violence and proliferation of nuclear weapons? Does Ahmadinijad hope to use these weapons in order to eliminate Israel? Moreover, does he realize that an Israeli response might bring about the elimination of Iran and probably other Middle Eastern countries? Why are we giving momentum to militarization and a proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, instead of peace? What kind of strategies are these? What does this say about our leaders?

The fourth point regards our roles in solving the 'Jewish question.' Of course the greater part of this problem was created in Europe, but as the Jewish State was established in the Middle East, it falls upon us to answer the question: Will we accept the challenge of integrating Israel into the area? Alternatively, do we want to create new problems just because we do not bear the responsibility of creating the original problem? Even if the creation of Israel was not our direct responsibility, it is still our overall humanitarian responsibility to find a common solution to the Jewish question rather than to resolve the suffering emanating from the establishment of Israel by causing anguish for the Jewish people! These are issues that Ahmadinijad did not think of because his very blind strategy can't see the humanity of the opposing side.

The fifth point ponders whether these actions reflect Islam. Is this the tolerant Islam that all average citizens know, the Islam that recognizes the 'other'? Is this the Islam that promotes equal rights for all people whatever their religion, colour, sex, etc? These blind ideologies have nothing to do with Islam. They only create the opposite of what Islam stands for: they create hatred out of religious differences and thereby religious wars.

On all of the above points, moderate Muslims are called upon to raise their voices. Moderate Muslims must be loud and vociferous against blind strategies, and instead should call for a real and intensive discussion about the Jewish question and about Israel's position in the Middle East. Without such deep and fruitful discussion, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict will not be completely solved.

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* Walid Salem is the director of Panorama, the Centre for the Dissemination of Democracy and Community Development, East Jerusalem office. He is also the author of books and articles on such issues as democracy, citizenship, youth rights, civil society development, Israeli-Palestinian peace-building, and the right of return. Together with Paul Scham and Benjamin Pogrund, he is author of SHARED HISTORIES: A Palestinian-Israeli Dialogue, Left Coast Press, 2005. walid@panoramacenter.org

Source: Walid Salem's e-Mailing List, October 28, 2005.

Distributed by the Common Ground News Service.

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