In the campus world of both Jews and Muslims, few things evoke such emotion as the Israeli/Palestinian situation. Because this issue strikes such a deep chord with so many people, the debate surrounding it often spirals into emotional, factless rhetoric. As a result, it is easy to surmise that those on the extremes are guiding the debate on this issue. Mysteriously absent from the debate on campus is a coherent group of more pragmatic Jews and Muslims who can acknowledge the grief and suffering on both sides and who believe that the goal of advocacy should be peace.
The lack of such a group simply provides an avenue through which radicals can claim that those on the opposite side are simply blinded by emotion and hatred. Frankly, I am tired of hearing these excuses. Instead of continuing the blame game, I’ve decided to start an organization of like-minded Muslims and Jews who feel it is time to put aside the rhetoric and start advocating on behalf of those suffering, in the name of peace.
On my quest to lay the foundation for this group, doubt and criticism have flanked me. I’ve been confronted by many Jews who feel that criticizing Israel outside of the Jewish community is wrong. They feel that by not providing a united front, Jews open a hole through which Israel’s opponents can lobby for its destruction. I refuse to settle for this dogma. It’s time for Jews to realize that by not showing that there is any dissent to the mainstream opinion, many Muslims are left to feel that no Jews understand the suffering of the Palestinian people. Without similar leadership from the Muslim side, Jews are left thinking that no Muslims understand the barbarity of suicide bombings.
I would like to pose a dual challenge in this column to both the campus Jewish and Muslim communities. Through these challenges I hope to set a course on which both sides can maximize their shared goals, minimize their adversarial goals and on which both sides can advocate for what is most important – peace.
I challenge the Jewish community on campus to come out and acknowledge the suffering of the Palestinian people. The campus Jewish community must also come to grips with the fact that Jerusalem is a place important to the Palestinians as well as the Jews. Regardless of its religious status to Muslims, Jerusalem has been the center of nationalism for Palestinians in such important events as the Great Revolt of 1834 and the Arab Revolt of 1936. Most importantly, the campus Jewish community must come out in support of a viable Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, free of Israeli settlements and bypass roads.
To the Muslim community on campus, I offer an equally daunting challenge. First I would like to see someone who would be willing to work with me on an equal footing on this project. My email is [email protected] – I challenge the campus Muslim community to come out and say no matter how desperate a situation exists, it is never OK to kill innocent people. Most importantly, it is absolutely necessary for the campus Muslim community to acknowledge Israel’s right to exits as a Jewish state in secure borders in the Middle East. By doing so, the Muslim community could easily deprive right-wing ideologues of their assertions that many Muslims simply aim for Israel’s destruction.
While last year I was shocked and dismayed by the hatred and rhetoric that bounced back and forth between the Jewish and Muslim communities on campus, I now harbor a hope that things will change. It is so easy for us to get lost in the politics of this issue and lose sight of the fact that too many people are dying. It is time for the Jewish and Muslim communities on campus, and across the United States, to stand up and challenge our respective leaderships. Until we show that the common people in this conflict have sown the seeds for peace, we cannot expect our leaders to move towards any comprehensive solution.
-The writer, a sophomore majoring in international affairs, is a Hatchet columnist.
