(ThyBlackMan.com) On just about every channel that you turn to there is a news story about what’s going on in Israel. Daily we are bombarded with images of communities that lay in ruin after just having been bombed. Both war wearied sides of the conflict are pointing fingers at the other saying “it’s their fault.” Meanwhile the American media, quick to capitalize on the over-abundance of grief stricken victims on both sides of the conflict, inundate us with images of death and carnage. Truly in war there are no victors.
To the average American this war is truly a world away, not only in distance but in cultural relevance. After all, they have been fighting each other literally since two brothers had a disagreement over a birthright more than 3500 years ago. The only difference then was that there was no television to broadcast it.
For many within the black community seeing this kind of destruction and chaos is a daily reality. Our communities are disproportionately littered with the carnage of death and despair. According to recent studies, 1 in 9 black men between the ages of 20 to 34 have been in prison. In fact black men are 6 times as likely to go to prison as any other ethnic group in this country. Our life expectancy rate, on average, is 4 years less than that of whites. Our communities are disproportionately plagued by violence, high unemployment, poor education and a low economic ceiling.
All of these things, plus our history in this country, create a level of apathy in the minds of many African Americans. We don’t see that what’s going on in the Middle East as really affecting us that much, if at all. The feeling is, “hey, we have our own problems here to solve.” And while that sentiment is true, we do have a lot of problems here to solve, staying ignorant about the conflict between Israel and HAMAS will do us more harm than good.
Without getting into all of the exhaustive twists and turns that characterizes the shifting sands of relationships in the Middle East, Israel became a state in 1948. Immediately that claim was challenged by a league of Arab nations and war ensued. Israel won and proceeded to strategically buffer itself from hostile enemies on all sides while adhering to a UN mandate to allow for an Arab state within ancestral Arab land. This land became known as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, both controlled by what is now called the Palestinian Authority.
A major point of contention between Israel and its Arab inhabitants is what land belongs to Israel versus what land belongs to the Arabs? Neither side agrees with the other, so conflict often ensues. Within each camp are moderates and hard-liners. HAMAS is the hard-liner militant faction of Arabs who disavow the creation of an Israeli state. Their stated cause, in their covenant, says that they want to eliminate the Jews from the face of the earth and install an Islamic caliphate.
Herein lies why African Americans should be mindful of the events in Israel. Should HAMAS succeed in its ultimate goal, which is highly unlikely, then that entire region will be ruled by people who are hostile to the United States. Why is this important? Because when the twin towers fell in New York City the terrorist aboard those planes didn’t care if there were any black people who woke up that morning, kissed their spouses and children and then went to work so that they could support their families. They didn’t care that a community already ravaged by violence and absentee parents would now be straddled with instant orphans. They killed indiscriminately.
Being apathetic to what’s going on in the world does not make the very real problem of international terrorism go away. The act of going on an airplane is almost like receiving a lap dance now: the TSA can touch you, but you can’t touch them. Everyone is a suspected terrorist, including African Americans. We are not immune to the aftermath of 9-11 because of the color of our skin or because of our struggle in these United States. (And, in case you were wondering a Caliphate is an Islamic state of Muslim faithful ruled by sharia (Islamic) law. This means that if you’re not Muslim then you’re considered an infidel and can be legally executed if you don’t convert.)
This is not an indictment against Islam. Most of the Islamic world resides outside of the Middle East and is peace-loving. This is an indictment against maniacal zealots who are willing to kill for a very narrow and self-destructive political viewpoint.
Black folks need to be aware that what goes on in the Middle East directly affects them. If HAMAS wins, an Islamic caliphate will be declared. Jihad (or holy war) will follow afterwards and the United States, referred to as the great Satan, will become the target of every jihadist seeking to gain entry into paradise. Black people will not be spared by a Middle Eastern people who did not outlaw slavery until the 1940’s and still import black African slaves to their countries as servants. This brand of Islamic fundamentalism still enslaves black people in Africa and imposes heavy taxes, or death, on those who do not convert.
Israel’s fight for survival is not without bloody hands. No war is. Still Israel does not export the same brand of terrorism that those surrounding them do. Israel doesn’t enslave black Africans, nor does it require its inhabitants to be Jewish. In fact there are Arab members of its Knesset, the Israeli parliament.
So, don’t sleep on the Middle East or what’s happening between Israel and Hamas. Understanding the dynamics of the struggle, on both sides, is very important.
Staff Writer; Steven Robinson
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