Gaarder's article 'a hope for peace'

[The Sushi Bandit]

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1418840.ece

Author Walid al-Kubaisi calls Jostein Gaarder's highly controversial critique of Israel "a gleam of light for the Arab world", and has sent an Arabic translation to at least 40 Arab newspapers and web sites.

<snip>

"This is big news, for Arabs, that an intellectual from Norway weeps for their suffering. It is important that it becomes known, and that one learns that it is the man who wrote "Sophie's World" that writes this. It is powerful that Gaarder's article is written in a Lutheran society. It is as strange to people as a flying saucer on Karl Johan (Oslo's main avenue)," al-Kubaisi said.

<snip>

"Some time in the future Norwegians will say: Why did we react so strongly to Gaarder? I do not support Hezbollah. For the same reason I cannot support Israel. To kill children is a criminal act. How can the world accept what is happening? As a humanist I feel honored to read a Norwegian humanist who distances himself from the concept of God's chosen people. It is racist to claim that some are chosen, it means that God has rejected the rest," al-Kubaisi said.

[pelsar]

1. and it is ignorent....

to assume that israeli's think that "they are the "chosen people" by god, etc....

guess he should turn his attention to Hamas and Hizballa, i think they're trying to get the monopoly on that view, but that would ruin the moral "equivalency rule"

which states that all terrorist/militia groups no matter what their philosophy, have an equivalency to the israeli govt: past, present and future.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[pelsar]

4. I'm very much aware of israels faults...

i find the attempts to pretend that israel is some kind of fundamentalist country to be based not just on ignorence but worse....willfull ignorence. Sure i could "leave you alone"...i suggest putting me on ignore, its probably best for you, after all why would anyone want to talk to someone who actually lives in one of the countries involved?

...worse i might inject some realism in to any discussion about the conflict!!

[cali]

5. Pelsar has been posting in I/P

for quite a while, and though we disagree on much, I don't like seeing remarks such as yours- suggesting he go somewhere else, on DU.

Your intolerance of other povs is showing, and rather conspicuously, at that.

[BooScout]

6. Actually I think I see her point....

She's upset that there has been another website created specifically to disrupt DU. Members are taking threads from here, discussing them, sending them to the ADL for 'investigation' and high fiving each other over their 'scores' for accusing people of anti-semitism when oftentimes it's just a matter of someone who is against violennce of any kind and is not taking sides.

Anti-semitism is a serious accusation and it's been bandied about all over DU lately without cause. The hate on both sides, rather than rational discourse has caused many a person to step back from even trying to discuss the situation in a calm and rational matter.

[Violet_Crumble]

9. Maybe Skinner should create another forum? GD - PSU?

That way this forum could be kept for what it's supposed to be about - the I/P conflict and the broader Israeli/Arab conflict. At least that's what I come here for....

[Lithos]

10. There are several websites

Formed by people who disrupt DU. Let Skinner handle such matters.

Lithos
DU Moderator

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

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[Lithos]

8. Gaarder

Please comment only about the issue the article has created, not the article itself. Gaarder's article is not considered appropriate given the highly controversial style and language.

Lithos
DU Moderator