"You're A Nazi, You're A Nazi, You Spoke To A Muslim!": How Deep The Hate Goes
In 1947, RKO Radio Pictures released a motion picture entitled "Crossfire." The plot deals with the brutal killing of Joseph Samuels. It is soon discovered that the murder was carried out by a group of demobilized veterans from World War II, and that Samuels was killed simply because he was a Jew. The police investigator Finlay is portrayed by Robert Young, who later discovered more fame on television with "Father Knows Best" and "Marcus Welby, M.D." Robert Young was not one of Hollywood's heavy weight actors, like two of the film's co-stars, Robert Ryan and Gloria Grahame. They both won Oscar nominations for their performances in the film, and "Crossfire" lost the Oscar for Best Film to "Gentleman's Agreement," another film about Anti-Semitism. But it was Robert Young's analysis of prejudice and hatred, is what makes the motion picture so memorable.
Now let us take Robert Young's performance in this film, and personal experiences and bring the two together. I personally have lived in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, not to mention Egypt, and have of course dealt with Muslims. Whenever I mention about living with Muslims or simply being with Muslims, I will get the accusation of "You're A Nazi, You're A Nazi, You Spoke To A Muslim!" When we look at Nazism, of course we relate it to World War II, the government that ruled Germany at that time, and the biggest of all, the attempted destruction of the Jewish people in Europe. Bring that up to present context, then it is related to anything Arab or Muslim. Now let us go back to Robert Young's example in "Crossfire," to see the banality of bigotry and prejudice:
I spoke to a Muslim, so that makes me a Nazi.
Sweden was neutral during World War II, but had it armed forces mobilized, because its neighbor to the west Norway was invaded and conquered by Germany. Its neighbor to the east Finland was invaded and conquered by the Soviet Union. But Germany wanted control of Norway for controlling the North Atlantic Ocean, and to have possession of the port of Narvik. Sweden was mining iron ore in the northern part of the country, and it was shipped to the Norwegian port of Narvik, for transport down to Germany.
So if I spoke to a Swede, would that make me a Nazi?
Finland lost the 1939 Winter War to the Soviet Union, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Finland joined along to try to get back the territory it lost. So Finland became an ally of Germany to try to get back its lost territory. Heinrich Himmler approached the Finnish Foreign Minister about deporting Finland's 2,000 Jews, and the Foreign Minister denied Himmler's request. But Finland was still an ally of Germany.
So if I spoke to a Finn, would that make me a Nazi?
Italy was obviously an ally of Germany. Italian troops fought alongside German troops in Greece, Yugoslavia, Libya, and the Soviet Union. This went along until Benito Mussolini was ousted as Duce of Italy in 1943, and Italy came under direct German control. When the Allies landed at Anzio in 1944, it was not Italian troops they were fighting, but German troops. Even when the Allies marched into Rome, because it was abandoned by German troops.
So if I spoke to an Italian, would that make me a Nazi?
In Palestine, which during World War II was a British Mandate, Great Britain issued the White Paper, because the Arabs there were getting alarmed over the number of Jewish refugees arriving. Haj Amin al-Husseini, who was Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from 1921 to 1937, met with Adolf Hitler in 1941. Which was more of a threat to the Jews of Palestine? Haj Amin al-Husseini, who was Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during the Hebron Massacre of 1929, when 67 Jews were killed or the Vichy French, who were collaborationist of the Nazis, in Lebanon and Syria? Moshe Dayan lost his eye fighting the Vichy French in Lebanon. But it is that meeting in 1941, that really sticks into everybody's mind.
So if I spoke to a Palestinian, would that make me a Nazi?
Are we the enemy because of who we speak to? Or because of what we aspire to do? I aspire for peace, so that means I talk to a lot of people. Talk to a lot of people to know what they think, what they have experienced, and what they to aspire for too.
And that alleviates the hate.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Tim Upham on -
I had a man send to me a long and explicit tirade about how in the Tanakh, you can find examples of warfare and destroying the enemy. He titled the post "Jewish Text Glorifying War." I was assuming this man was a Muslim, trying to counteract how the Qu'ran is alleged in glorifying war and the destruction of the enemy. In answering him back, I did not make it into a contest of who is more barbaric, but instead listed passages in the Qu'ran and the Hadith, which gave examples of coexisting with your fellow human beings. He quickly answered me back, with "I did not did mean that, I am a Muslim who believes in coexisting with my fellow human beings. I follow the Hadith of the Prophet Mohammed." Instead of taking this man's eye out, I simply stated how you can find such as examples in Islam. No matter what we are, we can all find examples to follow. Which one do you want to follow?
-
Permalink Reply by Samir Khoury on
-
Are you talking amongst YOURSELF and OH so incoherent.
-
Permalink Reply by Tim Upham on
-
"You're A Nazi, You're A Nazi, You Spoke To A Muslim!": How Deep The Hate Goes
Yes, I am so incoherent.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/in-suspected-jerusalem-lynch-d...
-
Permalink Reply by BOB BONDARIS on
-
If my grandmother had wheels, she would be a car or is it if my grandmother had a beard she would be my grandfather.
Clear as snow in a Steel Town.
-
Permalink Reply by Tim Upham on
-
I am assuming that you did not hate your grandmother. But it is so easy for some people to start hating others, because of banal associations.
-
Permalink Reply by BOB BONDARIS on
-
You are oh
-
Permalink Reply by Tim Upham on
-
It is bizarre and senseless to associate someone with the Nazi Party, simply because they talk to a Palestinian. If you started doing that, then maybe you can drop the vehement hatred you have for them. Bitterness makes the world a lonely place to live in.
-
Permalink Reply by BOB BONDARIS on
-
You are oh so predictable. But we do know who and what you hate, don't we. Par for the course.
-
Permalink Reply by BOB BONDARIS on
-
I never met either of my grandmothers, courtesy of the people that you want me to drop that "vehement hatred" against-the nazis. I lost a cousin as did my wife through terror by the other people and you expect me not to be bitter. You are simply a lost soul in search of a home that does not exist.
-
Permalink Reply by Tim Upham on
-
Unfortunately, none of us can negate the past. What has happened has happened. I cannot minimize any personal pain you may have gone through, but also I cannot go in and say it is unjustified either. We all live with pain. But it is up to how we choose to deal with it. I never knew any of my grandmothers either. I had my maternal grandmother die at Auschwitz. So I am not saying it is any less than your cousin dying as the results of terror. But where does the revenge lie? I am going to kill anybody who is German? I have traveled throughout Germany, and I never had any desire to kill anybody there, and if I did I would be committing a crime there. So I put my energies into people coexisting with each other. I have my home, and my home is peace, and I will be working to achieve it as long as I am on this planet. I have had good experiences with Germans, Swedes, Finns, Italians, and Palestinians. So what is there to be bitter over?
-
-
Permalink Reply by Sussan on -
Bob Bondaris,
There are millions upon millions of people who never met their grandmothers.
There are people who never met their grandparents because those grandparents were killed by Jews in the 1948 War. That war was an evil atrocity. It was totally unnecessary, and it was caused entirely by the European Jews who came to live in Palestine. If the Zionists had stayed within the allocated borders and allowed the Arabs to stay, instead of expelling 700,000 Arab people, there would have been a peaceful transition to 2 independent countries. Instead there has been nothing but wars and mayhem and millions of people living in refugee camps FOR 66 YEARS. And you have the audacity to complain you never met your grandparents. Grow up.
-
© 2013 Created by Eyal Raviv.
Feedback | Report an Issue | Report an Issue | Terms of Service
