Nearly two years after the uprisings that started in Tunisia and swept across the Arab world, toppling the long-entrenched dictators of Tunisia, Libya, Yemen and Egypt, another wave of protests is now sweeping across the Muslim world, this time over an amateur film that maligns the Prophet Muhammad.
The initial uprisings were hailed as an “Arab Spring”: a widespread mass movement representing progressive components of Arab societies, the young, intellectuals and women, disgruntled by and alienated from their corrupt regimes. Optimists thought the ruling elites would make way for truly democratic societies, offering scope for women and youth to improve themselves and find employment.
Yet, with no history of democracy and thus no established political parties, elections allowed the Muslim Brotherhood and other extremist religious parties, the Salafists in particular, to triumph because they benefited from pre-existing organisational structures.
Libya and Yemen are still racked by insecurity, while in Egypt and Tunisia hopes for a return to prosperity have been dashed as they seek international financial aid to avoid further implosion of their economies. Since the uprisings we have seen unfulfilled political and economic aspirations and resulting frustration and anger. This has produced a restive “Arab Street” predisposed to react to any incident that could ignite further stirrings. The Arab Spring made the Arab Street a shaper of Arab public opinion.
The controversy began in Cairo when the film, made in the US by a Coptic Christian, was aired on a talk show. This led to thousands of Egyptians protesting in Tahrir Square early and police arresting hundreds of people after four straight days of clashes.
After being criticised by many Egyptians for not doing more to discourage the attacks on the US embassy and other places in Cairo, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi spoke out against the violence, addressing the issue for some seven minutes on state TV. His calls fell on deaf ears.
What began as a small protest mushroomed into a full-scale international crisis as protests spread to Yemen, Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, India, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Malaysia. Essentially, the violence has been anti-Western. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula quickly saw an opportunity to harness the anger, calling for more violence against US diplomatic missions in the Middle East and Africa, hoping to expel them from “Muslim soil”, as was done in Libya, where the American ambassador and three other American personnel were killed.
Calls for calm from Muslim organisations worldwide went unheeded, even those of Sheikh Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah Al al-Sheikh, the Saudi Grand Mufti, who condemned the attacks yet urged governments and international bodies to criminalise insults to the Prophet. The inference to be drawn is that this exposes the Arab Street’s vulnerability to being manipulated.
As Caroline Glick of The Jerusalem Post asserts “the film … received little notice until last month when a Salafi television station in Egypt broadcast it. In light of the response, the purpose of the broadcast was self-evident. The broadcasters screened the film to incite anti-American violence”.
Glick’s argument that the film is a pretext is supported by al-Qaeda’s statement saying the attack in Libya was motivated by an unrelated event, the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi, a Libyan al-Qaeda leader who was killed in Pakistan by a US drone strike. Although al-Libi was killed in June, al-Qaeda only acknowledged his death on Tuesday.
“The killing of Sheikh Abu Yahya only increased the enthusiasm of the proud, jihadi people of Libya and their determination for revenge against those who mock our religion and defame our prophet,” said the statement.
Political scientist Jose Ignacio Torreblanca traces the use of Arab public opinion: “As a result of this skilful manipulation of pan-Arab feelings — fomented by the official media or in mosques, as the vicissitudes of policy requires — the so-called Arab Street became a global political factor of the first order. Though some, not without reason, denounced the whole Arab Street concept as Orientalist, because it projected a diminished image of Muslims as an ignorant mob, fanaticised by Islam and prone to irrational violence; the fact is that from the viewpoint of the regimes and probably of the imams … it got Western governments to factor into their strategic calculations the negative impact their policies might have on Arab and Muslim opinion.”
Only when Arab public opinion expresses its revulsion for the ongoing abuses of power by the Syrian, its outrage at discrimination against and attacks on Christians in Muslim countries, and its abhorrence for acts of terrorism targeting civilians by Islamic suicide bombers, will the Arab Spring really deliver its fruits.
Next, can we have the commander of al-Qaeda giving his opinion of Binyamin Netanyahu’s foreign policy, and perhaps the Pope offering helpful advice to the leaders of the Orange Order in Northern Ireland?
Who thought Levitas was a thoughtleader? Can he even think?
@BEN: There is no legitamacy in your argument. What agenda does the SAZF have, and what are you honestly trying to achieve by penning this nonsense?
Perhaps, we may take you and your organisation seriously when you at least try and explain the concept of Zionism to the people of Palestine. The Arabs have only sprung when they jump to our command. In that case, Israel is only a legitamate country when the people of Palestine live side by side in Israel with all others,and have equal rights.
Perhaps yoh should write your next article on the SINGLE STATE Solution to the Palestian problem……………..
@creator, you dont seem to intelligently disprove or dispute any of his talking points. Is one amiss in questioning your thinking process (if there is one). You can respond by giving me your opinion on the articles points, not the author perhaps?
@The Creator: Agreed, would like to hear a commander of al-Qaeda giving his opinion of Binyamin Netanyahu’s foreign policy.
Let’s get some balance. It seems you are all for it. In the same way I assume you would listen to Levitas without the uncalled for ad hominem derogatory “Can he even think?” remark.
Please show some class, Creator.
I did not write the following text but it says it all. It can be applied to Muslim extremists or to the ANC and other dictatorships, but true it is.
“If there is a word that describes peoples’ mind-sets today, it is the word tolerance. The thought behind tolerance is that right and wrong varies from situation to situation, in other words it’s all relative. What’s wrong for me may be right for you and vice versa. Tolerance teaches that all views are equally valid and there are no absolutes. The only absolute is that there are no absolutes. We tolerate everything except intolerance. As a result, we are killing truth and values have no value”.
Western culture and democracy tolerate the views of others and even encourage those views. Muslims generally are totally intolerant of the views of others and use violence to make their point. “Be reasonable, do it my way”, say the intollerant
@Creator you have hit the nail on the head. This article is totally one-sided, one dimensional, and ludicrous!
America and the west had propped up and supported these dictators for decades. When it became convenient they suddenly sold out their dictator buddies, encouraged ‘democracy’ in these countries, used their other friends Al-Queda to help topple their old dictator buddies. So was born our glorious ‘Arab Spring’. Now their chickens have come to roost….
Also very interesting, after we have the ‘democratic’ elections, but the wrong side wins these elections, they are written off as un-democratic, fraudulent, corrupt, etc, etc. Typical examples are elections won by the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas!!
Extremely rich in irony coming from the chairperson of the Cape council of the SA Zionist Federation.
This is part of the usual Zionist tactic which, however, do not fool anyone anymore.
I don’t quite get the previous comments.
Are they approving of mindless Muslim rioting , over a so called insult few of have ever seen, which coincidentally is usally whipped up during prayer sessions. Are they saying that freedom of speech should be especially curtailed in advanced societies to pander to one group which loves to dish out threats of death to other groups but can’t tolerate harmless if stupid small minded comment.
Do those commentators blindly hate the Jews so much that they can’t even read what one writes without being obliged to disagree and attack him. Pathetic.
How is it part of a Zionist attack. Is it not just a recitation of the facts
@yendys
Your confusion is typical. Religions of the Judeo-Islamo-Christeo variety foster your type of black and white, either/or adolescent moralistic thinking.
Just because people point out the dubiousness and rich irony of the chairperson of the Cape council of the SA Zionist Federation making pronouncements on the idiocy of Islamic anti-blasphemy murders does not mean that they support Islamic anti-blasphemy murders.
It is elementary and obvious to those of us not steeped in the binary logic of your religions (Islamic, Jewish and Christian) thinking.
I hope one day your eyes will be opened to see in colour (!) rather than the black-and-white austere righteousness of your religious colleagues and cohorts of all three, the Jewish, the Muslim and the Christian ilk.
These religions must wither away and perish, or else radically transform their thinking in order for the capabilities of human perception, thought and behaviour to realize their true potential of universal love and peace. These primitive immature religions – all three – are holding us all back. They must be replaced with proper education in philosophy, science and art. Down with these dumb medieval simple-minded nonsense religions!
Ok Max, looks though I’ll have to stay confused.
But just explain it one more time…you are attacking the writer for saying something you agree with because he is a Jew. Or am I just being adolescent.
Why don’t we have a war. Don’t religious people realise they are nutters. They defend the words of people who lived hundreds of years ago and are prepared to kill or be killed for their manic beliefs. Overal, religions have contributed NOTHING to improving the quality of life on earth. Their only contribution has been to encourage a belief in a mythical afterlife and to cause untold mysery and cruel death. I wish a speedy death to everyone who promotes religion and faith.
Peter Joffe are you beginning some form of a distorted introspection?”Be reasonable, do it my way”
The ANC regularly voted into government by an overwhelming majority of South Africans is not your way and thus is a dictatorship?
… Remember John Lennon. … the lyrics of ‘Imagine “ ..and no religion too.”
There is much worth thinking about in what Gavin Storrie, Max and Peter Joffe say.
Religions are nothing more than antiquated, indoctrinated social clubs into which one may or may not be born – and may or may not observe. The dictionary definition of the word “religion’ is exactly the same as it is for ‘cult’ – “belief in an ideology”.
However, what has been written by Ben Levitas has little to do with religion per se and everything to do with control and power politics played in the name of a diabolic program for Islamic world domination – and to achieve it, even the annihilation of other countries.
(Refer the comments on Thought Leader Readers Blog – SA Hoseini)
Let us not witness the demise of the free world, knowedge and civilisation being blown to bits by madmen masquerading behind a Muslim agenda.
@ntozakhona: You say: “The ANC regularly voted into government by an overwhelming majority of South Africans is not your way and thus is a dictatorship?”
Two thoughts:
1. They are not necessarily a dictatorship because they are voted in. They are a dictatorship because they are exploiting the (indoctrinated) loyalty of the masses (based on the overhyped lie that the ANC was their #1 saviour) and subtly and falsely positing a straw-man whitey who is allegedly undermining “real progress,” just so that they can be voted back in and continue the rewards of being “in power.”
2. Sadly, and this I realise we can do little about because some of the emotional scars that run so deep are being insidiously kept open by the ANC, the voters vote based on their visceral reactions.
Further clarification:
a) I do believe there are good people in the ANC. Unfortunately the general trend of the ANC is downwards.
b) The biggest lie being sold to the South African populace is the ANC at the expense of the PAC, Azapo, UDM and others.
As so-called “liberators,” the ANC had a pathetic track record. I would put their contribution lower than the UDM, the previous communist countries (Russia, China, Cuba combined), the liberated West (the Nordic countries, Netherlands, many in France, UK, USA, etc. combined), and somewhat above the PAC, Azapo, and so forth.
The ANC spins a very good tale. I don’t buy it. Neither should our voters.
yendys i am attacking no body (which, fundamentally, is more than can be said for zionists and muslims). I am neither agreeing nor disagreeing. I am pointing out an irony in the fact that the writer of this article is a self-confessed zionist (not to be confused with jew – a true jew can never be a zionist in my opinion. a true jew opposes zionism in my opinion).
so yes, you are being simpleminded. displaying an insistence on black and white binary thinking, resisting nuanced perception and thought, pretty much like an adolescent, yes.
Jandro you are clearly not the type that is not given to reading with understanding. I counsel you to reread the text qouted by Peter Joffe on tolerance and measure yourself and views against it. Perhaps it will assist you move from the realm of fundamentalist religion to the realm of reality.
Your fundamentalist colonial blinkers inculcated from the days of slavery ( generation to generation) still inform you that Africans ( savages, rapists, natives, kaffirs,bantus, terrorists, the corrupt in your evolving lexicon) are sub humans who have no capacity for critical thinking. They are merely subjects of indocrination.
One wonders who is really brainwashed. A believer in the archaic and internationally discredited apartheid colonialism nor the determined masses of South Africa committed to the correction of historical injustices and a future based on the Freedom Charter,
As for the ANC its hundred years record and resilience speaks for itself. It gave the world and South Africa giants like Helen Joseph, Marion Sparg, Barbara Hogan, Nelson Mandela and Albert Luthuli. No other movement had two of its presidents winning nobel peace prizes. I can go and on ad infinitum.
Next time you attempt enumeration, ensure you have facts or opinions based on knowledge. Priveledge acquired through colonial conquest does not translate to intelligence. It often spawns lazy unthiking minds that are doomed to the fate of Pol Pot , PW Botha and Adolf Hitler.
corrigenda not the type that is given to reading with understanding ( a description of Jandro)
@Max Always admired your comments but am confused by “‘a true jew can never be a zionist … a true jew opposes Zionism!” I would say the complete opposite:
Your first sentence compares Muslims and Zionists. Whereas Muslims are a dangerous politically power-motivated ‘ religion’, Zionists fulfil the dream of a return to a tiny sliver of land – their homeland – now surrounded by huge tracts of hostile and militant Arab lands (Look at a map, Max, and don’t be swayed by the outrageous lies of maniacal militant Islamists.)
Many people, born Jewish, not ‘religious’ or observant, are inordinately proud of the achievements, courage, integrity and hard work of a tiny little country like Israel, who, against all odds, in a mere 64 years, has turned a small piece of neglected, barren desert, into a flourishing modern country with farms, industries, cities, towns, hospitals and universities – where no one is turned away – except the enemy.
This tiny land has to protect itself from the continuous onslaught of enemies surrounding it who wish to annihilate it. It wants peace; yet stands alone against militant Arab nations hell-bent on its destruction– using Palestine as a pawn in its heinous world-domination blueprint. (b.t.w. ‘Palestine’ is not a country – look it up); as well as the world threat of an Iranian nuclear attack.
Think it over Max. To my mind, Zionism and Israel should inspire every person who is aware of miracles..
Max I agree with you on your take of the article and your response to Yendi. We should however be careful not to generalise about Muslims, I think you are referring to the fundamentalist type – the jihadists.
@ntozakhona – You could probably go on and on ad nauseum too, and claim you are not blinkered or biased in any way, and just happen to love your lovely ANC because they can and have done no wrong, ever, to anyone, not a single one, because they are flawless and perfect. You should join a religion, you’d fit in with one perfectly (probably any one will work for you) and you’ll find they operate in similar ways to political parties like the ANC.
@ Jandro – so what if there are good people in the ANC. There are good people in the Catholic church too, but none of them were very prominent in denouncing Hitler. There were good people in the Akrikaner and English communities who disagreed with Apartheid but, along with the vast [black] majority of people in the country, were too afraid to speak out against it (but look now at how the number of people with struggle credentials continues to grow and the bandwagon is creaking under the lies).
My opinion for what little it is worth (which is virtually nothing here, because I am a white male and so my opinion doesn’t really count as far as the ANC supporters are concerned) is that the ANC are a bunch of self-serving corrupt thieves intent on getting what they can out of their days in the sun while they can. Let’s hope their successors have the guts to follow up on every instance of corruption perpetrated under the ANC government (something the ANC should have done to the NATS before them) – they won’t, but let’s hope…
I’ve always struggled to reconcile the blind faith and obedience to religious / party lines (especially when evidence suggests they are supporting self-serving and quite corrupt crooks – shock horror, Jackie’s a crook!). I’m astounded at the plain lack of objectivity the Dave Harris’ and Ntozakhona’s posess, but hey, they do exist, & they’re entitled to see the world their way even if we often find their way of thinking backwards and nauseating in it’s lack of objectivity
Tolerance, pah! Why must I tolerate people or a government that behaves like an adolenscent whenever it opens its mouth to pass an opinion (HIV and AIDS), whenever it devises yet another poor or inefficient system “for the people” (like the ease with which we can apply and be tested for a driver’s licence) or a solution to a problem (Marikana!).
Most reasonable people want a government lead by leaders who give enough evidence of clear, deep, intelectually sound, and mature thinking that is clearly ALWAYS in the interest of the people of SA. How far are we from that you ask – the answer would be very evident if the top politicians had to write their own speaches and were prepared to meet their opposition in public debate. If the ANC were of that calibre they would still be getting my [in hindsight, politically misplaced] 1994 vote, but they aren’t, and so they won’t. Would they get my vote again? Perhaps, but they have a long way and a lot of work to do to reverse my now very…
@Charlotte I compared Zionists and Islamists because representatives of both groups are notorious for attacking each other’s bodies, literally and quite violently.
Here is some factual information (amongst thousands of similar instances) that informs my opinion of Israeli Zionism (as opposed to my understanding of true Judaism). This was recently described by Jonathan Pollak:
“Ehud Barak, Israel’s minister of defence, recently ordered the demolition of eight Palestinian villages in the southern corner of the occupied West Bank and the forced removal of their inhabitants. The Israeli army and its so-called civil administration (the administrative body that governs the civil aspects of Israel’s brutal occupation) see the roughly 1 500 residents of these villages as squatters in Israel’s “military training ground 918″ – despite the fact that these Palestinian towns have existed since at least the 1830s, predating not only the state of Israel, but even the British mandate.
Israel’s forced removals are not limited to the Palestinian territories it occupied in 1967. A year ago, the Israeli government approved the “Prawer plan” mandating the forced removal of 35 Bedouin informal settlements in the Negev region, an area well within Israel proper. According to the plan, 30 000 Bedouin people will be affected.”
I would not describe the achievements of Zionism in the glowing terms you choose.
Critical Cynic my wise domestic worker grandmother must have been having you in mind when she described a cynic thus ” A cynic is someone who when he smells flowers immidiately assumes there must be a coffin somewhere”
A counselling of sorts might help not intellectual political discourse.
Our struggle against apartheid was a mass struggle. We made South Africa ungovernable and rendered apartheid unworkable. Speak for yourself!
I earnestly wait for the days when like the Arab revolution the people of west African countries whose leaders have become despotic would rise up to demand that the political leaders are accountable to them.
@ Max In agreement with much of your comment 22nd Sept. 7.55pm, neither of us is sitting in an Israeli parliament trying to defend our minute little country against the ineffable hatred and enmity sourrounding it. It is difficult to even imagine how Israel must have to cope with so much hostility.
Have another look at the size of the country – and at some of the words you use to describe a less-than-light- weight .. surrounded by mountains of militant heavyweight bullies, bombarding it with rockets and bombs, all threatening its annihilation – as well as all the unscrupulous distortions, propaganda and sheer madness of the Muslim fundamentalists (irrespective of whether the religion is used to as the excuse the iniquitous power plan or vice versa.)
They are taught to hate and to kill in the name of this religion from birth. Muslims use the Koran as an injunction to annihilate Jews – now spread to any other religion or people outside the bounds of it own mania. Perhaps, n advertently, you endorse what ‘silent Muslims’ do all over the world. They defend and justify what tyrranical bullies do in the name of their religion.
Think to over, Max, and from a different perspective. That is what is happening in Israel.
I repeat: Zionism and Israel, facing what it has had to face and what it does, and standing for what it does – should inspire every person aware of miracles.
.
@ Gavin, my humble approach to you sir. religion is a form of laws that mankind puts together in order to ‘realign’ themselves with God.Religion in itself has not corrupted mankind,on the contrary,mankind has corrupted religion. For my part you can call me a believer in the truth. This truth has been here in human form..There are 24000 documents,manuscripts,papyri,texts, eyewitness testimonials the dead sea scrolls and writings that are in harmony with any modern day new testament available today.If you have an interest in all truth,I would urge you to read any of the four gospels in your spare time, try ‘The sermon on the mount’ Matthew chapter 5……not for my sake or for God’s sake but for your sake Gav. I wish peace to you all the days of your life my friend and may you prosper in your endeavors.
You want Arab Muslims to stop being anti-Western?
Stop the West from bombing their innocent children and women with drones.
Stop the West from supporting/funding dictators disguised as presidents and monarchs.
Stop the West from supporting/funding Israeli aggression against the indigenous Palestinians
Stop the West from using its Evangelical churches as political tools to spread Christian support for Zionism
Stop the West from supporting Extremist Islam by assuming that only the most absurd and extreme fatwas and clerics somehow speak for the majority of Muslims on the planet.
Believe me, there are over 1.5 billion of us. If all of us were extremists, this planet would be a very horrible place. Fortunately, most of us are moderate and, although you don’t see it, we actually shun and fight against extremism every single day.
You’re welcome.