While I truly believe the majority of Muslims want peace, the sad reality is that the biggest threat to Muslims has always been other Muslims - and not just those we lazily call "Muslim extremists." Shia and Sunni slaughter each other on a fairly regular basis, assuming they're not both slaughtering other Muslim ethnic groups such as Sufi, Kurds, Berbers and Bedouin, or fighting other minority groups, such as Baha'i.... or anyone who might be homosexual..... or those who don't necessarily follow a ruling group's narrow interpretation of Islam. Remember, when Hamas took control of Gaza, among their first actions was to threaten male Muslim hairdressers who took women as clients. Then they tried to impose strict dress codes for female attorneys and school girls. When Muslim journalists or writers are threatened, it's generally done by other Muslims. When Muslim feminists are tortured and killed, it's done by other Muslims. Ditto for girls in certain areas who want an education. Much if this pales in comparison to what is done to suspected gays, always by religious Muslims with the blessing of their government. For that matter, weapons that are bought for Muslims to use against Israel are often used against other Muslims, in Libya or other areas of conflict.
Remember, there are Muslims in Israel who fight alongside the IDF, pretty much due to the fact that they know they would be violently oppressed if not systematically slaughtered if Israel fell to its enemies. Druze, Circassian and Bedouin are all groups which often have members in the IDF. These groups, along with ethnic Kurds and Berbers, all support Israel's right to exist. Generally speaking, Muslim groups that have traditionally faced oppression or worse by other Muslims are rather vocal in their support if Israel. (Google "Muslim", "Zionists" for a better understanding of this.)
A 2004 survey found that 84.9% of Israeli Arabs believe Israel has the right to exist as an independent state, whereas 70% feel that it has the right to exist as an independent Jewish state. Why do you think this is, wheaty? (Anyone reading this can easily check these figures and I hope will take the time to do so.)Israel is also home to the Baha'i headquarters, again allowing a group that has traditionally faced oppression or worse in many Muslim countries to thrive within its borders. In addition, Israel has not only the most freedom for gays in the Middle East, Tel Aviv is ranked as one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world. The majority of Israeli's support gay marriage. Israel was allowing gay members to serve well over a decade before we ended DADT.
Do these things matter? I'd like to think so. I believe every group, including Jews and Muslims, has the right to self-determination - though I do not believe that includes the right to oppress, torture and kill ethnic minorities, religious minorities, gays or feminists, even if that is what the majority in an area specifically desires.
On a final note, I've noticed that those who think Israel has no right to exist have never ever demanded that Pakistan be given back to India and reparations made to the Hindus, even though Muslim groups are thriving and growing at a rate several times faster than the Hindus or other Indians in India - and in spite of the fact that Pakistan has oppressed and slaughtered Hindus and other religious minorities within its own country. The only conclusion I can draw is that there is a specific, bigoted desire to keep Jews from having any rights of self-determination, even when these Jews are bending over backwards to help other persecuted minorities, including those Muslims who have been persecuted by other Muslims. I suppose, if we can say that Jews are violent and terrible, it means they somehow deserved centuries of persecution, pogroms, inquisitions and eventually, the Holocaust.
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