Friday, July 08, 2011
Book Burnings and Tibi Denial
have launched a massive crusade against freedom of speech of Jews. No
Arabs or even Jewish leftists have been similarly targeted. Rabbis
who recommend that people read the controversial "Teachings of the
King" book are being carted off for arrest, interrogation, and
imprisonment.
The official "reason" for this war against freedom of speech is that
the book in question is alleged (by its critics) to advocate killing
non-Jews. Actually the book is a halakhic exploration of
circumstances, such as in conditions of war, where Biblical law
permits or requires that civilians be targeted. It represents the
opinion of its two authors and is hardly considered authoritative by
anyone, certainly not by authoritative religious figures. I have
already expressed the opinion that I think it unfortunate that the
book was published, since I consider it a provocation and because it
is already widely being distorted by anti-Semites intent on proving
that Jews connive to murder gentiles.
That, however, is no excuse for the assault against freedom of speech
by the Attorney General and by Israel's increasingly fascist Far Left.
I think it is worthwhile pondering for a moment the axiom underlying
this campaign against freedom of speech. It is that those who
recommend a book that supposedly advocates killing deserve to be
arrested and silenced by the state.
The problem is that the world is filled with many books that advocate
killing, and nowhere are people who recommend the readings of those
books being arrested. Not in democratic countries and not even in
undemocratic countries.
Take a few examples:
Among books that advocate murder of humans are those by the Australian
"philosopher" and philosophy professor at Princeton, Peter Singer. He
is an animal rights nut who believes that humans should be killed
under many circumstances so that there will be more room and resources
for animals. He has advocated euthanasia and infanticide for
handicapped human children. Singer's books are not only sold in
Israel (and everywhere else), but the Magnes Press of the Hebrew
University has published at least one Singer book in translation into
Hebrew. Reading works by Singer is not only recommended but required
in at least one course at Tel Aviv University I found in a web search.
No one has ever been arrested in Israel (or anywhere else) for
advocating the reading of Singer's books.
Machiavelli in The Prince advocates killing under some circumstances.
No one has ever been arrested in Israel (or anywhere else) for
advocating the reading of it.
The Bible and the Koran require killing in some circumstances.
Lenin's books all advocate killing people. So do those of Marx. So
did Trotsky. So did Che Guevera. So do many books by other Marxists.
So does the little Red Book of Mao. No one has ever been arrested in
Israel (or anywhere else) for advocating the reading of those books.
Actually, many Arab and Jewish leftist university students in Israel
wear Tee shirts with photos of Che. None have been arrested, even
though Che was a bloody advocate and practitioner of murder.
Malcolm X advocated killing people. Not only are there no arrests of
those reading and recommending his books, but at least one of his
books is required reading in countless college and high school course
syllabi. Other Afrofascist writers in the US have also advocated
killing people.
The writings of Abraham Lincoln advocated killing people. So did
those of the leaders of the American Revolution. So did Winston
Churchill.
The writings and radio and TV broadcasts of the Palestinian Authority
advocate killing people, and not much else. And the people they call
for killing are not just Jews. No one has ever been arrested in
Israel (or anywhere else) for advocating that others read or listen to
those.
There are many books that advocate capital punishment. No one has
ever been arrested in Israel (or anywhere else) for advocating the
reading of them.
What about jailing those who advocate that people read racist books or
books written by racists? Well, even if we assume that "Teachings of
the King" is really racist, which I am not convinced (I concede I have
not read it), why single out those who recommend IT?
The books and articles written by Shlomo Sand, Neve Gordon, Ilan
Pappe, Norman Finkelstein, Mearsheimer and Walt, Tony Judt, Richard
Falk, Jimmy Carter, and many others are racist. No one has ever been
arrested in Israel (or anywhere else) for advocating the reading of
them. One can buy Mein Kampf at any Israeli bookstore.
I do not know if anyone in the Attorney General's office even read
"Teachings of the King." I do not know if anyone there is even
sufficiently trained in halakha to evaluate the book objectively as a
halakhic treatise. It may in fact be worthless garbage. As I say, I
have not read it.
But since when does the government in a democracy organize burnings of
books that are worthless garbage?
2. Along much the same lines, the Radical Left in Israel and
elsewhere is increasingly tossing about the term "Nakba Denial." It
is a term intentionally imitating "Holocaust Denial" and the Left is
insisting that repudiations and criminalization of Nakba Denial be
adopted, in the name of "consistency." Those who deny the Palestinian
"Nakba," who deny there was ever any such "catastrophe," are thus
equated with Neo-Nazi Holocaust Deniers. Or to put it simply, those
who deny lies are made the moral equivalents of those who deny the
truth.
This past week, the fascist Arab Member of the Knesset Ahmed Tibi even
proposed that "Nakba Denial" be criminalized in Israel. See this
report: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/145405 and
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?ID=227861&R=R1
The Knesset rejected it but Tibi's leftist groupies really like the idea.
I personally think the Knesset should take Tibi's idea and adopt it,
with a slight alteration.
The Knesset should make a law against Tibi Denial. That is, those who
deny that Ahmed Tibi is a horse's ass and a treasonous terrorist
should be subject to the same legal actions now being carried out
against those Rabbis being arrested for book recommendation.
