Quote:
Originally posted by Greenhat
A few bits are obvious.
Language and culture are intertwined. Similer languages have their roots in similar cultures. Arabic and Hebrew are very similer languages (Semite is actually a technical term for a language group that encompasses both Arabic and Hebrew among others).
They share similer judicial historical systems: "an eye for an eye".
Until 60 years ago, they spent far more time fighting among themselves than with anyone else. As horrible as the Holocaust was, an argument can be made that it (along with the Warsaw uprising and some other events) united the Jewish people and led to the foundation of Israel. The foundation of Israel united the non-Jewish Arabs (mostly) with a single cause (tossing the Jews into the Sea).
Now, when it comes to the fundamentalist terrorists that are most commonly found in the Middle East, there are two major issues that must be looked at. One is their culture, Arab, a version of the Arab culture that has not undergone the forge, the suffering and the evolution that Jewish Arab culture has undergone. Two is their religion, Islam, a religion that is relatively new on Earth and one that, in that part of the world, suffers from the culture that supports its lack of exposure to other religions and not having to cope/adapt to other religions (as Islam has had to do in SE Asia for example). This has created a crucible that is perfect for power-hungry individuals to manipulate both the culture and the religion to create fanatics who will commit suicide to be martyrs.
And the last sentence shows another similarity between Jews and Arabs. Mossada. The Uprising. Jews have also made conscious decisions to become martyrs.
By the way, I am a strong supporter of Israel. I just happen to think that Israel proves that Arabs can live in a democracy, they can evolve to something more than a tribal system/culture.
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GH,
I don’t think any religion that started 620 CE could be considered a “new” religion.
Mormon, now that is a “new” religion.
BTW, most so called Christians also shared “similer judicial historical systems: "an eye for an eye".”
I agree with Hoepoe, just because the Jews live surrounded by arabs I would not lump them in the same class as arabs. That’s as bad as calling me a democrat just because I live in a country filled with them.
TS