Quote:
Originally Posted by blankall
First of all I think your example of Britain is BS. Arab Muslims in Israel make up 20% of the country right now. The number of non-British minorities in Britain is much less than 20%. Britain is not moving away from their British character. In Britain you have the rise of the BNP, the British PM delcaring multiculturalism a "failed experiment", ethinic riots on the street. They have a long way to go before they are anywhere close to being truly multicultural. France is allowing in migrants, but only if they conform to a French way of life.
It's your tendency to single out Jews for wanting their own country and declaring that racist that I find offensive. What you've done is basically no different than saying all the problems in America could be fixed if all the black people went back to Africa.
As for Israel being based on Jewish people, what has being Jewish become other than a shared history and culture? When you say you are Jewish its doesnt imply a single ethinicity or even the fact you are religious. If forming a nation based around shared history, culture, and goals isn't just then what is?
|
I think becoming inclusive and secular is a good thing. One thing that Britain and France are struggling with is a mainly Muslim minority that does not accept liberal democratic values. The French, in my opinion, are really struggling with this. How do you get the good values of the Revolution, like common rights for all, across to a very insular, suspicious group that does not agree with some of your basic premises, ie. the value and equality of women. What really distubs me about some of the positions expressed in this thread (not yours) is the moral relativity applied to all global regimes. Quite simply, I believe history proves that there are good ideas and bad ideas. I believe that the liberal democratic world (not necessarily states) will always err on the side of good ideas and anything else has to prove that they have a similar ethnic framework.
To me, Israel, in comparison with any other Middle Eastern state, passes my test of legitimacy with flying colours. Women are equal, religions are free to worship, and there is a functioning parliamentary body with an independent judiciary. Certainly, there are problems such as the state preference for Judaism, but in a liberal democracy, these problems are surmountable.
I would also say that to a certain extent, Israel has done a remarkable job in balancing three religions with often extreme elements, especially Islam. Israeli Arabs may feel discriminated against and unequal, but you notice they aren't moving out of Israel. They have free speech and a mosque to worship in. Being Jewish in any other part of the Middle East, indeed in many parts of the word, is not tolerated.