But at the same time, the equal standard applied to nations also has to take into account facts that you are flat out ignoring.
1) Israel has never once said "I want to destroy Iran." Ahmedinajad has said, on the other hand, that he wants to destroy Israel.
2) Iran has made it clear they are no friend of the US/Israel. They sponsor suicide bomber training camps, and we cannot forget what happened with the Iran hostage takeover crisis in 1979.
3) The leaders in Iran were not democratically elected (Ahmedinajad did not have any real opponents, and in any case, the mullahs really run the place), and the local population is disaffected and wants change. The only thing that gets the local population to stand behind the unelected leaders is to talk tough about war/terror/bash Israel and the US.
Is it safe to have a world where a nation of that character has the atomic bomb? I think not. Though I will admit that #3 also applies to the US somewhat, that doesn't mean it is good for the world a nation to have the bomb which falls into all three categories. (and certainly Bush was more democratically elected than Ahmedinajad, however sad it is to even make a comparison)
And all this has nothing to do with racism.
So the bottom line is...friends are treated differently than enemies. It's not "Muslims can't get the bomb, nonMuslims can." It's "Iran has proven it cannot be trusted." I fail to see how that is latent racism.
On the other hand, when Amnesty International goes out of their way to lambast Israel and the US for everything they do - while being soft on nations that do far worse - THAT is latent racism. Do you deny that you fall into that category? Certainly the "Truth Will Set You Free" blog fits into this category.
One last thing. Israel is not the same as Jews, but it is the ONE Jewish state in the world, and it gets shat upon by world agencies everywhere. Sure, Israel does not equal Jews, but there remains a question as to WHY there is such a disparate treatment. I would argue that one of the reasons for such a disparate treatment (such as hundreds of UN resolutions against Israel, and barely a peep against Saudi Arabia, for example), is that Israel, as the ONE Jewish nation, IS an easy target.
I mean, just look at The Truth Will Set You Free! Many of the commentators quote directly from The Protocols of Zion. In the Middle East, this book is a bestseller! Are you actually going to tell me with a straight face that anti-Jewish sentiment has nothing to do with the hate against Israel??
None of that means that there isn't legitimate criticism of Israel. Israel, after all, did enact a war of aggression against Lebanon in 1982. Though - that was after rockets were fired into Israel by the nation. So it was not exactly unprovoked. But my point is that however bad Israel treats Palestinians, they have a better life IN ISRAEL, than they would in much of the Middle East. Furthermore, Hamas has made it clear that if they were to be in charge, they would make Islam the official religion, and kick out all the Jews in West Bank - even if they reside in a place such as Hebron, where Jews have lived for several millenia. (not to mention the fact that they still want all of Israel, not just the West Bank, and employ terror to get it)
Whatever Israel does and has done against the Palestinians has been done a thousand times over by Muslims against other Muslims. Yet hardly a mention! Black September in 1970 - Jordan killed more Palestinians than Israel has since the intifada began! Moreover, Palestinians do not exactly have a great system of justice within their territory, and even Palestinians have killed (at least) HUNDREDS of Palestinians! (Israel on the other hand, has abolished the death penalty)
Where is any of this in The Truth Will Set You Free?
Where is the fact that Jews are not allowed to openly practice their religion in Iran? Where is the fact that when they speak out - they fear death? Not to mention the fact that gay people are killed for being gay in Iran. Or, that if you go to a place such as gaymiddleeast.blogspot.com, you will read of the harsh treatment of gays in Lebanon, the most liberal nation in the region!
I know I am going off on tangents. But my point remains. Israel is not perfect. I cannot say I approve of the settlements in the territories. Though, the settlements are mostly in areas that Jews have historical ties to and yet were previously kicked out of. Furthermore, Jews have had their land grabbed a thousand times over in the Middle East, so on a comparative scale, I do not see it as the most horrible human rights disaster compared with what goes on DAILY in the rest of the Middle East.
Instead of focusing on how horrible the Palestinians have it, why not look at the fact that they were KICKED OUT of Jordan, and how THAT has contributed to the quagmire?
Focusing exclusively on Israel and the West's wrongs - while ignoring the far more egregious wrongs of Muslim nations - simply smacks of a double standard. And I call things like I see it. Latent racism.
@MuslimID
But at the same time, the equal standard applied to nations also has to take into account facts that you are flat out ignoring.
1) Israel has never once said "I want to destroy Iran." Ahmedinajad has said, on the other hand, that he wants to destroy Israel.
2) Iran has made it clear they are no friend of the US/Israel. They sponsor suicide bomber training camps, and we cannot forget what happened with the Iran hostage takeover crisis in 1979.
3) The leaders in Iran were not democratically elected (Ahmedinajad did not have any real opponents, and in any case, the mullahs really run the place), and the local population is disaffected and wants change. The only thing that gets the local population to stand behind the unelected leaders is to talk tough about war/terror/bash Israel and the US.
Is it safe to have a world where a nation of that character has the atomic bomb? I think not. Though I will admit that #3 also applies to the US somewhat, that doesn't mean it is good for the world a nation to have the bomb which falls into all three categories. (and certainly Bush was more democratically elected than Ahmedinajad, however sad it is to even make a comparison)
And all this has nothing to do with racism.
So the bottom line is...friends are treated differently than enemies. It's not "Muslims can't get the bomb, nonMuslims can." It's "Iran has proven it cannot be trusted." I fail to see how that is latent racism.
On the other hand, when Amnesty International goes out of their way to lambast Israel and the US for everything they do - while being soft on nations that do far worse - THAT is latent racism. Do you deny that you fall into that category? Certainly the "Truth Will Set You Free" blog fits into this category.
One last thing. Israel is not the same as Jews, but it is the ONE Jewish state in the world, and it gets shat upon by world agencies everywhere. Sure, Israel does not equal Jews, but there remains a question as to WHY there is such a disparate treatment. I would argue that one of the reasons for such a disparate treatment (such as hundreds of UN resolutions against Israel, and barely a peep against Saudi Arabia, for example), is that Israel, as the ONE Jewish nation, IS an easy target.
I mean, just look at The Truth Will Set You Free! Many of the commentators quote directly from The Protocols of Zion. In the Middle East, this book is a bestseller! Are you actually going to tell me with a straight face that anti-Jewish sentiment has nothing to do with the hate against Israel??
None of that means that there isn't legitimate criticism of Israel. Israel, after all, did enact a war of aggression against Lebanon in 1982. Though - that was after rockets were fired into Israel by the nation. So it was not exactly unprovoked. But my point is that however bad Israel treats Palestinians, they have a better life IN ISRAEL, than they would in much of the Middle East. Furthermore, Hamas has made it clear that if they were to be in charge, they would make Islam the official religion, and kick out all the Jews in West Bank - even if they reside in a place such as Hebron, where Jews have lived for several millenia. (not to mention the fact that they still want all of Israel, not just the West Bank, and employ terror to get it)
Whatever Israel does and has done against the Palestinians has been done a thousand times over by Muslims against other Muslims. Yet hardly a mention! Black September in 1970 - Jordan killed more Palestinians than Israel has since the intifada began! Moreover, Palestinians do not exactly have a great system of justice within their territory, and even Palestinians have killed (at least) HUNDREDS of Palestinians! (Israel on the other hand, has abolished the death penalty)
Where is any of this in The Truth Will Set You Free?
Where is the fact that Jews are not allowed to openly practice their religion in Iran? Where is the fact that when they speak out - they fear death? Not to mention the fact that gay people are killed for being gay in Iran. Or, that if you go to a place such as gaymiddleeast.blogspot.com, you will read of the harsh treatment of gays in Lebanon, the most liberal nation in the region!
I know I am going off on tangents. But my point remains. Israel is not perfect. I cannot say I approve of the settlements in the territories. Though, the settlements are mostly in areas that Jews have historical ties to and yet were previously kicked out of. Furthermore, Jews have had their land grabbed a thousand times over in the Middle East, so on a comparative scale, I do not see it as the most horrible human rights disaster compared with what goes on DAILY in the rest of the Middle East.
Instead of focusing on how horrible the Palestinians have it, why not look at the fact that they were KICKED OUT of Jordan, and how THAT has contributed to the quagmire?
Focusing exclusively on Israel and the West's wrongs - while ignoring the far more egregious wrongs of Muslim nations - simply smacks of a double standard. And I call things like I see it. Latent racism.