The Big Middle East Lie

by Bassam Tawil • October 2, 2017 at 5:00 am

Jamal wanted to murder Jews because he believed this was a noble deed that would earn him the status of shaheed (martyr) and hero among his family, friends and society. In Palestinian culture in particular, and Arab culture in general, murderers of Jews are glorified on a daily basis.
The Trump administration and Jason Greenblatt seem to have bought the lie that "It's about money, stupid."
No. The conflict is about Israel's existence in the Middle East. It's about the abiding interest in the Arab and Islamic world to destroy Israel and murder Jews.

Left: Nimer Mahmoud Jamal. Right: Har Adar. (Images source: Social media, Josh Evnin/Wikimedia Commons)

Nimer Mahmoud Jamal, the 37-year-old Palestinian terrorist who on September 25 murdered three Israelis at the entrance to Har Adar near Jerusalem, had a permit from the Israeli authorities to work in Israel.

His family and friends say he also had a good life and was considered lucky to have been employed by Jews because he received a higher salary and was protected by Israeli labor laws. The night before Jamal set out in his murderous mission, he spent a few hours at the fitness gym in his village, located only a few miles away from Har Adar.

So, Jamal, the murderer of the three Israelis (two of the victims were Arab Israelis), was not poor. He was not unemployed. In fact, according his friends, Jamal earned much more than what a senior police officer or school teacher working for the Palestinian Authority or Hamas brings home every month.

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Islam and Feminism

by Maryam Assaf • October 2, 2017 at 4:00 am

By claiming that Islam is "feminist," these self-appointed advocates seem to be trying to convince others that Islam is keeping up with modernity, human rights, and democratic values. This, sadly is a lie, and one that unfortunately seems told to facilitate the assimilation of Islam into Western countries and to improve its image.
Furthermore, both men and women from their earliest age are indoctrinated by a male-dominated society to think that staying subjugated is part of a woman's fulfillment of her duty toward both her husband and her religion.
Many women like the idea of being supported by a husband and not having to find an outside job. Nowadays, a large number of young women do not even finish their studies, but instead stay home to wait for their "prince charming" to get married. That they would apparently prefer to be their husband's "slave" and "concubine" to working to support themselves is probably often the main reason they reject Western values such as feminism and gender equality.

Although is not explicitly stated, many Muslim men seem to blame women for their sexual needs, as they force them to wear the hijab and niqab, so they will not seduce them with their bodies or provoke their desire. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Lately, western Muslim "feminists" such as Linda Sarsour or Yasmin Abdel-Magied claim that Islam is a "feminist religion" that respects women's rights. "Islam to me," says Abdel-Magied, a Sudanese-Australian author, "is the most feminist religion".

By claiming that Islam is "feminist," these self-appointed advocates seem to be trying to convince others that Islam is keeping up with modernity, human rights, and democratic values. This, sadly is a lie, and one that unfortunately seems told to facilitate the assimilation of Islam into Western countries and to improve its image.

The religion of Islam is supported by Sharia, a set of religious laws that organize the lives of all Muslims. Sharia -- originally, in Arabic, "The Path," but in modern times meaning Allah's laws and recommendations -- is based on the Quran and the hadiths, which are sayings and deeds of the prophet Muhammad, regarded by many Muslims as the perfect man.

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