from Avram Burg in Ha'aetz. It really speaks to me.
The real clash is between members of democratic civilizations and those of theocratic civilizations. The first group accepts everybody as sources of administrative authority undiscriminatorily; the others view God, not mortals, as their authority, and rely on his word, apostles and zealots. This schism cuts across Christianity and Islam and is also occuring here, in Judaism. Despite the sticky and vague "schmaltz" of "the unity of Israel," there is no escaping the question of whether there is - or should be - any kind of unity with these people. In my opinion, the answer is no - they are not my brethren, they are my enemies.
There is no theological difference between certain rabbis from Hebron, the former Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and the evangelical preacher hoping for Armageddon at the site of our Megiddo. Those who say that "God's law is first" are no different from one another, whether they wear a rabbi's skullcap, Hezbollah's turban or the cloak of a North American spiritual leader. They are all engaged in a cruel battle against me. They are the enemies of freedom and democracy, and are hostile to liberty, equality and the status of women.
In a world like this, we must form new coalitions. The division between "us" and "our enemies" cannot be based merely along national or familial lines, or in beliefs and genetics. The world is divided into a coalition of some Jews, some Christians and some Muslims, versus other members of their nations and religions. Democracy versus theology.
This is not a "gentle" argument, but rather war - the rabbi against the sovereign, the "Jewish" against the "democratic," halakha and sharia against civil law, the church against the state. They cannot live under the same roof, and they are currently fighting the most ancient and most modern war - religion versus state.
And in war, like in war: The legal standing of the inciting rabbi is the same as that of the inciting sheikh, because both are equally hostile. One wants to see me dead physically, and the other wants to see me dead democratically and morally. Since I oppose the death sentence in all cases, I cannot thus condemn my domestic enemies. But the army of the democratic state, as well as its systems of governance, must purify itself from all the enemies planted by theocracy. The "army of God" must not be permitted to gain control of the institutions of state power. The state must cut the lifeline of these subversive elements, and rescind the benefits it grants them. Democracy must stop apologizing and defending itself - the time has come for initiative and attack. Weak words and nebulous formulae will not help anything here. In the choice between them and us, I favor us - for democracy, and against all its enemies, both inside and out.
No comments:
Post a Comment