My Narrow-minded Attitude.

by Steven Shamrak.

I am sometimes criticised for covering only one subject in my editorial letters, namely the Middle East conflict in general, and the right of the Jews to live in peace on their ancestral land in particular. My critics are quite right! I can’t help it. I am passionate about the rights of my people.

I could write about colonialism and the effect it had on the lives of millions of Indians who were shipped throughout the British Empire as cheap slave labour, plus the adverse social and cultural impact it brought to the indigenous nations. The devastation of environment, due to colonial exploitation, would also make a big and interesting subject to explore.

I could write about the Church, its persecution of not only Jews, but millions of Christians who had stepped out of the official line or tried to be a good G-d-respecting human beings. Nobody wants to seriously and systematically contest the devastation and destruction to other cultures and religions brought by the Church to many nations around the world. Then there’s always the systematic child abuse by priests, monks and nuns, and the efficient cover-up by the Church’s official and legal system to write about. Cultural genocide of many nations and legalization of slavery was also done in the name of Christ and the superiority of the Church-led nations!

Political hypocrisy and stupidity could be another favourite subject of mine. A lot could be written about forging of the state of Panama by and for the economic benefit of the United States; creating political minefields by dividing Africa and the Middle East along colonial control lines, with no consideration for tribal interests and historical information; How about the betrayal of Tibet and Czechoslovakia! Most people don’t even know that the war in Vietnam could have easily been avoided if not for the arrogance and stupidity of the French and US governments. What about the occupation of West Papua by Indonesia; the Basque region by Spain and France; Northern Cyprus by Turkey; Western Sahara by Algiers, as well as the misfortune of the people of Kurdistan and Kashmir?

Yes, there are hundreds of issues I care about and could easily write about. I have chosen only one – Eretz-Israel, the land of Israel! Please, choose the one that you are truly passionate about. If all of us start to care, it will make the life of corrupt political systems intolerable, and the lazy and hypocritical journalists might start to do their jobs properly and honestly. And G-d forbid if in the process we are able to change the world into a better place!