October 2007

October 2007

Tragedies of our Time

Arab Israeli Conflict

Preamble:

In AD 70 the Jews of Palestine, were so exasperated with the Romans, they wanted to rebel against them, who were the occupying force which succeeded the Greeks, who were loyal to Alexander the Great.   The Jews were anticipating the coming of the Messiah, who would lead them out of the bondage of the Romans and establish the Kingdom of Israel.

At this time, came the Baptist, named John, son of a temple priest whose wife was barren.   In a vision he was told that his wife would conceive.   He would be the Voice in the Wilderness as prophesied by the Jewish prophet Isaiah.    He was preaching on the banks of the river Jordan, which is still flowing in Palestine today and people of the region will show you where his ministry took place.   Today the majority community in that place is Muslim, of Arab origin.     John was foretelling the Jews that God will be sending them the Messiah, who will baptize them with the Spirit. and to prepare for this, they had to repent and as an expression of that should be baptized in the Jordan.    People called him the Precursor..

The Messiah promised by John was Jesus, whose name is known to the whole world today.   Even though his fellowmen, tried to put him down, they have not been able to prevail on his influence and power, which sways the minds of so many, even to this day.    His followers were at pains to prove to their fellow Jews that He was the true Messiah, and the four Gospels of the New Testament, that  were written about him, are an Apologia to the Jews giving texts of Prophesies and events, which proved that Jesus was to be taken by them as the Messiah for whom they were waiting.    But the difficulty for the intellectual Jews as that they expected this Messiah to regain the Kingdom, and  that Jesus refused to do.  Further the Messiah would be a living person, but Jesus died.  Therefore, according to them he could not be the Messiah they were waiting for.   Even after 2000 years, they have not changed their minds and are still waiting for the Messiah.

Because of this certain Jewish leaders came, like Bar Kochba who  presented themselves as revolutionaries, and went to war with the Romans after the death of Jesus .   In this gamble the Jews lost, and were driven out of Palestine in AD 70.   They migrated to all the known parts of the then world, and lived in cities and towns of the Roman empire.   They succeeded in trade and banking. and were in good books with the Roman officials.    They never allowed themselves to be absorbed by non Jewish societies,  and kept to their identity and the teachings of the Torah.   They placed a high value of education.   The Roman emperors were suspicious of the Orientals, of Egypt, Persia and so used to harass the people who had migrated to the cities from the east.    Thus both Jews and the Christian followers were considered as eastern immigrants and were being subjected to harassment and persecution.

This ended with the coming of Emperor Constantine in 320 AD, who declared that the faith of the Christians would be the faith of the Roman Empire.     The Jews were disappointed  as their goal of regaining Palestine had been lost indefinitely, as the Roman emperors were not sympathetic to their point of view.  This went on through the Middle Ages, when Roman power went to the Christian Kings, and later to the Muslim rulers of the Ottoman empire.    The rule of the Ottoman empire lasted till 1917, when after their defeat in the First World War, this area came under the Mandate of the British Empire, who happened to be sympathetic to the Jewish cause, as the latter had become a very powerful lobby in industry and banking.    Political expediency, motivated Balfour the Prime Minister of Great Britain to enter into an agreement with the Zionist Movement which paved the way for the Jews to be repatriated to Palestine, which had been occupied by the Arab population, under the Roman and Ottoman rule.     Small communities of Jews lived side by side with the Arabs, even in those days.   But under the British, the migrations were larger and quicker.

The First World War had brought great changes in Europe, and the first among them was the abolition of Monarchies of Europe and replacement with Democracies.    Hitler came to be the Chancellor of Germany by democratic means, but he was against the Jews for his own reasons and there was a general antipathy in Germany against the Jews, as they Germans felt they had back stabbed the Kaiser by supporting the British in the First World War, which led them to sign the Armistice and pay reparations to the British and the French, which drove them to destitution.    This perturbed the Jews who were then helped by the British and the Americans to defeat Hitler, and the migrations of Jews to Palestine increased, and resulted in friction with the Arabs, and intermittent fights erupted and the United Nations partitioned Palestine in 1948 with the blessing of the two Patrons: USA and Great Britain, together with the other members of the Security Council.    

As a result of the Mandate, the British Empire had made new demarcations of the boundaries of the Ottoman empire and created Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia etc and these boundaries were ratified by the League of Nations.    Since these were done unilaterally by the Western Powers, the Arabs were left dissatisfied, and ultimately there were revolutions in Syria, Iraq and Egypt and the new rulers were antagonistic to the status quo.     Added to this conundrum, Nasser of Egypt started to aggravate the situation and this ensured into the 1967 war with Israel, in which the Arabs lost more territory and this predicament has had lasting effects to this day.

Attempts made to pacify the situation led Anwar Sadat of Egypt to enter into a Peace Agreement with Israel.

American administrations were very much influenced by the Israeli lobby, as the Jews were an integral part of the US society for a very long time, and were important in Banking and Industry.    The Politicians therefore had to take all these into consideration in their decisions.     They also needed the Middle East, as it was a life-line for their Industry, as most of the Crude Oil was coming from this region.  They had discovered this Crude Oil, when as Mandate Powers, they surveyed these areas.   They tapped the resources only after the Second World War.   So that explains  the tight rope walking, and the  Anglo Saxons were interested in sorting out the issue and bring peace between the two feuding factions.

This conflict has created a host of problems over the last sixty years: of Refugees, Disgruntled and hapless people who feel the impotence confronting powerful interests, which has led them to take drastic and revolutionary  methods, which are not accepted by the International Conventions of War.   They have resorted to asymmetrical warfare, and resorted to terrorizing their  opponents, so that they could put pressure on their Politicians.   This contravenes the conventional International Law and so there is a log jam.

Iraqi revolutionaries too did not accept the demarcation of the British Empire, which led to the over throw of the monarchy appointed by the British (They had appointed two brothers of the Hashemite dynasty, one to rule Jordan and the other Iraq), and replaced by Military Rule, out of which came the rule of  Saddam Hussein, which lasted for 35 years.    The Americans and the British colluded with him, as long as it served their interests.   But when he invaded Kuwait, things changed.     US attacked him, made bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and that brought in Al Qaida, the scourge of the 21st Century.

Retaliation - 9/11

Osama Bin Laden, went to war against the Soviets with the blessing of the CIA.   He then turned against the US when they built bases in Saudi Arabia and the grievances led him to wage a terror war against them and their interests in the Middle East.    The Americans under estimated Laden, and the pent up grievances of the Arab Israeli conflict, the actions of the British Empire and its Mandate powers, and the Refugee problems all colluded to create disgruntled young men, who were ready fodder for the new wave of warfare.

Jihad:  

The idea of Jihad is there from the early times.   The Christians used this concept to conduct their Crusades and evolved the theory of "Just Wars".    This did not originate in the Christian Theology, but were a way to get out of their moral dilemma, and justify themselves and pretend to be in good books with the Divine.   If one notices, Islam was born in Arabia, and most of its tenets, are based on Judaic old testament, as well as events that followed the coming of Jesus Christ.   They do not agree with the Christian theology of the Trinity, Crucifixion and some other beliefs.    It was easily accepted as became a transition of faith, which was based on foreign languages, not expressed in the local language, Arabic.    Thus Jerusalem was equally holy to those who held the old Christian faith, and the Muslims who followed the new path.    The clerics and rulers in far away Rome did not grasp the difference, so they called the Muslims, "Infidels" and the latter called the Christians  "Kaffirs"  -  this war of words , escalated into the Crusades, and just as it was a just war for the Christians,  the retaliatory war of the Arabs was also justified by Muslim theologians as a just war and they called in "Jihad".    In the war of words and misinformation, the Western Media has caught the bull by the tail, and as a result,  they can not convince the opposite camp to give up their point of view.

Before Muslim rulers the Middle East was ruled by the Byzantine empire from Consntinople, (present day Istanbul) and their power reached till North Africa.   The Muslim rulers therefore tried to regain their control over their areas and this is held against them, and explained away as spreading Islam with the power of the sword.   Unfortunately, Christians too expanded their hold over regions by the power of  the sword in Latin America, and Northern America.

The Jihad which broke the camel's back.

19 young men, decided to undertake their own war, with the blessing of their Sheikh: Osama Bin Laden, and  plunged their air craft into the World Trade Center Towers and that became the reason for the great retaliations of the US President with cascading effects.    Even though the loss for the US is less than that they suffered in Katrina or the Californian fires, the emotional impact is greater in the 9/11 incident, and it becomes a rallying point for the US politicians to go to war, and make the US citizens shell out taxes to pay for the war.

Retaliation - Afghan War

The Afghan problem started with the rivalry between Soviet Union and the US.     Unimpeded growth of Soviet power would threaten the Middle East oil lines, so they had to contain them by creating obstacles in Afghanistan, and to do that the gate way was Pakistan.   Always, in modern warfare, the Navy is needed to carry the war horses from one land mass to another.  Even if the war is conducted by the Air force, the Aircraft Carrier is needed and it can be stationed near a friendly port and that is why US needs Pakistan.   In the present condition of the Jihad mentality, the free flow of American power has been limited.   The Soviets entered Afghanistan to control the US power and got bogged down and walked out.   It was replaced by War Lords, and  it turned against US, when Laden decided to wage wars against them.     The US used Zia un Haq to build the Taliban Force to stabilize Afghanistan and they took over.   The US only reacted when the Taliban started sheltering the Al Qaida against the US.    In this game, what the Politicians think is a good strategy one day proves to be their nemesis a few years later.

Retaliation - Iraq War

Saddam Hussein had the temerity to defy the US and enter Kuwait.   In the ensuing conflict, he sent Scud missiles into Israel.   This created a crisis of confidence.   In the 80s the Israelis had bombed the Iraqi Nuclear facility, and the animosity took an ugly turn in the Gulf War.    The US and Britain the Anglo Saxon powers friendly to Israel, had to protect it from Saddam Hussein, and he had to be contained.   The whole ensuing political confrontations in the UN and throughout the ensuing years was a battle of nerves, which ended with the coming of Ariel Sharon in Israel and George Bush in the US.    The former was a General hardened by Israeli war politics and the latter was an idealist of the American Christian Coalition.    Their objectives colluded and so it was easy for the Bush Administration to depend on the advice of the Neo Cons who were mostly Jews and Jewish sympathizers.    With the help of Tony Blair, the successor of the British Empire, now defunct and powerless, offered a small contingent of his forces to bolster George Bush's army.  As it looks now, that they had not thought it out well, so they are bogged down by unforeseen consequences., and  find it difficult to extricate themselves.   Ariel Sharon is in a coma, and his successor is handicapped.

Perhaps US depended too much on Mossad intelligence, and it is surprising they did not know that the Shias form a large part of the population, and because of their affinity to Iran, Saddam Hussein was keeping them r suppressed.   By removing Saddam Hussein, and his lid on the Shias, the Americans have created problems for themselves.    For those who think of the omnipotent power of the US, it should be an eye opener.

Provocation - Iran Controversy

Iran controversy also is linked with the Israeli security and the US is their benefactor and protector, even though the Jews form a very small part of their population, they have an out of proportion power in the US, because of their money clout, as they own most of the print and television media and the banks and think tanks, and the majority Anglo Saxons, immigrants from Europe  and African Americans are comparatively less advantaged and the media intends to turn them into 'zombies', with the power of their advertisements, entertainment and drugs.    The Politicians require their votes and the media knows to twist and turn their heads to the direction they want.  Perhaps their hearts are too warm and generous that they take these glib talkers seriously.  That is why America complains of poor education and secularization of the schools.  The Protestant Christians resent when ACLU and other Lawyers bring suits against the institutions when they use the public space to say prayers or sing hymns and put Christmas Trees and Nativity Scenes.     It is only ignorance that can help the politicians to have their way.   

Provocation - Turkish Controversy

The First World War Mandate,  set up the new Turkish State, after the defeat of the Ottoman empire.   Their empire was carved into states which were easy for the Anglo Saxons to control.   Thus the Kurdish areas were divided into four parts and given to Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.    The present fight is for the re-unification of these people with one National Identity.   It does not suit the Anglo Saxons and so all the politicking and machinations.

Tragedies - Wild Fires, Tornados, Hurricanes.

In conclusion, when the media tries to portray everything from a 'secular' angle, as if every thing is just a statement of a fact, one has to wonder why things happen.    Humans from time immemorial have had a belief in a Divine Force.    People of different regions evolved different theories, and today we have the Judeao Christian faith,  the Islamic faith, which is a derivative.   The Oriental Faiths.      The Agnostics and Capitalists find that inconvenient, and want it to be changed, in order to have a un-questioning 'market' to sell their wares.

The Communists had declared that Religion is the opium of the people and tried to create Atheistic Societies.     The Capitalists on the other hand used it to bolster their position, with right of just wars, right to private property and sanction of their Churches.    After the collapse of the Soviet empire, the credit for which the US took upon themselves, even though it was otherwise, people got the impression that the US was all powerful.    It has proved otherwise.   No human can consider himself as all wise and all knowing.   There are situations he can foresee.

The Capitalists have to fight for their survival, and the resurgent belief in Faith, is a threat to them.   People talk of Social Justice, Global Warming and this prevents them from making unfettered money.

If you can make a 'Zombie' market, they will buy whatever you tell them to buy.    The excess money one gets from selling weapons, arms and fighter planes, can not be used it their home countries, as it is too expensive to run a profitable industry which caters to the regular human needs.   So you outsource it to poor countries, invest there, manufacture there and then import and sell it to the zombies.    You create Holiday seasons, and tell people to give gifts, buy new cars, buy new houses, etc.   Give them easy credit and allow them to bury themselves in their debts and then re-posses the assets and sell them to other zombies.  You need to make Clubs like the G8, World Bank, IMF, WTO, where the rich become richer and the poor become poorer.   On the face of it, they seem to work for the upliftment of the poor.

the majority in this world believe that it is actually God, who has created all the things we see in the Universe, our life, and all that we possess, he has to be an Intelligent God.    He could not only create the material things and our material Universe, he could also create other forms which are pure Spirits and things that are unseen.   In the Christian Creed they say "I believe in one God, creator all things seen and unseen" -  Some people think he is an inactive God, who is not bothered by what humans do.   It appears like that.   The only thing that we can find what he does is by looking at the past history of mankind.     Humans had  built huge empires, wealthy and powerful and there was a time, no one could touch them.   How were they destroyed.?   It was always from within, when their people thought they were all powerful, and stopped believing their energies were sapped by frivolous pursuits and wastage of their wealth.   By their wars and exploits out of their borders, they drained their national exchequers and went bankrupt.

History also tells us that God sends warnings and gives time to repent.    In the Jewish history which has kept written records, spite of this, they refused to listen to reason, and they suffered for 400 years of slavery in Egypt, then 500 years of slavery in Babylon (Iraq) and 2000 years wandering on the earth.    When they repented,  God gave them back their liberty.    Even the Christian and Muslim empires disintegrated when they thought they were all powerful.   In recent history Catholic Dioceses of USA have gone bankrupt.      The message of the Stable of Bethlehem is conveniently forgotten by the various Christian power brokers.

Today, USA is a nominal Christian country, where efforts are made to remove God from public places in the name of a Secular Society.   The people who benefit are the Capitalists.   The Christian Right reacts impotently.   No one seems to make head way.

Now here is the barometer:  Louisiana is destroyed, can not be repaired even after sp many years, because the money is needed to fight the wars of George Bush.      California is burnt to the ground, all due to "Nature" and "Nature" spares humans, as only 2 die, but millions of dollars of money is lost.   Who will pay them, the Government?   the Insurance Companies?    Have they settled Louisiana claims?   Why is the Dollar value going down?     Is Faith relevant?    Why is it we do not hear a single sentence in the Media Reports about the Faith of these people who are led to safety?     Who owns the media, and what is their goal?

Is there a God?    If so, could he be taking account of the injustices done to those who could not protect themselves against the greed of the wealthy and now the assets of the wealthy are being burnt to the ground by "Nature".   I leave all this to your personal introspection and revisiting of your childhood faith.