Flotilla? Convoy?
In the firestorm surrounding the recent clash between Israel and the six ships carrying materials to the Gaza strip there has been one constant that I find somewhat surprising: calling the ships an “aid flotilla”.
Now, to be fair, the ships did indeed carry a great deal of aid. There was medicine, cement, food, etc, and reportedly no weapons to be found (other than clubs and knives, of course). Definitely no rockets, though. Judging by merely the contents of the ships, it very reasonable to call the group an “aid flotilla” or “aid convoy”.
That said, we generally name things for their intended purpose. Read any article about the events and you’ll get quotes from those involved with the aid organization that their primary mission was to break the blockade. That’s why they were not willing to drop the materials at a port and have it transferred by land to Gaza. In that case, why are we not referring to the group as “blockade runners”?
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What about the other 98.5%?
I’m ending my long absence from the blog with a short post today. I’ve been kept busy in the past few months with a job search (which thankfully ended in early March), a home purchase and the birth of my wife and I’s first child.
I’ve still been reading and following, and came across this piece from Arab Insight’s Editorial Letter for their latest issue.
Although the U.S. developed an elaborate strategy to confront violent Islamists, Egyptian scholar Moataz A. Fattah notes that America has not created a cohesive strategy towards non-violent Islamists, who make up the majority of Islamists in the world. In the long term, Fattah argues, American security will benefit from identifying and engaging with nonviolent Islamist actors. Khaled Hroub, a Jordanian author, analyzes the frustration within the Muslim world regarding Obama’s presidency, particularly his treatment of Islamists and his efforts at democracy promotion.
So true. Violent Muslims only consitute 1.5-2% of all Muslims and yet I would suggest that 100% of our focus is on engaging that portion of the Muslim world population. True, there are in-direct engagements with non-violent Islamists in Afghanistan and Iraq, but that engagement is almost entirely a facet in our war on terrorism, a means to an end.
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The Power of Labels
Tabsir.net has a great post by Dr. Alan Singer called “How I Almost Became a Terrorist”. Dr. Singer is now Director of Secondary Social Studies in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Hofstra University, but describes his feelings as a Jewish-American boy growing up in the Bronx shortly after World War II and his desire to fight for the survival of Israel. He then turns it around to consider the impact the current war on terrorism may be taking on young men in the Middle East, and how we can reduce the risk of radicalization. He states:
Based on this experience as a teacher, I believe that when Islamic youth believe there is hope for the future, that they have dignity and that their religion is respected, that their lives will change for the better, and that there will be justice in the Middle East, the threat of attack will lessen significantly, although it will probably never end completely. Branding these young people as terrorists will just convince them that their view of the world is accurate and that they need to be martyrs.
It’s my firm belief that the only long-term solution for the problem of terrorism is reducing the risk of radicalization of disenfranchised youth. We may never eliminate terrorism, but we can reduce the success rate of the recruiters for terrorist organization by providing these young men with other opportunities, other possibilities and by offering a view of the world that provides hope.
Long-term security requires long-term solutions for providing hope to all people.
Comments (0)Now, this is how you do a myth-dispelling article!
Edward Hull has a great article in the NYTimes about the prevalent myths about Yemen and how they are incorrect. As opposed to Jessica Stern’s Five Myths about who become Terrorists I posted about earlier, this article is one that you really should check out.
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