by Joshua Stanton
At a moment when I would otherwise be reviewing Yom Kippur teachings and preparing spiritually for the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar, I instead feel called as an American Jew to respond to the abominable, Islamophobic advertisements in the New York City subways.
Islamophobia is an ideological threat to the State of Israel. It dims the ultimate hope for Israel’s future: peace.
Anyone who claims to be “pro-Israel” must by definition yearn for peace between Israel and its neighbors. Those who do not cannot possibly want what’s best for Israel. It is simply an irreconcilable contradiction. How could someone who claims to want what’s best for Israel want for it anything but peace? I would like to see the rationale of anyone who suggests that peace is somehow suboptimal for any state, much less one that we care for deeply.
Where conversations often become more complicated, however, is when discussing what a just peace means and how best to achieve it. Given the state of conflict between Israel and some of its neighbors, working toward peace has become mired and enmeshed in competing visions for each group involved. The peace process (alternating, tragically, with ongoing bouts of violence) has become more than simply a matter of international relations; it now relates to the internal identities of Israel and its many neighbors.
While many ambiguities about the peace process remain, one element is certain: false dichotomies hurt the prospects for peace in such a complicated region. The idea of condemning a single group for all of the pain and suffering caused by a multi-lateral conflict is morally bankrupt and politically foolhardy. Doing so creates fissures where there could be bridges and pits people against each other in arguments of little value. It undermines moderates and bolsters extremists. It looks for simple answers to complex problems that require greater nuance.
Islamophobia is an ideology that can create such false dichotomies.
Beyond the evident harm that Islamophobia could bring to the prospects for peace, it now holds the potential to bring the pain of the Middle East conflict more extensively overseas, allowing the hurt to ricochet around the world.
Tags: islamophobia, joshua stanton, MTAsubway
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