Tag Archives: Muslims

December 3, 2015

The Climate Change we Need most has nothing to do with the weather

By davidgroen1

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I’m not cynical about climate change.  Simply put, I believe that I am in the majority when I say I just don’t know enough about science to understand how serious of a danger global warming really is.  I’m somewhat disgusted by how politicized its become, but that’s as much the fault of the citizenry as it is the fault of the politicians. One thing I do know however, based on what actual scientists are saying, is that it is likely not our most immediate danger. Not by a long shot.  That being said, the climate change we do need to address is the political, socioeconomic, and spiritual climate rapidly deteriorating around the globe.

I’m not a racist and I am not a barbarian.  I am a non-violent man raised in a Jewish home by ethical and moral parents.  I don’t like to see people being killed.  I am also the child of Holocaust survivors and somewhat of a student of that era.  That has played a major role in the formation of my views.  It makes it easier for me to recognize when one group of people is terrorizing another.  Is it possible that not all horrific acts committed by a Muslim would be classified as terrorist attacks?  Of course.  But with so many of the worlds leaders getting together to discuss a somewhat dubious threat, that being climate change, how come it is so difficult for the leaders to get together and discuss one that is clear-cut and blatant.

There is still much discussion as to exactly how dangerous and how imminent disaster caused by climate change is.  I will accept the claims by scientists who say it is a threat not to be ignored, but what I won’t accept, and neither should anyone reading this, is the refusal of of our leaders to recognize the serious threat posed by radical Islam. Last night I listened to M Zuhdi Jassar interviewed on Fox News.  This is the type of person that makes a difference.  A Muslim, not afraid to confront the evils in his own religion, Jassar seemed clearly frustrated by the direction things are going. The respect I have for him makes it easy to understand his frustration.  This is a man who is constantly preaching the right thing while getting very little support from the powerful people that matter most, let alone people within his own religion.  Scientifically speaking I have no clue what will happen to the planet if we ignore climate change.  When it comes to the world’s other climate, the climate of mind and soul, if our leaders continue to tip-toe around the problem, the world that leaders are claiming they are trying to protect at the climate change summit will hardly be worth saving.

Two people with Muslim names killed 14 people in a brutal shooting in San Bernadino, California.  This happened a few weeks after ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris. This happened soon after Muslim terrorists gunned down people in a luxury hotel in Mali. This is happening at a time when the average Israeli is more threatened by terrorist attacks by Muslim terrorists than ever before. This happened at a time when a Jewish man is punched in the face in a book store in the Upper West Side of Manhattan by a man who screams at him ” F— You Jews. I’ll Kill You; I’m a Muslim.”  I am not a guy who says all Muslims are bad.  I am not a guy who preaches discrimination of any kind.  But I am a realist.  This is a problem mostly emanating from the Muslim world. To put the tragedy in San Bernadino only on workplace violence and gun possession is irresponsible and short-sighted.  To be afraid to call it what it is, civilization under siege, is worse than irresponsible, it’s suicide.

As I see it now this ends up one of 3 ways, and only one of them is good.  1)Muslim extremists achieve their goal of world domination; 2)millions of people, many of them Muslims and most of them innocent, get killed in a devastating war; 3)the Muslim world changes from within.  Like any other decent human being I hope the 3rd option happens, but for that to happen world leaders need to get serious, take their hands out of the pockets of the rich and corrupt leaders in the Arab world, and most importantly help the good people in the Muslim world move a different direction.  How about having a summit about that?

Change the climate on the planet first, then worry about the weather.

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November 15, 2015

The Root Cause of today’s Terrorism. Thoughts of a friend-A Must Read

By davidgroen1

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With her permission I am posting this tremendous article written by my friend Alison Fisch Katz.  It assesses the root causes of modern-day terror as well as her thoughts on what needs to be done.  This is truly a MUST READ.

Yesterday’s attack on Paris did not emerge from a groundswell of socio-economic unease by local Muslims. To the contrary, people who migrate in order to better their situation are interested in survival and invest in their contribution to their adopted country. In fact they are usually beacons of the pluralistic ideal. Without losing their ethnic identity, they manage to take on local mores, excel in the education system, and often reach the highest political and cultural echelons of society. This is certainly true of Jewish & Indian Britons, Algerian French, & African Americans. Economic or social unease doesn’t usually lead to terrorism. Terrorism such as that witnessed by Parisians yesterday was indeed orchestrated by 8 members of ISIS who managed to cross the border via Germany together with the swathes of Syrian refugees currently swamping European borders. The war that the continent is now facing must be recognised as ideological in nature, based in a religion that is incompatible with western ideas of individual & democratic freedoms. The radical Islam that ISIS and similar groups espouse seeks to vanquish “infidel” communities from the world. They even say so. You just have to pay attention to their own published charters. Israel has long contended that the EU should not ostracize but rather embrace our efforts in the middle east because we know that the war we battle every day is not in fact territorial but religious. If the Israel/Palestinian conflict were about territory it would have been solved decades ago. Jerusalem itself has been on the negotiation table no less than 3 times, and each time was rejected outright by the Arab side. In kind, had the EU recognised the long term unstabling effects of the tribal war in Syria between the Allawis, Sunnis and Shiites (ISIS are Sunnis) and taken steps to curb it, it is possible that the great migration of this century could have been prevented and they would be far better equipped to deal with the wave of terror that radical Islam has unleashed. But it’s not only nations ISIS wishes to take over. It is also – in fact primarily – western ideas that they seek to uproot. Those ideas are embedded in the great symbols of European history: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Place de la Republique to name just a few that immediately come to mind. France & Europe needs to either take fierce and unpopular steps to protect its heritage, or gird up the Arc de Triomphe and bury Leonardo’s Mona Lisa in a bunker somewhere until this dark age passes.

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March 28, 2015

My Evolution to Radical

By davidgroen1

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The title is somewhat tongue in cheek because I really don’t see myself as being a radical, but in order to keep the interest of those on the far left who may see me that way, I chose to acknowledge what is very possibly going to be their claim.  The purpose of this piece is to explain how I, David Groen got from Liberal Clinton Democrat who voted for Obama twice, to writing articles and letters that seem to align me far more with the Republican right.  By the time you finish reading, whether you a Conservative or a Liberal I suspect I will surprise you, and very possibly disappoint you.

If it sounds like I am confused let me be clear.  I am more certain of where I stand on most issues than I have been my entire life.  I have not changed my views on some of the most polarizing issues of the day.  As soon as I state my stances on abortion and gay marriage I am certain to get some ire from a large portion of the Conservatives reading this. When I state my views on Israel and Foreign Affairs I am certain to get the same from many of the Liberals.  If this article seems like it is designed to make everyone angry at me, rest assured it is not.  I’m merely someone comfortable expressing his political views and since I try not to be a hypocrite, I see no reason to hide my politics.  In the end it is up to the reader to decide if he or she cares about my views, not me.

Most of the issues I intend to glance over quickly, while those dealing with Israel and Foreign Affairs in particular I will go into more detail. Here are some of the main issues that tend to define today’s Liberal and Conservative, not necessarily in the order stated. My order is based on how much I intend to say about the subject in this particular piece.

 

1-Abortion      2-Gay Marriage       3-Gun Control  

4-Foreign Affairs   5-Israel; (specifically for Jews, but often for non-Jews as well).

 

1-Abortion: I am pro-choice. I believe a woman has the right to decide what to do with her own body.

2-Gay Marriage: I really don’t care who people sleep with and since I believe one of the reasons America is a great country is the separation of Church and State, and since the only reason to ban this is a religious one, I believe it’s not the government’s business.  If a religious institution chooses not to marry gay people they have every right to make that choice.

3-Gun Control: I used to be so anti-gun that I would say that Americans had lost the right to bare arms based on our overall behavior with guns.  I believe strict and enforced regulations are important, but in today’s worldwide political climate I see how the need exists for individuals to carry a gun, and since that may even mean me, it would be hypocritical of me to hold the same views I once held.

Before I go on I will take a moment to explain my voting history back to the first Clinton presidency.  Actually the first part is easy.   For right or for wrong back then I didn’t feel the need to analyze it too deeply. I voted for who I liked the most.  I can say I voted Democrat across the board, and that would be true in local elections, but I also voted for Ronald Reagan(at least I think I did. I may have missed an election).

I liked Bill Clinton. The Monica Lewinsky issue aside, I still do. When Al Gore was running I found myself truly getting excited about politics.  I thought he was going to be a tremendous president. Whether or not I was right or wrong we will never know because Florida and hanging chads happened and George W. Bush became president instead.  With the devastation I felt when Gore did not become president and my 3 straight presidential elections voting Democrat, no one would ever have thought I would ever vote for W. That however, is exactly what happened in the next election. Since I greatly approved of his reaction and handling of 9/11, I voted for him when he ran for a second term.  Besides, I wasn’t particularly impressed with John Kerry anyway.  At least that is something that hasn’t changed.

When Barack Obama first hit the scene I was not a supporter.  But not so much because I had a problem with him, but because I was big time for Hilary.  When he defeated her in the primaries I was uncertain of my vote.  I liked John McCain’s toughness and patriotism but I put a lot of stock in who a candidate chooses for Vice President. So when McCain picked Sara Palin it became a much easier decision for me.  I voted for Obama.  When Obama came up for reelection I once again looked at the opponent.  I didn’t like Mitt Romney at all.  I didn’t believe a word he said.  Not because I believed he was necessarily so much less honest than everyone else, but because it always seemed that whatever he said was only designed to win the election.  I never felt like he was true to anything.  I also held out hope and wanted to believe that Obama did actually like Israel and that the things that looked bad were just part of his strategy to bring peace in the Middle East.  His actions still may be designed with that purpose in mind, but since it looks more and more like he is selling Israel out in whatever this process of his is, I’m subsequently not too happy about that vote.

I can’t tell this history without admitting that in retrospect I made some mistakes, but everyone’s truth is what it is, and this is mine. Who knows?  Maybe this piece will make some people admit votes they otherwise would have kept private.  With that said I go back to my list.

4-Foreign Affairs: On no issue have I “radicalized” more.  We all know the phrase history repeats itself.  I believe that history is not as likely to repeat itself as it is to mimic itself.  The difference may seem subtle but it is extremely significant and very important. As a son of Holocaust survivors, the history of the Jews in Europe has always been doubly personal.  Both as a Jew and as the son of Dutch Jews.  The Nazis rose to power under the unsuspecting noses of a hopeful Europe and somewhat detached America.  By the time it was too late, Hitler had put together a juggernaut of evil and terror that ran over the continent and caused a war that saw the death of tens of millions of people, including 6 millions Jews killed in genocidal manner.  The enemy was devastatingly powerful and ruthless.  The tactics of the Nazis were as evil as anything the world has ever seen. They were organized, cohesive and powerful.  But the allies had one advantage in attacking them. They were based in one country.  Yes there was a 5th column, the “ordinary people” placed in other countries to do a form of reconnaissance, but for the most part Nazi Germany was based out of Germany.  Although today’s evil uses some tactics very similar to the Nazis, and similarly their 2 main enemies are Americans and Jews, Muslim extremists are spread out in so many parts of the world, able to attack in so many different locations at any time, that the rising threat may have similarities to 1930s Europe, but nothing is a better example of history mimicking itself instead of repeating itself as the threats we face today.

That being said, the similarities are significant enough that I have formed the belief that negotiation and trust are just not a reasonable option. It hurts me to say that this is a fight I believe can only be won by force, but what do we see to tell us otherwise?  If we are only looking for history to repeat itself, we can make the argument that this is nothing like 1930s Europe and the rise of Nazism. But the language is similar, the lack of morality which justifies killing is similar, and the growth is even faster.  I don’t want to see innocent people get hurt, but innocent people needed to get hurt in Germany to stop the Nazis, and had that not happened millions of more innocent people would ultimately have gotten slaughtered.  To me and to all civilized people that is something that should be unacceptable.

5-Israel: I have made a very clear statement that I have no intention of wavering from. My next vote for president will be for whichever candidate I believe is most pro-Israel and toughest in foreign affairs.  I have been very vocal in my support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  The other day I decided to listen to a J Street video regarding the need for a two-state Solution.  I think J Street is divisive and disingenuous, but in many ways I don’t believe a desire for a two-state solution is a bad thing necessarily.  Much of the statements in the video carried a lot of merit. The status quo will not be good for Israel.  It does create an even more dangerous future.  The prices that have been paid by so many are very high, and yes, it is a lot easier to speak this way from the United States than it is from Israel.  All that being said, it is not that I am opposed to a two-state solution per se, it is that under the current conditions a two-state solution is not a road to peace, it is a road to another Final Solution, not that different from the one attempted, and carried out to a large extent in devastating fashion by the Nazis against the Jews. 

To make peace you either need more than one willing party or for one party to be significantly stronger.  Those who criticize Israel the loudest do so because Israel, at the moment at least is stuck with the second choice.  Being a more powerful nation Israel is still able to win their wars.  With the lack of a willing peace partner Israel has 2 choices.  Keep the enemy down or die.  Forgive us “radicals” if we find the 2nd choice unacceptable.  No reasonable caring person is blind to the price Israel has to pay.  I can say with utmost confidence that the overwhelming majority of Israelis and Jews worldwide would gladly accept a two-state solution if it was with a party that truly wanted peace with the Jewish people.  If I felt Jewish lives would be saved I would support it.  But I believe, as do many like me, that more Jewish lives would be lost as a result of a two-state solution under the current conditions.  And it’s just plain anti-Israel cynicism to believe it falls solely on Israel to change these conditions.  

I can not and will not be moderate if I feel that a moderate viewpoint puts my people in danger.  

People who truly know Israelis and truly know the Jewish people as a whole, know that we are a people who desire to live in peace.  My lack of moderation is not based on some irrational hatred of Arabs and Muslims, my lack of moderation is based on those in power who talk about wanting to annihilate Israel and murder Jews while declaring a desire for peace for political or public relations expediency.  It’s baffling to me that anyone would believe the intentions of those calling for the murder of innocents were good at all, and to be quite honest it baffles me that the view opposing Israel somehow became one more often affiliated with a liberal status.   Maybe these people need to listen a little more to Alan Dershowitz.

So there you have my evolution to “radical”.  Make no mistake though.  This is one radical that hopes and prays that one day people will wake up and no longer allow their leaders to be preachers of death and destruction.  When that happens I suspect  I will no longer be seen as a radical, for I will be excited and supportive of what would then be a genuine peace process.

 

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January 13, 2015

Open Letter to Jimmy Carter…Actually Mr. Carter, for the record…

By davidgroen1

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Dear Mr. Carter,

I’ll get right to the point.  As you spew your disgusting commentary and once again show your anti-Semitic ways by saying that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the origins of Islamist violence, let me remind you of what is actually one of the main origins of modern-day Islamist violence.  The failed presidency of one James Earl Carter, Jr.

Back when Iran was in the midst of radical change, you did nothing. When Iran kidnapped more than 60 Americans in Tehran in 1979, you were powerless to get these hostages released.  Your failures empowered the beginning of Iran’s worldwide Islamic revolution, a revolution based in violence and terror.  To be quite frank Mr. Carter, Muslims should hate you for this as well.  You set the stage for what has been nothing short of an ongoing catastrophic disaster. While Americans languished as hostages for 14 months, all you offered were reasons and excuses for why you did nothing.  You failed the hostages, you failed your country, and you failed the world. Instead of owning up to your failings back then, you have chosen to once again fail everything that is sacred.  Most of all the truth.  I guess you feel that you would rather align yourself with terrorists today than admit to the world that you emboldened them.

It is rare that I am this disturbed when I write one of my Open Letters, and once again it is my respect for the United States, its government, and the office of the President that tempers my verbal attack on you, but make no mistake.  It is not based on any respect I have for you, for I have none.  Rumor has it that you are an intelligent man, so I can only assume your words come from cowardice and bigotry.  Either way they are words many consider to be disgraceful coming from a former American president.  You were an embarrassment to the office then, and you continue to be one today.

Sincerely,

David Groen

 

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January 8, 2015

Open Letter to Greta Berlin in response to her claim of Mossad responsibility for The Paris Massacre

By davidgroen1

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Dear Ms. Berlin,

Normally I wouldn’t give someone like you the time of day, but since your insane blubbering has gotten quite a lot of play I find it imperative that I address you.

I’ll get back to the fact that you are delusional later in the letter. First let me paraphrase a great statement I heard someone make this morning on one of the news channels.  “Attacking a group of people you know won’t do you physical harm is false courage.”  The guest commentator was using this as a way of magnifying the courage it took the people at Charlie Hebdo to make satirical comics about Islam.  He used the example of going after Buddha in the United States, stating that if he did so he might make some angry and face criticism, but he would not be putting his life in danger. That doesn’t imply that one is automatically a coward for criticizing a non-violent group, but let’s be real here.  It takes a lot more guts to blame Muslims than it does to blame Jews.

Your fabrications are not ideological, they are not based in any reality, and they are from far brave.  I am proud to write this letter to you and not threaten you.  That is not how us Jews work.  Despite your delusional insane rantings, the Jewish people and the government of Israel are not designers of elaborate schemes to change the world order.  We do not threaten those who disagree with us, ridicule us, or mock us.  But we do speak up with reason and intellect and more often than not we do so with a basis in fact and reality.

There is always some crackpot that uses the suffering of others to propel themselves to the forefront.  You decided to do that yesterday.  You somehow felt that you would take the murder of innocent people and turn it into a tool to spew your nonsense. Congratulations Ms. Berlin.  You are now not only not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.  You are the equivalent to a modern-day Nazi sympathizer and quite frankly an embarrassment to your country and ironically very little help to the people you claim to want to help.  You would help everyone a lot more if you would just be quiet and go away.

Of course unlike those you defend with so much exuberance would do if the situation was reversed, I wish you no physical harm.  I am sure if those you attack felt otherwise, your voice would not be nearly as loud.  All you are doing with your comments is helping those that wish to murder innocent people. Although that is a fact you will just have to live with, I have a feeling you are able to do so with very little problem.

Sincerely,

David Groen

 

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December 4, 2014

Maybe they should Hate us

By davidgroen1

antiseFrom the age of 15 to 18  I lived in London in the house of a Rabbi and his family.  He and his wife were wonderful and genuinely religious people who always looked for the good in people. Whenever you would declare a hatred for another person, the Rabbi’s wife would always respond by saying how one should never hate people. Setting aside her words of compassion and decency, one can make an argument that sometimes hatred is not only reasonable but justified. Ironically over the past few days I came to the conclusion that the hatred felt towards Israel and the Jewish people may not actually be reasonable or justified, but it may not be too difficult to understand.  This is not because the people who hate us are good people, or that there is anything ethical about their hatred, this is merely because with what they are looking to accomplish and the message they are trying to get out there, the Jewish people may indeed pose a problem and a threat.

So to which group of people am I referring to?  The short answer is anyone who believes their religion needs to achieve world domination at all costs.  I could mince words and be politically correct, but since I believe in writing with integrity and honesty I will just state the reality.  Most of these people are Muslims.  Sure there are people of other faiths who hate the Jewish people as well, and I recognize that not all Muslims hate Jews, but to deny that most of the hatred is coming from those of the Muslim faith would be incorrect and irresponsible.

This whole discussion creates an interesting, and to be quite frank, a rather bizarre dynamic.  There are countless Muslims who are outspoken about their hatred towards Israel and the Jewish people. There are thousands upon thousands of people who have expressed that hatred in one form or another.  Anyone who is Jewish, especially someone who is a Zionist, finds themselves in a no-win situation.  You are expected to be quiet and just accept that hatred, for if you actually identify it, you are identified as the racist.  It’s not only bizarre, it is also a sad statement on what the world has become.

Depending on who you consider a Jew, there are anywhere between 13 to 19 million Jews on the planet.  By some estimations there are 1.6 billion Muslims.  Yet somehow the Jews are the threat.  Why is this?  Personally, this question has risen to the top of the list of the most important questions in today’s world.  Since I believe unequivocally that there is a God, and I believe the pursuit of the meaning of life is actually a fun venture, no other question has become more important to me than the question, “why do they hate us?”

I’ve come up with numerous answers and would not be surprised if I come up with more as time goes on.  The number one answer I always fall back on is that despite all efforts, us Jews just won’t go away. It sounds simplistic but as I sat in synagogue this past Saturday I was struck by the deeper meaning of it all.  The portion read from the Torah this past week spoke of how Jacob, the Biblical Patriarch whose name would later be changed to Israel, had a dream of a ladder ascending to heaven from earth.  He had this dream in what would be known as Beit El.  Beit El which is in what we know as the West Bank and is right in the heart of the conflict the world hears so much about.  The Children of Israel, who we now refer to as the Jewish people, run a government that controls this land.  Still to this day, thousands of years after the story of Jacob, aka Israel, had the dream at Beit El, this same location is now a thriving town populated by Jewish people and part of the modern nation of Israel. After all the persecution, the pogroms, the gas chambers and the suicide bombers, the Jews are still living right there in this location designated by God as special to the Children of Israel.  We may be small in number, but when you consider that it all started with a relationship with God, if your life is based around the belief that only your religion is right, of course we’re a threat.

Then of course there is the scapegoating concept.  Jews have always been a good target.  The character flaw that leads one to believe that everything wrong in the world is someone else’s fault, also exists on an organizational or national level.  Case in point, the people of Gaza live in poverty and it is all Israel’s fault.  Of course it has nothing to do with the misappropriation of funds and corruption that has a small minority living a billionaire’s life or the building of terror tunnels.  It has nothing to do with self-serving politicians rallying their people to hate Israel and the Jewish people.  It’s someone else’s fault, and the best and easiest people to blame always seem to be the Jews.

And last but definitely not least, it is plain old ignorance.  Are the Jewish people perfect?  Definitely not.  There are some high-profile Jews that have committed acts that no normal decent person would condone.  Israel as a nation makes mistakes and most likely has politicians that will manipulate the situation to benefit their personal career even if it hurts others in the process. That being said, that makes the Jews no different from any other people on the planet, and to somehow move us to the top of the list of evildoers is based on an ignorant perception caused by the choice to believe misrepresentations, or even worse being a victim of an education against the Jewish people.  The misrepresentation of facts to adults and the education of young children in many parts of the Muslim world is creating millions of people who almost have no choice other than to hate Jews. This reality is frightening, sad, and for lack of a better word disgusting.  But it certainly explains a lot.

The hatred is unreasonable, despicable, unjustified and bizarre, but if you look at what is driving those who hate us, it makes an awful lot of sense.

 

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October 24, 2014

Terrorist Denial:Not as Cynical as Holocaust Denial but maybe as dangerous

By davidgroen1

islam_holocaustAfter my last article addressing the tragedy in Ottawa titled,  Canadian shooting: What we know–and RATHER NOT know–a day later, someone in social media responded to me with the following statement: “David, again you hit the nail on its shank. You rather not know. It’s obvious you have a hate on for Muslims. If you actually look at the facts and circumstances of these two villains, they both had failing lives, they were unproductive, dissatisfied with life and recent converts to something that gave them a chance to “check out”. Years ago it would have been the KKK, or the doomsday survivalists or the tea party. They didn’t want to give meaning to their lives, otherwise they would have become Buddhists, Sufis, humanists or any other altruistic belief system. They converted to something they knew would end their life. ISIS attracts psychopaths and losers. They confuse ISIS with Islam. We don’t use the KKK as the calling card for Christianity.”

Naturally out of respect for this individual I won’t use his name, and those who would be able to identify him possibly already saw it next to his name so I personally am not revealing it. I normally have no issue with criticism, however, I found the comment so disturbing that I felt compelled to address it further.

In addressing me he says. “It’s obvious you have a hate on for Muslims.” Yes of course.  I’M the problem.  On a day when a 3 month old Jewish baby gets run down by a Muslim and a young Canadian soldier doing nothing other than standing guard gets shot in the back by a Muslim, I am the one who is wrong for stating the fact that it was Muslims who did this.  I am the problem because most of the military conflicts going on in the world involve Muslims. I have said it before and I will say it again.  I know the majority of Muslims are not violent, but most of the violence taking place today involves Muslims in one way or another.  I know there are Muslims who want no part of this, but I also know that not enough of them are stopping this from taking place.  I know that just as Hitler wanted to do during the reign of Nazi Germany, there are people today that want every last Jew on the planet killed.  Most of these people are Muslim.

“ISIS attracts psychopaths and losers. They confuse ISIS with Islam.” So does Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, to name a few. We’re not talking hundreds of people here.  We’re talking hundreds of thousands of people. Maybe he is right.  Maybe they are all psychopaths and losers, but unfortunately they are also all Muslim.  I don’t enjoy saying that, but it’s the truth.  I know Muslims that I like and if I meet someone who is Muslim I don’t immediately assume the worst about them, but that doesn’t mean I am going to run from the truth.

As a son of Holocaust survivors I believe it is my responsibility to acknowledge danger where I feel it exists even if it means offending some people.  To do otherwise would be like going back in time to 1938, knowing what is coming and worrying more about the good Germans than the large number either standing by while evil takes over or even worse, being part of the evil.  I can’t and won’t remain silent.  I owe it to the memory of the grandparents I never knew, the grandparents murdered by the “psychopaths and losers” of the last century.  Today a large percentage of Muslims are not terrorists, but an overwhelming percentage of terrorists are Muslim.  To deny this is not only stupid, it’s irresponsible and dangerous.

 

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October 13, 2014

Open Letter to Ben Affleck

By davidgroen1

Affleck 1209Dear Ben,

I originally had no intention of writing you this letter, but after a friend asked me to do so, I thought about it long and hard, listened to your exchange with Bill Maher and Sam Harris numerous times, and reconsidered my decision.  When I confirmed with this friend that she did indeed want me to write this letter, she responded by saying, “yes please, he is a moron”. To be very fair, I think what ultimately motivated me to write to you is that I actually believe you are the furthest thing from a moron. I do however believe there may be a reality you either are unable to see or unwilling to see, and what appears to be your passionate denial of this reality is something many people, including myself find to be very troubling.

I want to start by saying that I think your heart is actually in the right place.  As opposed to those out there who express opinions that are harmful if followed by everyone, if everyone felt as you do we would all be just fine.  After all, what’s so bad about someone defending innocent Muslims, right?  Your thought process is a normal one.  You think making indicting comments about an entire group of people is an ugly thing to do.  You believe it to be so wrong you get angry at anything that resembles this sort of stereotyping, seeing it as irrational and callous bigotry.  Obviously anyone who sees a problem with you or anyone else thinking that way has a serious problem and has an abnormal thought process.  Not so fast.  We are are not living in normal times.

Ben, despite the impression one may have of me by the time they finish this letter, my nature is to actually love all people.  It’s that very love for people that makes me agree with Sam Harris, not you.  You vehemently insist that most Muslims do not want what the Islamic extremists want.  You compared the generalizations to calling Jews shifty.  I appreciate that your point is that both are wrong, but the criticisms that both Sam Harris and Bill Maher are giving of Muslim behavior are sanctioned by numerous Muslim clerics worldwide, while no Rabbis sanction that Jews should act shifty.  Muslim leaders are sanctioning murder, rape, beheading and crucifixion in the name of their religion.  Many do not sanction it but remain silent as it happens.  As far as the general population is concerned, tens to hundreds of thousands of Muslims worldwide protested Israel’s operation in Gaza.  While Israel conducted its operation in the name of self-defense, ISIS makes no secret of its desire to conquer lands.  Why is it that as ISIS terrorizes the populations of Iraq and Syria there are no mass protests from the Muslim world?  Even you who defends the Muslim world with the passion that you do must ask this question.  Would you be willing to admit that even if they don’t actively support it, their opposition to it isn’t strong enough for them to take a stand against it. Meanwhile you feel the need to defend this same population that says nothing.

By no means am I even implying that all Muslims are terrorists and should be treated as such.  What I am saying is that the problem within the Muslim world is prominent enough that if Muslims don’t rise up against the evil in their midst they are at best not concerned enough about the consequences, and at worst they are complicit, be it knowingly or not.

I urge you to recognize this very harsh reality.  Even if the majority of Muslims are not dangerous, there is a significant element within the Muslim world that is very dangerous, increasingly more powerful, and growing by number.  This element wants to destroy everything you believe in.  Freedom, religious tolerance and personal choices would all be things of the past if they were to conquer the world as they wish to.  I’m not asking you to stop fighting for tolerance, just to recognize who the real enemies of tolerance truly are.  They are not Sam Harris and Bill Maher.

I hope you wake up to these realities before it is too late.

Sincerely,
David Groen

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October 7, 2014

If Muslims stay quiet they will largely have themselves to blame for what happens in Europe and beyond

By davidgroen1

muslimproIt seems as though now that things are relatively quiet in Israel, the popular cause among those looking to put their 2 cents into the Middle East situation is defending Muslims.  I’ve never had a problem with anyone who takes the stance that painting a brush over an entire group of people is wrong, assuming they recognize the rights of all parties and show even less tolerance for acts of unwarranted violence and terrorism.  However, when it comes to defending Muslims, the thing so many are missing, is that there is a silence within Islamic nations and populations that is deafening in its significance.

Despite the fact that it’s become cliché to say the next great war will start in the Middle East, I’ve maintained for quite some time now that World War III will actually start where the first 2 started, in Europe.  Of course this argument starts from the assumption that it has not already begun, something I am not necessarily prepared to do with  any real vigor, but that horrific escalation that leads to the death of millions may indeed find its origin in Europe. Naturally we all hope and pray it does not got that way, but if it does, here is why I say Europe would be ground zero.

Europeans are an interesting bunch.  They have an element of sophistication and enlightenment different from what you see on other continents.  On the surface they are a peaceful, educated bunch.  They are artists, musicians, scientists and when unprovoked racially progressive.  However, when pushed to the breaking point, they have produced some of the most vicious, evil and cold-hearted dictators the world has ever seen.  The vast majority of Europeans crave peace, but they also have limitations, and when those limitations are exceeded, they will often put their support behind those who will change the status quo at all costs.  Till now it’s been socio-economic circumstances that brought this on.  Hitler in Germany and Stalin in Russia both used poverty as the enemy to rally the masses behind them, justifying the murder of anyone they deemed in the way of their nations’ development.

Although it may turn out to be economic travails that break the proverbial camels back, the main factor building Europe to a dangerous boiling point is the increasing influence of the Muslim population as it coincides with Islamic extremism and terrorism.  A rising Muslim populous on its own would still potentially lead to problems in Europe during a faltering global economy. After all, scapegoating is not necessarily out of character for Europeans, but even without economic issues, as Europeans feel less and less safe, and their Muslim populations remain disproportionately silent, the  likelihood of a scapegoat scenario strengthens significantly.

If there is an outright World War III it seems destined to be in the form of a Muslim-Christian war, with other groups, most notably the Jewish people being caught in the cross hairs and winding up victims of the same devastation.  What makes this so frustrating is that if the “religion of peace”, as some insist on calling it would have a majority actually stand up against the forces of evil within its midst and demand peace, it would likely never come to that horrific outcome.

Unfortunately there is no real outcry from within the population.  Tens to hundreds of thousands protested Israel’s action in Gaza, but stay home while ISIS marches through Syria and Iraq, and Iran continues to sponsor terrorist organizations to instigate larger wars in the region.  This silence, if followed by a European continent that feels the threat level has exceeded any level of reason, could very well lead to the death of tens of millions of people, of which a multitude will be Muslim.  Just as many Germans died because they allowed Hitler to lead his Nazi party and commit their atrocities, so too the apathy or even worse in many cases, the quiet support of Muslims, could lead to millions dead, many of them actually Muslims.  It’s not out of the realm of possibility that right now they feel a sense of security and therefore remain quiet, but eventually they may not be very safe, and if that happens they will largely have themselves to blame for being silently complicit.

Let’s hope it never comes to that, for as my mother, a survivor of the Holocaust says, when it comes to war, no one ever really wins.

 

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September 18, 2014

Response to Article in Times of Israel titled “ISIS is not Muslim”

By davidgroen1

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After reading what I felt to be a naive albeit heartfelt article written by  Aditya Divakar Karkera  entitled “ISIS is not Muslim”, I felt compelled to respond.   (CLICK HERE TO READ HIS ARTICLE IN TIMES OF ISRAEL). I admire the writers intentions and truly understand the message he is trying to get across.  The problem is, that while he defends Islam, he has a very serious problem defending Muslims. Here is why.

Although I take some issue with some of his earlier comments, it is one of the last statements of his article where sadly, the argument completely falls apart. I say sadly because in my heart I want him to be right.  I want it to be true that there are only 75,000 Muslim extremists.  Maybe there are only 75,000 Muslims willing to commit acts of terror, but unless you actively oppose these people, as a Muslim you are more of an extremist than a moderate.  What percentage of the remaining 1.5 billion plus Muslims actively oppose this extremism?  There were more than 75 thousand Muslims protesting against Israel and in support of Hamas this past summer on any given day in Europe. Are they moderates?  The people of Gaza elected Hamas.  Are they not extremists?  They are being taught to hate Jews from a young age, that we are pigs that need to be killed.  Is that not extremist?

Iran is a nation of people led by a government committed to the destruction of Israel and opposed to western values.  I am sure not all of the people living there feel that feel the same way, but the citizens are not exactly rising up against this.  If we are to take the position of the writer, we need such a sentiment to come from more than one good person from India with the genuine desire to see a world free of hatred.  We need the Muslims of the world that feel as the writer says they feel, to stand up and make their voices heard. Without that it means  nothing.

It may be true that much of Islam peaceful, but I don’t hear of many Muslims fighting for peace.  I don’t see tens of thousands marching against the extremists.  I don’t see the young people throwing rocks or Molotov cocktails at terrorist headquarters.  I would like to see that, but I don’t.   The perception that Islam is a religion of violent extremists can only be dispelled by one group of people, and that is the Muslims themselves.  We would all welcome that day if it were ever to arrive.  Sadly there are no indications of that happening with any significance.  As long as that is the case the argument made in this article won’t be accepted by the majority of people, and in my opinion, rightly so.

 

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