Pan-Africanism, OK, not so many disputes about that although, listening to Julius Malema preaching Pan-Africanism is reminiscent of Old Major' speech in Animal Farm, except that whereas we know how Old Major's dream ended, today, when we listen to Brother Julius Malema talking about a future borderless continent of Africa, with one currency, one parliament, one president, maybe a united military under the African Messiah's command, we begin to realise what a very short life-span we are entitled to, at least in this incarnation and wonder if any of us alive today will live to see such a dream come true.
The first President of the United States of Africa, who would it be? Probably a Swahili or a non Igbo-speaking Arab ...
In the other realms of international affairs, especially when it comes to the Middle East (Israel and the Pals) which many see as a religious issue, I suppose that Nigeria is maybe, evenly divided, population-wise, as evenly divided as the North is from the South, the East from the West.
Despite generally subscribing to the notion of "all men are created equal" Christianity of course does not want to be "unequally yoked" to al-Islam, not even through marriage. I have no illusions about where His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto, His Holiness the Emir of Kano and Muhammadu Buhari the commander-in-chief and President of Nigeria stand on such issues, just as I had no illusions about reliable child of Zion, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan 's stand on such issues.
In Israel, thank heaven still a democratic society where people are free to think and to speak, there are all sorts of people saying this and all sorts of people still saying saying that. On the one hand people like the one known as "Arafat's Rabbi" Yisroel Dovid Weiss and the Satmar people and all the other dedicated Jewish religionists opposed to Zionism it is not a criminal offence, they are still free to speak their mind without any fear of being beheaded by some Caliph's sword , are free to speak, consistent with the idea that "where there are two Jews there are three opinions", but mindful that in today's Israel proper , the so called " anti-Zionist Jews" are vastly and almost invisibly in the minority.
I bother to write about this because I was aghast reading this statement issued by Eidah HaChareidis, denouncing as it were the very IDF that liberated their holy city quarters during the Six Day War , the very IDF which is currently keeping them safe and that has in fact made it possible to be keeping their Sabbaths in Mea Shearim in spite of which the statement contains this sentence, "We say in our prayers, "Due to our sins we were exiled from our land" and only through the messiah will we be redeemed, not by military force "
On the other hand Rabbi Ovadia Yosef did say that "Those who perished in the Holocaust were reincarnated sinners"
On Wednesday I betook myself to the ABF-Huset on Sveavagen to listen to Magnus Hellgren Sweden's Ambassador to Israel report on the current situation in Israel in the wake of the recent conflict along the Israel-Gaza border and the New Israel Nationality Law which defines Israel as a Jewish State and intends to uphold the Jewish character of the Jewish state.
On Monday, I shall seek permission from the arrangers of that event, the Wahat al Salam , to share what was said at that meeting, because all of what was said , including the questions and answers are important to our understanding, including an understanding of our own prejudices in understanding the current situation
Hopefully, the world, including world Jewry is familiar with Rabbi Meir Kahane and his seminal book, Our Challenge : The Chosen Land – when I first read it about some twenty years ago, I thought it was both forward-looking and inspiring. This latest legislation is not far removed from much of what was said in that book...
A very balance account of the whole phenomenon : Dan Cohn-Sherbok : Zionism
Above all, whatever our biases or our understanding, we should - as the Torah exhorts those to whom it is addressed: Seek peace and pursue it
Interesting : Rabbi Alon Anava : the journey of the soul
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