Arab silence speaks volumes

‘My father hated his enemies more than he loved his sons’

- Omar bin Laden, son of guess-who

We still worry, correctly, that extremists will commit terrorist acts here, in Israel and various western nations, but consider the plight of those who must live among these fanatics.

I have never believed that the Arab world is monolithic, though it seems that way much of the time. Many Arabs hardly qualify as bomb-throwing terrorists. Rather, many are themselves terrorized into silence and collaboration. Such conditions were bluntly described or strongly indicated in a succession of independent articles published within a few weeks’ time.

The reports can inflame an intense level of outrage against terrorists and their leaders. These extremists scare average people into keeping quiet or even endangering their lives. Ordinary Arabs must live among these murderers, illustrating how frustrating the circumstances there can be.

Omar bin Laden’s experiences of being raised, or mis-raised, by Osama bin Laden is evidence enough of the cruelty with which these lunatics treat not only their neighbors but their own family members. Among other instances, Omar’s old man lent credence to a punch line in which Arab dads lament that their children “blow up so soon.” This nutcase wanted Omar and his brothers to go on suicide missions, and Omar was on the front lines in a civil war in the 1990s, according to the Associated Press.

“I nearly lost my life so many times. People may ask why I left my father,” said Omar, who co-authored the book “Growing Up bin Laden.” “I left because I did not want anyone to choose my destiny…And I believe I chose correctly, for I chose life. I chose peace.”

Does he sound like a terrorist? I would feel comfortable with this bin Laden as my next-door neighbor.

People in Gaza were denied the chance to have their say when 80 foreigners took part in the Gaza Freedom March to protest Israel’s blockade in early January. Reporter Amira Hass wrote in Ha’aretz, a daily Israeli newspaper, that Hamas security officials maintained tight control over both the visitors and their own people.

She wrote, “During the march itself, when Gazans watching from the sidelines tried to speak with the visitors, the stern-faced security men blocked them. ‘They didn’t want us to speak to ordinary people,’ one woman concluded.”

Another passage from Hass’s account: “In meetings without the security men, several activists got the impression that non-Hamas residents live in fear, and are afraid to speak or identify themselves by name. ‘Now I understand that the call for “Freedom for Gaza” has another meaning,’ one young man told me.”

In a Jan. 6 New York Times article in reference to a video program depicting life in Gaza, 28-year-old Awatif Aljadili offhandedly says, “We have to talk with each other. But many here are afraid of talking with Israelis. They will be accused of being spies.”

They are open to meeting Israelis, she is saying, but that would jeopardize their safety. It is well documented that many Arabs were murdered if they were suspected of collaborating with Israel.

Interviews in The Jewish Week suggested mixed attitudes toward Israelis, and even positive views seemed to be grudging. Ghazi Najav, 45, of Nablus says in a Jan. 1 article, “There is a fear of going backward. We don’t have a military compatible with Israel. I don’t want to see more Palestinian young men die.”

Adds Sabri Sabri, also of Nablus: “People are fed up with intifadas. People want to live a normal life.”

Arabs quoted in these accounts appear to be motivated by disgust with their own extremists, war-weariness, common sense and even good will. Their voices offer hope that they represent a large proportion of Arabs in Israel’s territories and elsewhere. If only they and Israelis can reach one another.

On an interpersonal basis, many Arabs might get along well with Jews if we had the chance to get to know one another. That also includes those on both sides who harbor bitter feelings. Reports I have read in the past, along with limited personal experience, have provided a foundation for this belief.

I genuinely feel sorry for Arabs who are good people caught in the middle. They are prisoners of their society.

How do we bridge the gap that divides us? Hamas rules Gaza with an iron hand. Israel’s sole strategy to eliminate Hamas is to kill thousands of innocent people along with the terrorists. Most other Arab lands are ruled by unelected leaders because it is very possible that the winner of any pending election will behave like dictators themselves. Look at Iran.

It is hard to be hopeful when the inmates still run the asylum.