By Ameer Ali –
Dr. Ameer Ali
President Donald Trump, like the proverbial bull has entered the Jerusalem China shop and destroyed even the little piece that prevailed there after Arial Sharon’s provocative march into Al-Aqsa mosque compound in 2000 (six years after which he fell terminally ill, went into a coma, kept on life support until he was officially pronounced dead in 2014) and Israeli Occupation Authority’s attempt to install electronic gates at the entrance to the Al-Aqsa mosque in July 2017 which were forced to be after violent protests. However, Trump’s announcement to shift the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem should not come as surprise especially to Arab Muslim world. It was part of his election manifesto and the Arab leaders were well aware of his intension when he visited Saudi Arabia. One does not know what actually transpired in the discussion between the Saudi monarch and the president except the billion dollar arms deal. It is reasonable to assume that the embassy issue would have been raised by the president and equally reasonable to assume that the monarch in his enthusiasm to open trade relations with Israel and have access to Israeli technology would have given tacit approval to the shift by remaining silent at the least. This situation also applies to the rulers of Jordan, Egypt and other Gulf states who are also eager to talk peace with Israel. The devil is always in the detail. Why then this rhetorical outrage from these quarters now?
It is obvious and evidence is mounting that this announcement will not be received in silence by the Muslim masses. Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem is the third holiest mosque for the Muslims and it is emotionally and religiously inseparable from the Muslim psyche. The Islamist extremists in particular are bound to unleash another wave of violence and one can expect worldwide protest when the actual shift takes place. At least to demonstrate that they too are in sympathy with the masses these Arab leaders have to add their voices of disapproval for public consumption. Their rhetoric is a set piece of an otherwise sinister drama played out to protect the American Order in the Middle East. The White House and Israel would have factorised these rhetoric and violence in their strategic calculations.
There is some truth in the White House position when its sources said that its policy only reflects the reality on the ground in Jerusalem, which Holy Spot, gradually since 1967 and more determinedly after the so called Oslo Accord of 1993, has evolved into the cultural if not administrative capital of Israel. After surrendering to the diplomatic and strategic manoeuvres of the Americans in 1993 there is no point in PLO leadership protesting about the proposed shift now. PLO actually betrayed the cause of an independent and liberated Palestinian state in 1993. One can also be rest assured that the Arab leaders who are bitterly divided among themselves, who lack popular legitimacy to their rule and remains in power virtually at the behest of US support will tow the superpower’s line ultimately.
In the meantime, there may be some street protests in the US and even in the West by those who are genuinely sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and as part of an overall Anti-Trump phenomenon; but on the whole the American electorate is the most politically uninformed in the world and the state institutions and commercial media will see to that the protests do not escalate beyond the controllable limit. Even in Europe such protests would be tolerated only within certain limits.
The US allies in Europe and in the Oceania who are always more pro-Israel than pro-Palestinian will for the time being keep their embassies in Tel Aviv but when the dusts settle after the initial wave of protests and violence, they too will shift their embassies to Jerusalem to reflect ‘the reality on the ground’ while continuing to sing the chorus of a meaningless two-state solution song. Of course none of the Muslim countries will dare to follow suit for a long time.
In the Israeli-Palestinian saga since 1948 the Palestinian cause was sold out by the Arab leaders especially after the 1970s and mostly in the interest of their own survival. This fact cannot be hidden from history and blaming the US, UK or Europe entirely for this tragedy is only an academic exercise. It is the behaviour of the Arab leaders that is largely responsible for the tragedy of the Palestinians. Israel used its brain and brawn powers to win their battles against the Arabs and the Arabs thought their moneyed power will be sufficient to defeat Israel. It is an uneven contest and Israel won its battles comprehensively and the Arabs lost humiliatingly. Having abandoned by their Arab brethren the fate of the Palestinians will be such that in the long run they would become the 21st century aborigines living in segregation in an apartheid Greater Israel.
Dr. Ameer Ali, School of Business and Governance, Murdoch University, Western Australia
COMMON SENSE. / December 10, 2017
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Lankan No 1 / December 10, 2017
It is entirely shameless leaders of Arab countries who sold out this to Isreal..next step will be in Madina.
I feel sorry for Arab public they have been humiliated by their leaders today.
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AVB / December 10, 2017
Dear Ali,
In year 2000, there were little over 1000 mosques in USA In 2015, there are more than 2000 Muslim mosques in USA… Is this growth occurred because of power & strength of Muslims in the US and US was not powerful enough to say “No”..?? or was it that Muslims beg the West and West allow them to build those mosques on humanitarian grounds in their Christian countries??? Why these “cruel” West allow Muslim to migrate and built mosques in their countries??
About 200~300 years back, White West built many many churches in East and South Asia using their power… Power is the justice those days.. They didn’t beg… Similarly, 500~1000 years back, Muslims built many mosques in South Asia, Africa using their strength, not begging… Indonesia , Malaysia completely converted, India had many wars to protect their own Hinduism from Muslims…
Why the US elected president whom you call a “Bull” is not bulldozing all new 1000s of mosques in USA?
USA-OPEC trade deficit used to be $50~100 billion until 2014… In the last 2~3 years, it dropped to $6~10 billion deficit… Lot of people like you say that USA does all those atrocities against ME and other poorer nations to sell their expensive weapons.. Does US and West trading figures with ME, India, China , etc show any signs of this??? Even with Taiwan, US has trade deficit….
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Muhandiram / December 10, 2017
What is the relevance of AVB’s comments to the article? Is it so difficult for him to stick to the subject which is about Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital and its likely consequences?
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Condemned Leza Priceless / December 10, 2017
Not only Arab but also Muslim rhetoric from d*ck heads like you who have help creat this mass genocide against the Palestinians, their occupation and an apartheid oppression. This sorryful state of the Palestinian people has grown because Muslims all over the world remain silent while the Palestwho are been deprived their inalinable property rights, basic human rights, essentials and civic rights even though they are the absolute owners and holders to the land. Palestinians are now forced into a disgraceful and inhuman existence. They live worse than do animals in zoo’s around the world. More Palestinians live in prison camps, solitary confinement and are being tortured in the worlds most notorious prisons similar to what the jews suffered in Auschwitz. The perpetrators are both the roague state of Israel and the puppet state of Egypt that has barred the Palestinians from South Gaza. Also, the UN which is the lap-dog of the US senate and the international community who are all responsible and perpetrators to crimes against humanity. All you Muslims that have the audacity to wield your powerless pens and absurd rhetoric are the real hypocrites. The extremist rise only when justice fails as clealy in this case. Who the F are you Dr. Ali to call them extremists? Arm youe damn selves with expert knowledge to build your own shoulder fired rockets, chemical weapons and nuclear war heads like the North Koreans have created their nuclear state’s arsenal with a slogan “Juchie” (self reliance) for their survival than to be bombed into the the stoneage by the west. Follwoing the North Korean footsteps will not be bad idea for the Muslims before being exterminated from the world. If not Dr. Ali, you yourself will soon find yourself in the endangered species list whether in Australia, Burma, Palestine or Sri Lanka.
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Radical Ideas / December 10, 2017
As explained by Mr. Ameer Ali, the US and other Jew controlled countries are wreaking havoc in the Muslim world with the connivance of the Saudi regime with its Jewish heritage Monarchy. The Yahoodi Arabia is the biggest threat the Muslim world is facing and which is not fully identified by the vast majority of the Sunni population. The day is very near that the Sunnis and the other denominations in Islamic world identifies the real problem and then destroy the Jewish Wahhabi evil system which is preventing the Muslims from uniting to form a force against these Jewish scumbags. Muslims will win from the day next to the destruction of the Saud Jewish clan.
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Al-faqurlah / December 12, 2017
You hypocrite. All these years you were praising Saudi Arabia, when they were giving money to build mosques in Srilanka and other non-Muslim countries, financing Islamic terrorism world wide. Now you have somersaulted true to your religious trait and condemning Saudi Arabia. Accept that Jews are more smarter than Muslims. They are putting various Islamic factions against one another to kill themselves and destroy their countries. It is scumbag like you who is unable to realise the situation.
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Pygmalion / December 10, 2017
Apart from Pro-Muslim and Anti-Muslim rhetoric can the US. President, in this instance Donald Trump, decide what should be the Capital of another country?
At this rate what if Donald Trump declares Kattankudy as the Capital of Srilanka?
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Ahmad Nadvi / December 10, 2017
Whatever happened in the past to Jews and the Zionist Jews did specially to their Arab cousins(Christian and Muslims) cannot be corrected or re written. Apart from the fact that Israel is an illegal country according to the International law ; Israel keeps violating UN resolutions by building illegal settlements in West Bank and refusing to accept refugees fled from Jerusalem.
It seems Palestinians are left alone by all parties who used these people for their own benefits. Now PA must put pressures on UNA/USA to recognise East Jerusalem as their Capital until permanent solution is agreed.
If the problem is dragged for long without any agreement the place called Palestine will disappear soon from the map as it’s getting smaller and smaller year by year.
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Niro / December 10, 2017
The irony is not a single Muslim writes about the backwardness of Sri Lankan Musims or solutions to their backwardness. Or their lack of contribution to the development of the Country. Hey ! Dr Ali – what’s your take on the oppression of mothers, sisters and daughters’s in your 7th century Arab desert death cult .
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Condemned Leza Priceless / December 11, 2017
@Niro,
You bloody worthless trolls first learn to respect racial inclusion before pointing fingers at our minorities whether Muslims or others. The Muslims in Sri Lanka today has become a target of envy and violence not because of the “backwardness” but their social progress and their tenacity in business or their shrewdness in trade. Isn;t that why Sinhalese cunts like you envy them? If you have any brains to analyze and interpret the data and statistics, the biggest foreign exchange earner to the country was foreign remittances coming from labour in the Middle East. Whether that is slave labour or not is a different topic for argument but did the Muslisms force our citizens to leave the country or was that an economic necessity? I think the oppression and selling of your mothers, sisters and daughters came from your own kind. Did the Muslims or other minorities involved in poaching on tuskers, chaining them and oppressing them in Buddhist temples and devalaya’s.
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Native Vedda / December 11, 2017
Condemned Leza Priceless
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Niro is just not unique, a zoological sample of Sinhala/Buddhist fascists. Sinhala/Buddhism since 1920s has produced a section of people who find it impossible/hard to tolerate successful people.
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In the name of nation building these people never missed an opportunity to hurt others by various actions, 1948 citizenship Act, 1956 Sinhala Only Act, periodical riots, destruction of Library, temples, churches, homes, business premises .. peoples livelihood, ……………………… The dangerous part is the role of state institutions increasingly enforcing racist practices covertly as well as overtly with the connivance of their political masters in order to deny equal opportunities to the “others”.
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If you take time to read the post retirement typing of members of armed forces and Sri Lankan Administrative Services you will see clearly how they would have treated the minorities during pre retirement.
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Niro / December 11, 2017
Breaking News for Muslims : Tamils claim Sinhala come from Indian; Sinhala claim Tamils came from India ; Catholics think they are better than Buddhist’s and Hindus’s. Anglicans from Colombo 4,5, 7 look down on Catholics who are mostly Tamils converts fleeing the Hindu castle system. One thing they all have in common is they look down on people named Hussian, Ali, and Mohmaned. Money, cars, and shops is useless when your when your name is Abdulla with fat grotesque wife’s covered from head to toe in a tropical climate.
Muslims are the lowest of the low in Sri Lanka. Why don’t you use use money and buy a one way ticket to Saudi Arabia or Yemen ?
Good Luck , Losers
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Rtd. Lt. Reginald Shamal Perera / December 11, 2017
Niro,
Very well said. The Muslims need to be financially paralyzed. The Muslims in Sri Lanka run many charities without giving the true cause of those charities. But the ultimate motive is to send impoverished Muslim children to Private schools so they will be academically competetive. These charities mainly target Sinhalese families for donations saying it is to help children. It is to help children, but only Muslim children. They don’t say that part.
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Jim softy / December 11, 2017
This Condemened LEza Priceless is is SINHALA _ CHRISTIAN and not at all muslim.
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Thassim / December 12, 2017
Arabs are useless low IQ people. Jews are super smart. Jews get so many Nobel prizes in sciences etc. No Arabs get science awards. Back in the old days the Ottoman Empire, and the Persians who are NOT Arabs were great. Arabs did count up to 10 and beyond and made the Round Cupola architecture. But in the 20th and 21st Century the Sunni Arabs have been a disunited useless lot. They ONLY pay lip-service to the Palestine issue. Saudi Arabi is a very close ally of the US with weapons caches, bases and bombs stocked inside it by USA with secret bases very close to their holy sites. Saudis also want to work with Israel. The 2 smarter realistic nations: Egypt and Jordan work well with Israel having diplomatic ties etc. Iran is a Persian nation but they too cannot start a war with Israel because Israel will use Nuclear weapons. Arabs are useless and fat adn rich in the Oil Kingdoms; in Egypt they harp on the Pharaohs but their youth are sexually repressed and under educated and their Generals are corrupt and paid for by the US and Israel. Arab contribution to civilization is Oil and hiring third world backward Bengalis, Lankans,. Pakis, Indians and the Filippino attractive maids for sex and work and also Indonesian and Malaysia Muslim women. They like Filippino women because they are very attractive. Tamil or Sinhala women are not attractive but work hard. The richest arabs hire Russian, Ukrainian and other Eastern European maids and escorts. The Royalty go to Paris for fuck-fests in their private planes.
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Thassim / December 12, 2017
Iran has obsolete inferior weapons.
Egypt is in US hands and Israel and them get along fine.
If Iran wants a war, they will be obliterated by Israel.
Israel is the ONLY democracy in the area. They captured East Jerusalem in 1967 in the 6 day war. Why would they give it back?
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Al-faqurlah / December 12, 2017
Thassim, you seem to be the only Muslim who has realised the position. Iran has unnecessarily provoked Saudi Arabia by getting Houthis to fire long range missiles supplied by them into Saudi cities. They will have to face the repercussions for this. Iran will start a war with Saudi thinking that Saudi is down after the beating they got in Yemen, and will pay the price from rejuvenated Saudi with Israeli weapons.
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Rtd. Lt. Reginald Shamal Perera / December 12, 2017
Al,
I am waiting for the next Missile to strike SA. And then if Saudi-Iran war starts, Iran is sure to block the Straits of Hormuz where 25% of the world’s daily crude production runs through. That is all we in the investment world needs. A blockade in the Straits of Hormuz will cause Oil to jump to $200 a barrel and our investments will sky rocket.
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Mohomad / December 15, 2017
Thassim is not a Muslim but a non-Muslim with pseudo Muslim name.
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