In this week's show we discuss the trend among some protestors to blame the State of Israel and Jews for police violence on unarmed minority individuals in the U.S. My guest is Peter Tarlow, Ph.D., founder of the Center for Latino–Jewish Relations and Police Chaplain in Bryan/College Station, Texas. We discuss politics, Anti-Semitism and police enforcement as well as ways for communities to work together to bring about healing and reconciliation. In the last few years I have struggled to talk about Israel/Palestine in fear of alienating any of my listeners. I have had Zachary Foster as a guest on my show, he is the host of Middle East Tonight. He often defends Palestinian rights by making a case that they are not able to defend themselves against the super-power that the State of Israel has come. I respect his perspective, but I must address the inconsistencies with this movement as it is becoming more popular among young people in the United States .
The first time I heard the accusation that Palestinian victimization under the Israeli government was the same as the plight of poor African-Americans who have died by police brutality; was on on KPFK’s radio show Rising Up with Sonali Kolhatkar. Exploiting one tragedy to support the predominant pro-Palestinian narrative would be acceptable if there were no caveats, however this does seem to matter to some commentators in the progressive movement. The latest celebrity to follow suit is Hazan Minaj, the popular comedian, who made the following remark on his hit Netflix show Patriot Act: ”we can’t fathom that the same knee of oppression that kills in Gaza can be the same knee of oppression that killed George Floyd.” He said this during an passionate speech in his episode “We Cannot Stay Silent...” after conflating Muslims and all Asian immigrants who live in the U.S. What is most concerning is that he ignores the politically charged aspect of his monologue and assumes that his viewers are not aware of the history of radical Middle-eastern groups aggression against Israelis and how the militant wing of the progressive movement often takes out their frustration on American Jews. He knows better than to make this irresponsible comparison as a child of immigrants from India, an influential and maligned country among the vast Muslim hegemony in that area of the world. It is important to consider his claim to find out if it is true. I often ask myself, why do progressives often conveniently ignore the Saudi, Iranian, Syrian or Lebanese proxy war that takes place in the Holy Land by individuals or whole regimes supporting militant groups in the Palestinian Territories? There is also the need to suppress acts of violence against Israelis and how like in any other war scenario there are errors, disproportionate responses and possible crimes committed by individuals or whole military units when engaging enemy combatants or innocent bystanders. For prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control to take place as the definition of oppression requires there has to be a willing effort to crush another group of people. That is why most conservatives ignore cries of white supremacy in the U.S. as most people don’t agree that it is a government-sanctioned discrimina
Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…