Salaam alaykum. Wishing Barack Obama salaam IN ANY LANGUAGE is beneath
me. He is not taking these trips for OUR benefit. {{Maryam}}--- In islamcity@yahoogroups.com, "visionaries4" wrote: > > Open ltr to Obama/ Middle East, Islam, Ends & Means > > > Dear folks, > > I have already once posted this "Open Letter to Obama" on the > Progressives for Obama list, but it has not appeared at least not > back to me, nor has there been any comment on it. So I am trying that > again & also sending it to you-all. If you have any advice about how to > make sure it gets sent to the whole list, I would appreciate it. Thanks. > > Shalom, salaam, peace -- Arthur > > Rabbi Arthur Waskow, director, The Shalom Center > http://www.shalomctr.org <http://www.shalomctr.org/> ; author of > Down-to-Earth Judaism and a dozen other books on Jewish thought and > practice, as well as books on US public policy; editor of Torah of the > Earth; co-author, The Tent of Abraham. The Shalom Center voices a new > prophetic agenda in Jewish, multireligious, and American life. To > receive the weekly on-line Shalom Report, click on -- > http://www.shalomctr.org/subscribe <http://www.shalomctr.org/subscribe> > > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > ttp://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/arthur_waskow/2008/07/open_ltr\ > _to_obama_middle_east.html > > Open Letter to Senator Obama: > > The Middle East, Islam, Ends, & Means > > Dear friends, I am writing this out of personal experience and my own > individual ethical concern, not on behalf of any organization or > campaign. It comes with Martin Buber's teaching ringing in my brain: > that he had no idea what it meant to say that "the ends justify the > means," but that for sure the means we actually use will become the ends > that we actually achieve. > > Or as ancient Torah teaches, "Justice, justice shall you pursue." Why > "justice" twice? To teach that just ends can only be achieved through > just means. > > A lesson for all who work to change society. > > Shalom, salaam, peace -- Arthur > > > Dear Senator Obama, I met you at your talk with Philadelphia Jewish > leaders in April. It was I who as you entered the room handed you a copy > of the original Freedom Seder, which I wrote in 1969, and which bound > together the freedom struggles of Blacks and Jews. And during Q & A, it > was I who asked you how as President you would deal with the > peace-obstructing settlement policy of this and many previous Israeli > governments. > > I asked that question because one of the advance speakers for your > meeting, Congressman Roth of New Jersey, had just asserted that you > believe the failure of the peace process has been solely the result of > the absence of a Palestinian partner for peace. > > > "Solely the fault of the Palestinians?" I thought. "Surely he doesn't > believe that!" So I rose to say that hundreds of rabbis and hundreds of > thousands of American Jews see Israeli settlement policy as obstacles to > peace, and asked what as President you would do about it. > > Your answer cited the vigorous debate on these questions in Israel -- > more vigorous than here; the recognition by most Israelis that for peace > to unfold, there will have to be a shift in settlement policy; and your > sense that most Israeli know that internal debate would be so wrenching > that they want to know there is a partner for that decision before going > through the debate. > > Though you avoided saying what you would do, I was satisfied with your > answer -- then. > > I was especially ready to be satisfied because I knew that earlier, when > you met with Jewish leaders in Cleveland, you had gone even further, > saying: > > "I sat down with the head of Israeli security forces and his view of the > Palestinians was incredibly nuanced because he's dealing with these > people every day. He was willing to say sometimes we make mistakes and > if we are just pressing down on these folks constantly without giving > them some prospects for hope, that's not good for our security > situation." > > It would be profoundly important to have a President who understands > that! Yet more recently, in your speech to AIPAC, there was no such > language. And you slid so far into simply repeating official shibboleths > like "Jerusalem undivided" that you had to correct yourself the next > day. > > No one knows better than I that many of the "official" Jewish > organizations would go ballistic to hear a presidential candidate bring > such ideas to the fore in, say, a major speech about making peace across > the whole region that Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah walked. > > And no one knows better than I that millions of American Jews , > Christians, and Muslims want exactly that kind of honest talk and > vigorous diplomacy. They would support any President who insisted on > exactly the kind of broad pursuit of peace you have sometimes affirmed, > and the changes in not only Palestinian, Syrian, and Iranian but also > Israeli and American behavior it requires. > > I know some people who carry a strange mixture of cynicism and > wish-fulfillment in their heads -- who think you can, will, and should > say anything to calm folks like the AIPAC membership and thereby get > elected, and later will work hard for a real peace. I know people who > think that you can, will, and should pretend you never met Palestinians > and heard their suffering, never got to understand their understanding > of their history as you have so eloquently explained that you have heard > and understood the Jewish story -- all in order that once you are in > office, you can bring your "true" knowledge into policy. > > But I don't think it works that way. Not only would that kind of > campaign be an ethical failure and a personal self-betrayal, abandoning > the honest, nuanced, politics of change that you claimed to represent > -- but I think it won't work politically. > > First of all, that kind of campaign will greatly weaken your appeal to > the passionate supporters you have had -- just like your betrayal of > your own understanding that the FISA bill violates the Fourth > Amendment's prohibition of searches without warrants. Already, the > drop-off of small contributions to your campaign suggests that these > people are dismayed. And they are the core of your strength, as you > yourself have repeatedly said. > > Secondly, it will weaken your ability if you are elected President to > take the steps necessary for peace. For it would weaken and delegitimate > the millions of American Jews, Muslims, and Christians who seek > precisely a policy of peace for Israel alongside a peaceful Palestine, > and peace between Iran and the United States. Who would thank God -- > literally! -- for a President who would seek to meet the crucial needs > of all these peoples while refusing to humiliate or subjugate any of > them. There will be many people and organizations ready to attack any > President who takes such positions. There need to be people and > organizations motivated and mobilized to support them. > > To strengthen such a faith-based coalition, you will also have to make > clear -- by where you speak as well as what you say -- that of course > American Muslims are as much a part of American society as any other > religious group. So your unwillingness to speak in any mosque -- > presumably for fear that might reinforce the wicked rumors that you are > really a Muslim -- simply strengthens the mind-set that thinks to > demonize you on the false grounds that you are a Muslim, and any Muslim > must be anti-American. > > I remember being moved when in your speech to the 2004 Democratic > National Convention, you said, "If there's an Arab-American family being > rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens > my civil liberties." That line had no political pay-off in numbers of > voters. It was a principled statement, fearlessly swimming against the > tide of public opinion. And -- against all "realistic" calculation -- > it won vigorous applause from those assembled number-centered > politicians! > > You owe it to Americans of all faiths, to Jews around the world, to the > Arab and Muslim billions - - to treat all these people as part of the > world community that must work together to heal our planet from war and > eco-disaster. > > Just as in Philadelphia you expressed compassion for white working-class > anger without surrendering to right-wing policies that ignore Black > poverty and despair --- so you can express compassion for Jewish fears > without surrendering to oppressive right-wing Israeli policy. And in the > same new approach to change, you can include Muslims in the body politic > and express compassion for some Muslims' anger and fear, without > affirming violence and terrorism. > > You will need to address these questions honestly if you are not to be > caught against your will in years of war and terror that would destroy > an Administration you might lead as it did the last one, will damage > America at least as deeply as our deafness to others' narratives has > damaged us this past seven years. > > Just as the racial chasm has haunted and daunted American democracy two > centuries and more, the growing chasm between "the West" and "Islam" > will haunt and daunt every effort to make peace and heal our planet, if > we and you do not address it in all its depth and difficulty. > > So just as you spoke in Philadelphia with nuance and compassion about > race, I implore you to speak as clearly with nuance and compassion about > these questions. > > With blessings of shalom, salaam, peace -- > > Rabbi Arthur Waskow >
