Talk:Arab–Israeli conflict

Hi, I wrote most of this page. Obviously, it represent the Israeli view on the things, so it is biased (to an extent). If you want to, add your opinion as well, but please don't modify the opinions of the Israeli side as they're presented in the article. --Uriyan

---

I'm afraid you can't reserve an article like "arab-israeli conflict" for your own opinions just because you "claimed" it first. The article is pretty biased, and it will have to be heavily modified. If you want to retain your viewpoints, they have to be separated out from the rest of the article and presented as Israeli biased viewpoints - to go along side Arab biased viewpoints.

This is important. I hope you understand. --Zork.

The most recent list of Arab rationales for the conflict is, in practice, used as incitement to violence. Since it always has the effects of hatespeech, it is difficult to describe it in any other way. However, notice that I did not delete any of it, because it really does repesent a mainstream Arab point of view. We just should make aware that no act of violence by any terrorist group would ever have happened against Jews if not for such violently hateful teachings. In contrast, no such teachings are made by mainstream Israeli authorities towards Arabs. The incitement is a one-way street. RK

---

This article needs major work. It is completely biased towards an Isreali point of view and has blatently wrong information. Even though the "Opinion" part of the article has a qualifier, the article does still state that "Islamic law allows Muslims to go to war against any Jew or Christian who refuses to accept this status[as second class citizens]." This may be the actual view of Islaeli's, but this is wholeheartedly incorrect and wrong.

Sory, but your claim is wrong. This is NOT the view of Israeli's. This is the Muslim view, it has been taught by Muslim scholars for the past 1300 years, it is based on the Quran. It isn't an "opinion". This traditional Muslim belief indisputably exists. The entry only claims that it is the opinion of Israelis that this traditional Muslim belief is one of the major causes for the current Arab-Israeli dispute, while others hold that other reasons arethe major causes.

Sharia (Islamic Law) states that Christians, Jews and Muslims all woriship the same God (the god of Abraham) and all these people should be treated with respect and dignity. Jews and Christians are therefore given special protections that are not granted to outright pagans (since both Christians and Jews worship the same God as Muslims -- albeit with some major differences). However, Sharia does provide for a special tax on Christians and Jews that is not levied on Muslims (which acts as an incentive to convert). Nowhere, in my knowledge, does Sharia state that war can be brought on Jews and Christians just because they do not accept this tax.

I beg to differ. All Muslim sources from the Quran onward state that both Chrisitians and Jews may never be considered as equals to Muslims; rather, they are designated as second or third-class citizens, called "dhmimms". This doesn't merely mean "protected"; it is second-class citizenship, and that only at the best of times. Sharia (Islamic law) has always stated that Muslims may go to war against and kill Christians and Jews in Arab lands who reject this status. The Sharia considers it unaceptable for Jews or Christians to be equals in what they Muslims see as Muslim lands. If you disagree, please cite some sources. I would truly be interested in reading them. Its just that I have not yet seen anything from Muslims that would teach differently. RK

Are you sure that you are describing modern day Islam, and historical Islam? Or, as it seems to me, are you actually describing the view of a handful of Muslim friends? I have never heard (yet) of any Islamic schools or islamic governments that teach the pluralistic and tolerant view that you do. I wouldn't be surprised if a handful of such schools existed around the world, but if so, they are clearly in the minority. If we dofin such sources from Muslims, we should look into howthey deal with the quotes in the Quran and Sharia which teach otherwise. RK

Opinions like those presented in the article really do not have a place in an encylopedia (which is supposed to have a neutral and unbiased voice). See discussion at this page. about editorializing. maveric149 (a caucasian American and not an Arab, BTW)

---

Moved from Larry Sanger:

Larry, I need help. The article on Arab-Israeli conflict needs a great deal of work. It is biased in the extreme favoring Israel and I am tempted to delete 2/3 of the article (the part that lists the "opinions" of both sides in a very non-neutral point of view). I know the primary author of this article is a major contributor to wikipedia, so I do not want to step on any toes. maveric149

Instead of deleting most of the entry, please come to the entry's "Talk" section, and outline which specific points you believe are not correct, or are not NPOV, and offer specific alternatives. In the past I have had a hard time dealing with people, when instead of altering a section, they would delete it outright. Ironically, in the end, after discussion involving other Wikipedians, much of what they wanted to delete made it back in! Wikipedia won't grow that way. So we need to bypass this and get straight to constructive work. RK

Please let me speak for myself, RK! --LMS

It looks to me like the article was constructed by several different people. We should certainly try to fairly represent the Israeli view(s) but the Arabs' view fairly as well. Anyone who denies that can leave the project, as far as I'm concerned. Of course, I doubt anybody working on this article actually denies that!

All I said was that I wanted to see some references, and that its not appropriate to simply barge in and delete an entire entry, or most of an entir entry. Isn't this your view as well? So why am I being told that I need to leave Wikipedia?!?! Who is preventing others from working on this page as well? Not I. In fact, I don't even understand why you think that I am not letting you work, or speak for yourself; When did this perception start to happen? RK

RK, I would defend the practice of moving text that really needs work (due to its bias) to the /Talk page, if there must be a long, involved debate about it. Let me take a look at the text and perhaps make a few edits... --LMS

I think that there is a perception that I somehow refusing to let other work on this article. That's not so. Maveric came in saying that the article is biased and should be almost completely deleted; I responded by saying that we should work together, point by point. I think that this is in agreement with what you just wrote. RK

---

Sharia is based upon the al-Quran. Here are some relevent and interesting parts of Sharia that are based on the al-Quran (Quarnic passages are in parenthesis): Islam commands Muslims to struggle against injustice and encourages them to forgive those who have committed injustices against them. (2:109, 3:159, 5:85; 7:56,74 & 157).

Islam lays great emphasis on justice and how mankind should execute justice toward individuals, groups, communities, and humanity at large, so that they can live together in peace. It advocates equality and justice, to improve the dignity of all human beings, and to bring peace through justice. [http://www.submission.org/suras/sura3.html 3:58

& 108]; 4:135; 5:8; 16:90 and 48:4

HOWEVER, this may be what you are referring to: Mankind is ordered by Allah to be tolerant toward each others, but not toward aggressors, oppressors and tyrants (2: 134 & 190; 60:8 and 103:1-3

So it is incorrect to lable "Islamic Law" as advocating the making war on Jews and Christians. Quite the opposite is true (unless a group is being an aggressor and tyrant). maveric149

Maveric, none of this is what I am referring to. I am talking about the vast array of other parts of Sharia (Islamic law) that argue against Jews; quotes that you have not dealt with. Islam is not based upon the 40 or so quotes that Westeners find in accord with liberal 20th/21st century values; Islam is a 1300 year-old faith that includes the Quran and the Sharia, as it has been interpreted and practiced by Muslims for 1300 years. Have you read the new entry on the Dhimmi yet? It is just a start, but it already gives many facts that your above quotes leave out. There is so much more to Islam that you don't seem aware of yet. Muslims may agree with these other parts of it; you may disagree, but they exist as mainsream views nonetheless. RK

Maveric, you are vociferously arguing against a position that I did not hold. I never said that Islamic Law advocates making war on Jews and Christians." Rather, I said something different: That Islamic law allows making war on Jews and Christians living in Muslim lands who do not accept the status of a dhimmi. That is a different proposition! Further, it is true. Its the traditional Muslim belief, and is still taught today. RK

---

The article now says:

The entire idea of Zionism (the creation of a majority Jewish state) is seen by many Arabs as racist. They argue that this is no less racist than an intention to create a majority white, black, or Georgian state. Some Israelis reply that this is inconsistent, since Arabs teach that Arabs may create majority Arab states (almost twenty such states now exist).

After this I found the following cryptic comment; I don't see what it has to do with the foregoing, to which it is either supposed to be a clarification or reply. Can someone please explain?

• • This view redefines Judaism as a religion, rather than as an evolving religious ethnic group. Jews themselves do not considers themselves a religion; they teach that one can actually be an atheist and still a Jew.

--LMS