I accept that the extent to which most Americans know anything about the history of what the Palestinians have suffered is minimal.
I also accept that because of this illiteracy, those in the media and others who think themselves so clever, spouting off at a dinner party, will present their opinions or an argument based on their views about the situation in Gaza and the West Bank with an unmitigated tone of nastiness and downright hatred.
Furthermore, that this population of illiterates bases all that they know on an incident that occurred on October 7, 2023, is immensely onerous for those who indeed have read the history of how the State of Israel came into being. It reminds me of a recent interview with Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian activist, politician and scholar, who, when the first question was pitched, “What about October 7th, surely you condemn this action…”, she lowered her head, she shook it slightly from side to side and responded, “Oh, God, not this again."
Now. If you know nothing about the history of the Palestinians, this response would be considered offensive. Of course, she went on to say that yes, she certainly condemned this attack on Israel that day but with the rejoinder that if more journalists understood the nature of an Occupation and what her people had endured over the past seventy-five years, then the questions asked would be decidedly different.
The dull, monotonous grind of hearing the same repetitive question posed without any interest or intellectual curiosity to advance or depart from it, indicates a lack of education. And this ultimately leads to racism, fascism, and prejudice that will likely
stoke violence.
I have no idea why there is such resistance to educating oneself on the history of Palestine, even more befuddling the sheer hubris of those who sell their opinions as fact and to those who believe them. Since 9/11, there has been an ever-evolving bigotry toward Arabs. (I was at the water cooler in America during this time and I remember what I heard. It hasn’t changed).
This hostility has worsened since October 7th, making it nearly impossible to stimulate an interest in the history of Palestinians. To the degree that Genocide and the aggressive, militaristic measures against those in the West Bank perpetrated by illegal settlers, are acceptable, and necessary. Based on untrue information, much of the world has adopted an attitude of complacency and self-righteousness. This means we have given ourselves a pass to a moral superiority that allows us to murder innocent women, children, mothers, fathers, grandfathers, and so forth. And because we now live in a world where God is a tall story or is believed to have been created in our own image, then we allow ourselves this full license to set the moral barometer.
This educational impotence has led to murder. We are all complicit. Fr. Richard Rohr writes from his Daily Meditations at The Center for Action and Contemplation: "If our love of God doesn’t directly influence, and even change, how we engage in the issues of our time, I wonder what good religion is. 'God talk' becomes an opaque screen in which we see only reflections of ourselves, rather than any kind of true light.
'Anyone who says they love God, and hates their brother or sister, is a liar'
1 John 4:20
None of us wants to be a liar, yet religion’s high goals make failure almost inevitable for all of us (read Paul’s attempts to describe this paradoxical phenomenon in Romans 7:7–25). Our daily question is this: Have I even begun to love?"
Heart, love, care, kindness, and acceptance of others (The Other) are not foundational values to our everyday, get-ahead lifestyles.
If anything, these values are crippling and interfere with those who seek grandiosity through theatrical power and an endless supply of money that never satisfies. Unfortunately, this is the Collective Mindset. To the degree that there is a witch hunt in the U.S. targeting all people of color, Arabs, specifically Palestinians, and any other dissenting voices that chance to disturb the status quo or, as I like to say, The Tin Men. (Unlike the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz who went in search of a heart, today’s Tin Men who dominate the political power, are only interested in more power.)
I urge you to read the article written by Wadie E. Said, Professor of Law and Dean’s Faculty Fellow at the University of Colorado Law School, titled The Abduction of Mahmoud Khalil from Dissent, March 14, 2025:
"The true danger of Khalil’s proposed deportation is not in these procedural niceties. The Supreme Court has made it clear that the First Amendment applies to everyone in the United States, citizen or not, and regardless of whether the government finds it offensive. If the secretary of state can simply declare a legal permanent resident deportable as a threat to foreign policy based on their First Amendment protected activities, the First Amendment no longer applies to noncitizens in the United States. We must view this action as part and parcel of the Trump administration’s other challenges to what is settled constitutional law, such as the executive order purporting to overturn birthright citizenship."
As we say at Bust Down Books: Arm Yourself With An Education.
We offer numerous and varied titles about the History of Palestine. For now, it’s a war against the poor and those of color. But, who knows, one day, The Tin Men may come for you; without warning, without a warrant or reason, other than the fact that they just feel like it.
Something to note: Wadie E. Said is the son of the Renaissance Scholar, author, musician, and Columbia University Professor, Edward Said.
They are Palestinian.
Do the homework. You don’t have to accept indoctrination by those who know nothing about history.
Take control of your mind. It belongs to you. Don’t be co-opted by The Tin Men.