Tag Archives: fear and intimidation


BLOG 308 June 27, 2016

Probably the largest migration in human history has been pouring across Asia and Europe as millions flee the wars in Syria and Iraq as well as other parts of the Middle East facing terrorist’s strikes. What sends them running? The fear factor.
After months of the immigration to countries like Hungry, German, France, etc., many European countries are closing their borders and pushing back. The numbers flooding into Europe have filled villages with a completely different population. Muslims are often known not to assimilate  and remain permanent outsiders. Of course, this tendency becomes threatening to locals whose ancestors have lived in these areas for millenniums. What’s the motivation behind the resistance to poor people in desperate need? The fear factor.
The most recent example of the problem was the affirmative vote in the UK to withdraw from the European Union. The impact of this decision sent ripples (more like tidal waves) across stock markets all over the world. In the United States, the Dow Jones average had just reached 18,000. After the UK vote, the market sank 600 points to a low of 17,400. The British pound dropped from around 1.75 to the dollar to a low of  130 pounds. In addition, the Brits discovered that Scotland was not going to pull out of the EU which split the unity of the United Kingdom . Multitudes immediately started petitions to rescind the vote. They had obviously miscalculated.
What was going on? Fundamentally, the immigration issue had pushed the envelope way too far. Extreme Muslim attacks in France and Belgium had greatly increased anxiety in the UK. The motivating force behind the vote?  The fear factor.
Folks who don’t think that wars and chaos on the other side of the globe have any affect on them had better take a second look. Fear doesn’t recognize border lines or passport numbers.  Recently, EJA (European Jewish Association) head Rabbi Menachem Margolin noted that 40% of European Jews choose to hide their identity.The level of anti-Semitism has grown that significantly in recent years. EJA is the largest Jewish Federation in Europe and knows the terrain well. Even during the high holidays on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur when all Jews gather, 80% now stay away from synagogues. The reason?  The fear factor!
The EJA continues to believe that Jews have an integral place in Europe and must not retreat. The fight against racism and xenophobia as well as all forms of discrimination begins at an early age They are not retreating even though their constituency has worries. I believe their example points the way through these perfidious times. While there are reasons to be fearful, it is not time to retreat. The day has come to be persistent in our bravery – wherever persistence is needed. We must reject the fear factor.



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Filed under America, Judaism, middle east, Muslims, Peace, Violence


Recently in an interview with Argentina’s Clarin newspaper President Bashar al-Assad dismissed the possibility of progress to end the civil war. One must wonder how he could be so resistant of any process to stop the killing. His intransigence strikes at the heart of the conflict. Assad continues to kill his own people.

Assad’s position is consistent with how he operated in the past. The lack of a government response when drought severely affected farming was a factor in starting the civil war. Small farmers were pushed aside as big farmers friendly to the government forced the little guy into the cities to scrounge for an existence. Assad didn’t care then; Assad doesn’t care now.

The result is that families and children are uprooted and face terrible obstacles. In a recent article in the The Oklahoman, a teenage refugee recounts her struggles to survive. Sana Mesiya’s family lived in Syria when the uprising began. Consequently, she has faced the results of the conflict. Sana’s report is filled with stories of bombs exploding and citizens in the middle of the night terrified by intense vibrations from the blast. One of Sana’s friends asks for her name to be withheld lest it endanger relatives who are still in Syria. Using the name Asma, she reports that the Syrian people are in constant danger and any statements made against the government can result in severe torture and death. Sana’s report is filled with gruesome details.

Her school abruptly had the teachers arrested by government troops and agents. Rather than acquiesce to the kidnapping, she and her family stood outside the school. When the government personnel saw them standing resolutely, they fired a type of bomb causing dizziness as well as red and swollen eyes. The lengths to which the government will go to bring compliance are staggering. Asma’s cousin was picked up because his face appeared in a picture of a protest. When he finally returned, the young man spent a month in bed because of the beatings he received. Actually, he received the least of what was dished out by the troops. The fact that he returned at all is unusual in itself. Sana’s report demonstrates that the government intends to rule through intimidation and fear. It is not unusual for people to disappear and never be seen again.

One of the government’s tactics when they enter a city is to first bomb the hospitals. Asma says this prevents people from receiving medical care and they are left to die. Now back in the United States, Asma and her family are attempting to settle into the normal pattern of American life and she tries to catch up on the work she missed in school. Her conclusion is that freedom and survival for Syrians rests with the removal of one person: Bashar al-Assad.

Such reports help us to understand another reason why Assad sees no hope in peace talks. There will be no peace until he is gone.

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Filed under middle east, Syria, Violence