A column by Jill Richardson, under the headline "Muslims In America Just Like Any Other Group," appeared in the Feb. 25 issue of the Enterprise-Leader. There are a number of facts Ms. Richardson did not mention in her column.
This is a response to that column, composed from a Native American-viewpoint. Raised among the society of Native Americans, an individual is trained towards a sensitivity of the power of spoken blessings and curses.
Native Americans have been living with the effect of these things for centuries. What sounds good is not always delivered, and accepting someone's word in blind faith about the faithfulness of another culture -- a culture which may not be fully understood -- may put one group of people at a disadvantage. Treaties made with people who have no intention of honoring the treaty -- or enter into an agreement for the purpose of controlling or deceiving the other party -- tend to deprive privileges and resources previously enjoyed. In effect, a voluntary surrender of freedom or reduction of wealth is like willfully submitting to a curse.
To Native Americans, curses must be avoided at every opportunity. The reason some actions are taboo in that culture is because of those actions' damaging impact. Spoken blessings are also habitually invoked. No high school basketball team is sent off to a post-season tournament without a clan feed. Families of players and coaches feed and bestow gifts upon clan aunts and clan uncles, who, in turn proclaim a blessing.
On Jan. 1, 2014, what on the surface appeared as an innocuous decision resulted in this newspaper's publication of a cartoon depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bound in a straight-jacket being carried off on a gurney by two emergency medical technicians to an ambulance -- presumably to be transported to an insane asylum. Seated at a negotiating table were world leaders, including Secretary of State John Kerry, prepared to sign a nuclear accord agreement with Iran, a Muslim state avowed to Israel's destruction.
In the cartoon, Netanyahu is chided by one of the EMTs for warning of a potential second holocaust and nuclear Armageddon. An accompanying column was also published echoing the current foreign policy of accepting at face value promises from nations known to export terrorism.
Many Muslim people rightfully claim to be descendants of Abraham. Yet, the question can be asked: Are they benefiting from this heritage? Based upon the structure of their societies governed by sharia law, it appears many are not.
In their belief system there is no place for Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller, Most Beloved Woman of the Cherokee Nancy Ward, Crow medicine woman Pretty Shield, Pocahontas, Sacajawea, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice, Joan of Arc, or even Dora the Explorer.
Their women are treated as they were centuries ago and their children are coerced into suicide. Fathers, who would seek shelter for their families to avoid air strikes in retaliation for rockets launched against Israeli civilians, are ordered to disregard warning leaflets dropped in advance by Israeli Defense Forces, or shot if they try to leave the area with their families. This is madness -- compelling causalities. This represents a twisted mindset of gravity that somehow applies to everyone else but does not apply to them.
They are so desperate to win the public relations war, this is why they compel causalities and behead journalists who report their atrocities. In their way of thinking there is no place for a Nation of Israel or any kind of Jewish state anywhere in the world. Yet, Jews are descendants of Abraham -- but Muslims make no effort to conceal hatred for their Jewish brothers, forgetful of the covenant promises made unto Abraham, "I will bless those that bless thee and I will curse those that curse thee (Genesis 12:3)."
Or how about, "In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." If Muslims are operating under the blessing of Abraham, where is the evidence?
At the one-year anniversary of that cartoon, the journalist who selected the cartoon found their position eliminated. Did publishing a cartoon admonishing Israel's right to defend itself even with peaceful negotiations invoke a curse based on the Abrahamic covenant?
Could following a politically-correct trend denouncing Israel's right to defend itself while singing praises of Israel's adversaries -- adversaries who refer to Israel as the little Satan and the United States as the great Satan -- be a reason why so many newspapers have gone out of business and journalists lost their jobs?
There are unwanted consequences for diving off a cliff. While the law of gravity, which applies universally, can be very unforgiving, redemption does exist in the Abrahamic covenant. One just has to read the New Testament to discover details of an updated covenant.
MARK HUMPHREY IS A MEMBER OF THE CHEROKEE NATION, FORMER DISASTER AND EMERGENCY DEPUTY COORDINATOR AND REPORTER FOR THE ENTERPRISE-LEADER. THE OPINIONS ARE THE AUTHOR'S OWN.
Editorial on 03/04/2015