One Secular Democratic State solution... I would say

By Iqbal Tamimi

It is amazing how westerners pull the platform from beneath our legs as Palestinians, and talk on our behalf to tell the world what is best for us.

Some want a one state solution for us, others scream that they have a better idea; a two state solution they say. While we, the Palestinians, are denied the right to be heard as if every Westerner is a guardian over an underage nation of children.

I did express my disappointment after attending many activists’ activities and meetings under the banner of supporting Palestinians here in the UK, because even the supporters of the Palestinian cause in the West have little knowledge when it comes to our sufferings. We are usually invited as guests by total strangers to hear other strangers talk about solving our problems.

While they intend to help, they make decisions without doing research or even consulting Palestinians! That’s why they end up with total disappointment like the one which happened lately when the Ambassador of Palestine in London was invited to the opening of the Bristol-Gaza twinning event (or someone to represent him). When no one from the Palestinian delegation showed up, it was of course, expected. How would one expect any member of an illegitimate government to represent the people of Gaza who decided in an internationally inspected election that ..."NO, we do not want them to represent us"?

A very small percentage of such activities will host a Palestinian to speak, and should there be a talk hosted by an activist, the majority of speeches are by activists who have been to the privileged Christian areas of Palestine where people are managing much better than the rest who are living in the camps.

The fact that the Christian Palestinian communities are doing better than the Muslim communities is due to the fact that the Christian Palestinian community gets financial support from their relatives who were forced to exile but faced less obstacles to establish themselves in USA and are doing much better than the Muslims who ended up in refugee camps in neighbouring Arab countries.

Additionally, most active charity work in Palestine is done by Western Christian churches and groups which are mostly focused in Bethlehem, and Ramallah and their surroundings since they are not under the same level of scrutiny by the international coordinating criminals as much as the Muslim charities are. Muslim charities are often denied doing charity work in most Muslim Palestinian camps by the players with the international law, who manage to manipulate the internationally collaborated media by convincing many, that feeding a mentally retarded child is an act of supporting terrorism, while funding nuclear weapons is a security necessity.

While Israel is bathing with the USA funds and splashing with its billions and receiving the latest tools of torture and arms under the false claims of Israel’s need to protect itself by atomic bombs from the barefooted Palestinian children who are armed by the stones which they managed to salvage from the wrecks of their demolished homes.

Regarding the state solution conundrum, some see it’s better for us to have a one state solution, others prefer two, and God knows what number of states they are planning to further shred our land.

Since I consider myself as a devoted practicing Palestinian Muslim, that means I am one of the people that no one wants to hear their point of view regarding how they wish to see their country being governed. However, I would say I love to see a one Secular Democratic State solution. I am almost sure that many will attack me for mentioning the world secular because they might think that I have lost touch with my faith and deviated from my ethics which is not the case at all. As a matter of fact a one secular democracy state will solve the problems of all people since most of the mayhem is created by 'religious' claiming groups.

The ones totally committed to God, the kind hearted ones, the Jews, have killed, imprisoned, forced to exile, tortured, and stripped people of their rights. They claim that the Almighty told them to do so. However it is highly questionable if God talks to anyone these days. Given these delusions, It would be a grave breach of human rights to strip people from their rights upon certain people’s faith illusions or convictions.

Supporting the creation of a Jewish state is a clear declaration of embracing discrimination and accepting that any citizen embracing other than the Jewish faith is less privileged as well as a second class citizen. The two state solutions on the other hand mean that the people who were forced to exile and became refugees will lose their human right of return.

The same western politicians who support the creation of a Jewish state proposal can be put to the test by asking them, "would they support creating an Islamic state anywhere at all, especially in their countries"? Surely we all know the answer, and that’s why the troops are even in far places like Afghanistan.

So what is the difference between a Jewish fundamentalist state and a Muslim one? Would governments like the UK and USA like to become a state which holds a faith calibre for democratic reasons? I think not! So why then are they forcing us Palestinians to accept such resolution?

Politicians have been moulding our views to suit their immediate agendas like changing fashion every season. And when they run out of ideas they remember God and introduce him in the middle to support whatever claim they have. Those who were considered terrorists few years back are considered now freedom fighters, and the ones who used to be considered allies fighting against the infidel communist Russia, are now the terrorists.

What’s wrong with dreaming of democracy for Palestinians and anyone else living on the soil of the holy land, why they never dare to suggest any democratic system that respects the choice of everyone AND makes a Muslim or Christian Palestinian as worthy of a degnified life as the God chosen Jewish terrorists. Why is democracy good enough for the UK and USA but not good enough for Palestinians? Why are those-who are very enthusiastic about creating a Jewish state in Palestine doing facilitate such a vision on their own soil? After all God created UK and USA as well.

Let’s be honest here, the majority of people who are demanding a Jewish state are seculars and care less about God’s instructions. The Palestinians lived peacefully and in total harmony with people of different faiths and political affiliations before the state of Isra-hell was created. The community was made of Muslims of different schools and strengths of devotion to their faith. Palestinian Christians as well belonged to different churches, there were Marxists, atheists, communists, Baha'is and many others drifting in life and do not care to belong, but to earn their loaf of bread.

Which brings us to the question, "Why can't such a community be revived again as a sign of respect to human intelligence and the right of choice"?

Freedom of choice and democracy is a good platform to build a society on. I would advise many who are talking about liberating animals to start by liberating the human beings who have been oppressed in the cruellest, ugliest ways.

If God has really chosen some people (for no reason whatsoever) to be his own "beloved gang" regardless of their heinous acts, he would not be a God people would want to follow. It would make him an unloving, unfair God- creating some to be "the chosen" who enjoys benefits of freedom and comfort, even though they humiliate, torture, steal, and imprison the rest. This does not sound like God. I do not see how a secular democracy could contradict one’s faith.

The reason being, democracy is about common sense, collective responsibility, choice, and harvesting what we plant. Should we vote for a bad, corrupt representative, we should expect to be treated unfairly. Regarding practicing one’s faith, I do not see this contradicting with any democracy since embracing a faith is a personal choice, and every human should have the right to practice what he/she finds most logical in their private life.

God never claimed to want to be a head of state, for that reason I would advise the many people who are using God in their aggression on others, to stop applying for God’s job. The position has already been filled.