Op Ed – By Karen Kataline
Published August 19, 2019 at 12:13pm- The Western Journal
In response to the media storm involving her on-again, off-again trip to Israel with fellow freshman Congressman Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Ilhan Omar said that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has “aligned himself with Islamophobes like Donald Trump.”
This statement would have been entertaining if it hadn’t been so deadly dangerous and sad. With this comment and others, Omar has implied that if only — Benjamin Netanyahu in this case — didn’t suffer from “Islamophobia” there would be peace in the Middle East.
Never mind that her Israeli trip was planned with the help of MIFTAH, which supports the anti-Israel, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and proclaims its support for justice in “Palestine.” The group calls it that because they refuse to call it Israel. MIFTAH also has a history of celebrating terror against the Jewish state which it refuses to name.
By definition, a phobia is an unrealistic fear which is not based in reality. In what way is the fear of Islamic terrorism unrealistic? The left would like us to forget 9/11 but sadly, it is only one of the most memorable in a long list of Islamic terrorist acts.
The record of Islamic terror against Israel and the rest of the world is an overwhelming subject in itself and it is very much a reality.
Numerous Islamic terrorist groups are fueled by a virulent hatred of America and Israel. They plan and carry out suicide bombings and other acts of terror to bring the objects of their hatred — that is, non-Muslims, to heel.
Israeli checkpoints are one of the “injustices” which the BDS movement finds so egregious. When put in the context of the reality in which Israelis live every day, checkpoints are necessary and understandable.
Although I doubt Omar is really a leftist at all, she and her compatriots are very good at appropriating leftist language. One need only add “phobia” to the end of a word that describes a group designated for protection by the left and, in this case, Muslims, are portrayed as the greatest of victims.
This serves to dissuade and distract anyone from holding people from those groups accountable for any wrongdoing. Even when that wrongdoing epitomizes the very bigotry and violence the left claims to abhor, you are the bigot if you dare to point it out.
Those branded as “Islamophobes,” are expected to get with the program. Their “fear” is considered an offense. To be inoffensive one must understand his misguided fear and stop being so afraid.
In fact, our culture is expected to eradicate our collectivist fear by changing our language to reflect our “tolerance.” It is no longer acceptable for example, to use terms like “Islamic terrorism.”
To accommodate other designated victim groups that are fearful and perpetually triggered, similar demands are made on our culture. We must use proper pronouns to refer to people who are “gender fluid,” make men apologize before they’ve done anything offensive to show their compassion for women in the workplace, and never say something so out of date and racist as “colored person.” The correct usage is “person of color.” The one caveat for all of these rules is that they only apply to Democrats.
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