User talk:Kareemabdullah
The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews Article
After reading the Wikipedia article "The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews," here are a few questions that I have for the writers:
1. Is this an encyclopedia article about the book, or is it an attempt to discredit the work, through smear tactics (propaganda)? The reasoning behind the question would be the totally subjective manner that the writers handle this article. It would seem that the main objective of the writers, in producing the article, was to persuade readers that the book is "anti-semitic" than to allow interested parties to arrive at that decision by themselves.
2. Why no excerpts from the book? Is this a book review, or is it a smear campaign? Did the writers of this article even read the book, or did they just compile all of the criticisms of the book; accentuating the criticisms with their own biases as to what is contained therein? After reading this article several times, I can't seem to find one real quote that stems directly from the book. All I can seem to find are quotes of people who utter what they believe is the book's premise. It would make for a more balanced, objective article to provide an actual review of what is in the book, and include discourse on both sides of the debate. In simpler terms, this article is one-sided. It alleges that the book takes liberties with information from credible scholars, yet fails to give readers actual examples of how.
3. I've read both "Secret Relationship" books (Volume 1 and 2). I found nothing in either book expressing hatred towards Jewish people, or Judaism. All I encountered, in reading this book, was an objective, scholarly, well organized and referenced, piece of material. To say that liberties were taken with facts obtained from reputable Jewish scholarship may be plausible, if there were but a few facts from a few scholars. However, this book is full of facts from numerous reputable, Jewish scholars. Were all of the facts misused, mishandled, or misquoted? If so, it is binding upon the writers of this article to show the readers how, since this article is but a criticism of the book, as opposed to a review of it.
4. Finally, to consider something "anti-semitic" would take more than a lot of people repeating their belief that the book is anti-semitic. Especially when most of these people are come from the same school of thought. First of all, there is no Anti-Semitic content in this book. Criticism of Jewish involvement in the slave trade is no more Anti-Semitic than criticism of White complicity in the slave trade is anti-White, or criticism of Arab or African involvement in the slave trade is anti-Arab, or anti-African. One would have to prove that the reasons for compiling the book was for Anti-Semitic purposes. To do that, one would have to prove that the compilers of the book were Anti-Semites. Here are the main arguments:
a. Farrakhan called Judaism a "gutter religion." Despite the Minister defending himself on this point countless times, the media still asserts that he called Judaism a "gutter religion." Farrakhan has even played the clip of what he actually said, however what he says is ignored, unless it lends credibility to the "anti-semitic" charge. Here is what he really said:
"Israel has not had any peace in 40 years and she will never have any peace for there can be no peace structured on lying, murder, and injustice, using the name of Allah (God) as a shield for your dirty religion."
If one would be honest, they would admit that this is speaking in a completely political context. Zionism and Judaism are not synonymous. In fact, there are many Jews who disagree with Zionism, and harbor a similar position to Minister Farrakhan, as relates to the State of Israel. Are they anti-semitic too? Anyway, most of the Zionists who inhabit Israel are not Semitic anyway, considering the fact that a vast majority of them are Jewish by conversion, and not descendency. This fact is well documented.
b. Farrakhan praised Hitler: This is another point that people blindly attribute to the Minister. However, his words were totally taken out of context, and he was misquoted. Here is what he actually said: "...So I said to the members of the press, "Why won't you go and look into what we are saying about the threats on Reverend Jackson's life?' Here the Jews don't like Farrakhan and so they call me 'Hitler.' Well that's a good name. Hitler was a very great man. He wasn't great for me as a Black man but he was a great German and he rose Germany up from the ashes of her defeat by the united force of all of Europe and America after the first world war. Yet Hitler took Germany from the ashes and rose her up and made her the greatest fighting machine of the twentieth century, brothers and sisters, and even though Europe and America had deciphered the code that Hitler was using to speak to his chief[s] of staff, they still had trouble defeating Hitler even after knowing his plans in advance. Now I'm not proud of Hitler's evil toward Jewish people, but that's a matter of record. He rose Germany up from nothing. Well, in a sense you could say there is a similarity in that we are rising our people up from nothing, but don't compare me with your wicked killers."
Calling a man a "wicked killer" could hardly being construed as praising him. These are the two main points that the media has used to charge Farrakhan with anti-semitism. Both of which, you can see here, are misquotes. That would be the foundation for saying that the source of the book, The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, is anti-semitic. Since it cannot be shown (Without manipulation and misquotes) that the Minister is anti-semitic, then the book The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews cannot be called anti-semitic, simply based on who compiled it. Minister Farrakhan didn't compile the book anyway. The Nation of Islam research team did, under his instructions. They compiled it as a reply to attacks that the Nation of Islam was receiving from the Zionist community.
To sum all of this up, the article on "The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews" is not a true encyclopedia article. It is propaganda, geared towards keeping interested parties away from information that is contained in the book.
(Kareemabdullah (talk) 19:22, 31 July 2012 (UTC) Kareemabdullah)