"Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph.-"Haile Selassie
When dealing with a topic as sensitive as Jews and Slavery we must first explain the social and political factors around such a study.
There are no taboos on authentic research as far as Africans are concerned and the European Jewish involvement in African enslavement seems to be a seriously controversial one further exacerbated since.
the publishing of work by the Nation of Islam and Dr. Tony Martin, both are charged with being antisemitic. Along with Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, Malcolm X, John Henrick Clarke, Desmond Tutu , obviously Leonard Jeffries and almost all critics of the state of Israel.
This charge of anti-Semitism (which is a misnomer) cannot and must not dissuade Africans from researching into any area of history; especially when that history has traditionally been suppressed. Passionately saying "This is all antisemitic junk" can no longer be used as a defense against this discourse.
Because if the charge of antisemitism was satisfied every time it was invoked no one other than pro-Zionist would be allowed to say "Jew." It has always been very easy for our detractors to assemble all the hand-picked Black defenders of Zionism to act with "authority" and decry this discourse as "fringe theories". Anyone attempting to dictate what topics are viable for African scholars to research is racist as well as those who think the opinions of Africans is not noteworthy. Skipping the colorful names for Tony Martin and Farrakhan it would be far more meaningful to explore this study point-by-point.
Critique is a sign of a healthy society and in this polarized debate some "other" opinion is necessary to balance out white-washing on one hand and blatant antisemitic on the other. And it is a fine line, but that in itself is true for most studies on race and race relations.
No African dictates the volumes of book written on Jewish history or their views on Africa. No one cries for the Arabs when Islam and slavery, Islam and anything bad, are being discussed to death. On the Jewish run Jihad Watch and associates run by secular Jewish organization David Horowitz. [1] The zionist agendas of Darfur Watch are no longer a "conspiracy against Israel", and just because someone says "conspiracy" doesn't mean it is not true.
We have dealt with Arabs, and African systems of slavery with transparency. Therefore why should African people shy away from subjects branded as third rail or sacred cow? Especially when Jewishness has never been an obstacle or inhibitor of White Supremacy.
The relationship of Africans and Jews has always attracted great comparisons: both people of historical persecution. But the sad reality is it is often the case that for African-based arguments to gain validity or make a point they have to be parallel to Jewish experience to evoke empathy. So we see "would anyone expect Jews to let Nazis write their history.." In an attempt to highlight how ridiculous it is for African history to constantly be written through the eyes of the slave master/dominant race-class.
"Until the Story of the hunt is told by the Lion, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter"-African Proverb
It has to be stated that Jews enslaving Africans happen inside of European identity and societies. Jews did not act as through independent Jewish nation unlike Arabs, some Africans, and Western Europe. This is an important factor in understanding that there is a difference between European enslavement of Africans (which contains Jewish slave masters), Arab slavery (which also contained Jewish slave masters),Slavery in Africa (which would also contain Jewish people as victims of slavery as well as slave traders (North Africa)). Arab slavery had a "nationalist" personality by groups of people we call Arab today. So was slavery inside of Africa, it was the actions of nations such as Dahomey. There were no Jewish nations since the 1st century A.D, to act as slaving nations. And this must be clarified so our understanding of this slavery is not confused, thus Jewish slave trade is more accurately termed the role of Jewish people in African enslavement, within Western nation.
In examining Jewish African relations we discover a deep distrust on the part of the Africans and this distrust is not without some merit. The very hint of denying the 5-6 million who died is protected by law in some countries, no such protection protects African history. The impact of the African Holocaust is minimized at every turn, ignored denied, scuffed at with remarks such "what holocaust." "It was Africans doing it to Africans." "Only 10-12 million (arrived)." But how many left?
The African historians who contribute to African Holocaust do not not fit into any of the tidy boxes created by our detractors. And it would make their life easier if we did, because what balanced person would listen to the rants of a Neo-Nazi? But we are against war and racism, corruption and misrepresentation, we defend self-determination, and indigenous peoples rights, women rights, everyone's right to their history, culture, dialogue, research, plurality and meritocracy.
We are not Black radical nationalist, Communist, Islamic or Christian Zealots, Afrocentrics or Black supremist. Neither are we guilty by association because we take the good and the bad from everyone. Our associations and working relationships are not restricted just because someone has an issue with Nation of Islam or Libya.
In America, as actor Ben Affleck said, the way people speak about Arabs and Muslims would not be tolerated if the same things were said about Jews. The world needs one standard across the board. And shame on anyone who profits from human rights and then in their turn denies another people their human rights, dignity and voice.
Jews correctly hunt down every single war criminal and turn them out of their nursing homes to stand trial at 99 years old for crimes against humanity. And rightly so, maybe Africans have a lot to learn from how Jews handle some of their affairs. The horrors of the African Holocaust are not minor just because Africans do not have the power of media on their side. The legacy of slavery, apartheid and colonialism has a twisted double blow in how African history is given priority in the world today.[continue]
"Have our Jewish sisters and brothers forgotten their humiliation? Have they forgotten the collective punishment, the home demolitions, in their own history so soon? Have they turned their backs on their profound and noble religious traditions? Have they forgotten that God cares deeply about the downtrodden?"-Desmond Tutu
Judaism is a solid religion which has been responsible for influencing a significant part of our morality and law. As well as being the religion of the most recognized man to have ever lived — Jesus. As well as the religion of the most influencial man to have ever lived Paul (aka Saul of Tarsus). It definitely absorbed much of its components from Ancient Egypt (KMT) and has continued to this day (indirectly via Christianity and Islam) to be a force in shaping our modern reality. It has been an unspoken ideological cornerstone in the formation of Islam, just as much as Islam has shaped modern Judaic theology.
So we must identify 1. Judaism (religion) and slavery, 2. Historical Jews (Mizrahi, African, etc) and slavery, and finally 3. Modern European Jews and their involvement as European people in African enslavement.
JEWISH MYTH
"Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an Ancient Israelite a 'Jew' or to call a contemporary Jew an Israelite or a Hebrew"-Jewish Almanac (1980)
Now let us starting with the terms " Jew" we see that in the 1980 Jewish Almanac we read: "Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an Ancient Israelite a 'Jew' or to call a contemporary Jew an Israelite or a Hebrew."
And we must hold on to this when discussing the contemporary state of Israel and historical Israel. Just like Modern Ghana and Ancient Ghana, were not related. Actually the entire notion of a Jewish nation is largely a myth. Judaism as a religion is one thing but the notion of a connected Jewish people who went into 2500 year exile and still retain that genetic-cultural identity is nothing short of a national myth. A myth which piggybacked off of a holocaust to create the pseudo-state called Israel. ( See Invention of the Jewish People - Shlomo Sand).
To put it in another context, can you imagine Nigerian Muslims moving to Saudi Arabia and claiming it as their original land while displacing native Christian Arabs and having more rights than these natives? How are we suppose to honestly belive that white skin red-headed people with cowboy hats have anything to do with the Afro-Asiatic people of Ancient Israel? These are the realities which cause so much debate in African-Diaspora communities. The entire notion of the Khzar ancestry of the European Jew is a study gaining great momentum. But where it becomes vulgar is when White Jews hold themselves up as the original and orthodoxy of Judaism while denying Africans any authentic claim to Jewish heritage.
Zionism is a specific manifestation of white-supremacy and it is the most brutal form of neocolonialism. It is a racist opportunistic political ideology of White Jewish atheist who capitalized on both the horrors of the Jewish holocaust in Europe and the Biblical story of God's promise to the nation of Ancient Israel. It is both arrogant and the highest form of racial supremacy: God has given us, White Jews, someone else's land and we have the right to kill the natives where they stand. Does Apartheid Israel today have a right to exist?
"How can we (Jews) stop trudging along roads paved mainly with the forged materials of national fantasies?"-Shlomo Sand
Historically there is no argument for its creation, especially at the expense of another people. And if Israel was so sacred why was Uganda on the table as a home for Jews? Proving it was all opportunism and not a natural history of a people. But in the interest of human peace and advancement there is enough space in modern Israel to have a home for both Jewish and Arab people. Israel cannot continue to be a dominating oppressive force in a someone else land. Peace demands we make do with what we have and find coexistence based on justice and truth. But the issue is Israel has zero desire for peace, they want and demand complete surrender. The illegal settlements are without need, but still they injure the peace process by these dishonest greedy activities (See Torn Land)
Can anyone with humanity not empathize with the Palestinian whose great great great grandfather ploughed fields in what is now modern Israel?
Especially when that Palestinian is now being stopped by a 6 month old Russian Jewish immigrant (who barely speaks Hebrew) and being ask "where are your papers" to walk over the Palestinians ancestor's land.
It is a mirror to South Africa. And Israel has deceitfully hidden it's policies in smooth language and obfuscation. "There was no Palestinian state when we arrived?" Well there was no state in parts of South Africa when the Europeans arrived, so does that validate conquest? Because the people you are conquering failed to adhere to western notions of parliament and didn't have a flag and an anthem?
Many settlers are living in the occupied Palestinian territories not for ideological reasons but for practical ones. They have been induced to do so by generous Israeli government subsidies. Many settlers are zelots and regardless of need they intentionall provoke the tension by settling in Palestine. Because they believe that all the occupied territories belong exclusively to the Jewish people and that Palestinians there are not entitled to national or political rights.
Modern thinking, recognizes both the inherent rights of individuals as human beings and the rights of self-defined peoples to national self-determination. Medieval thinking, on the other hand, relies on holy texts and symbols, and conceives of people not as individuals and groups of individuals, but as fixed categories in a divinely ordained hierarchy
HISTORY OF MUSLIM PROTECTION OF JEWS It is not very well known outside of intellectual circles that the Golden Age of Islam was also the Golden age of Judaism. Because Jews who were persecuted by Europeans found far greater accommodation and tolerance in Muslim lands. Jewish revisionist have tried to cover up and re-write this history by stipulating that Jews were 2nd class citizens. But that observation is relatively moot when we contrast it against African-Americans today in modern America.
So in our so-called modern progressive democratic ideal, 1000 years on, look at the social-status of Africans in the West. Or let us look at the persecution of Muslims in European countries like France and Norway. But we can bring it closer to this debate and look at Ethiopian or Mitzrahi Jews in modern Israel. So the status of the Jew in Muslim lands allowed a boom in Jewish art, religion, culture, and more important their theology and scholarship. Because of Islamic influence modern Judaism was realized with the greatest scholar of Jewish history Maimonides.
Regards
Nosakhare
When dealing with a topic as sensitive as Jews and Slavery we must first explain the social and political factors around such a study.
There are no taboos on authentic research as far as Africans are concerned and the European Jewish involvement in African enslavement seems to be a seriously controversial one further exacerbated since.
the publishing of work by the Nation of Islam and Dr. Tony Martin, both are charged with being antisemitic. Along with Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, Malcolm X, John Henrick Clarke, Desmond Tutu , obviously Leonard Jeffries and almost all critics of the state of Israel.
This charge of anti-Semitism (which is a misnomer) cannot and must not dissuade Africans from researching into any area of history; especially when that history has traditionally been suppressed. Passionately saying "This is all antisemitic junk" can no longer be used as a defense against this discourse.
Because if the charge of antisemitism was satisfied every time it was invoked no one other than pro-Zionist would be allowed to say "Jew." It has always been very easy for our detractors to assemble all the hand-picked Black defenders of Zionism to act with "authority" and decry this discourse as "fringe theories". Anyone attempting to dictate what topics are viable for African scholars to research is racist as well as those who think the opinions of Africans is not noteworthy. Skipping the colorful names for Tony Martin and Farrakhan it would be far more meaningful to explore this study point-by-point.
Critique is a sign of a healthy society and in this polarized debate some "other" opinion is necessary to balance out white-washing on one hand and blatant antisemitic on the other. And it is a fine line, but that in itself is true for most studies on race and race relations.
No African dictates the volumes of book written on Jewish history or their views on Africa. No one cries for the Arabs when Islam and slavery, Islam and anything bad, are being discussed to death. On the Jewish run Jihad Watch and associates run by secular Jewish organization David Horowitz. [1] The zionist agendas of Darfur Watch are no longer a "conspiracy against Israel", and just because someone says "conspiracy" doesn't mean it is not true.
We have dealt with Arabs, and African systems of slavery with transparency. Therefore why should African people shy away from subjects branded as third rail or sacred cow? Especially when Jewishness has never been an obstacle or inhibitor of White Supremacy.
The relationship of Africans and Jews has always attracted great comparisons: both people of historical persecution. But the sad reality is it is often the case that for African-based arguments to gain validity or make a point they have to be parallel to Jewish experience to evoke empathy. So we see "would anyone expect Jews to let Nazis write their history.." In an attempt to highlight how ridiculous it is for African history to constantly be written through the eyes of the slave master/dominant race-class.
"Until the Story of the hunt is told by the Lion, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter"-African Proverb
It has to be stated that Jews enslaving Africans happen inside of European identity and societies. Jews did not act as through independent Jewish nation unlike Arabs, some Africans, and Western Europe. This is an important factor in understanding that there is a difference between European enslavement of Africans (which contains Jewish slave masters), Arab slavery (which also contained Jewish slave masters),Slavery in Africa (which would also contain Jewish people as victims of slavery as well as slave traders (North Africa)). Arab slavery had a "nationalist" personality by groups of people we call Arab today. So was slavery inside of Africa, it was the actions of nations such as Dahomey. There were no Jewish nations since the 1st century A.D, to act as slaving nations. And this must be clarified so our understanding of this slavery is not confused, thus Jewish slave trade is more accurately termed the role of Jewish people in African enslavement, within Western nation.
In examining Jewish African relations we discover a deep distrust on the part of the Africans and this distrust is not without some merit. The very hint of denying the 5-6 million who died is protected by law in some countries, no such protection protects African history. The impact of the African Holocaust is minimized at every turn, ignored denied, scuffed at with remarks such "what holocaust." "It was Africans doing it to Africans." "Only 10-12 million (arrived)." But how many left?
The African historians who contribute to African Holocaust do not not fit into any of the tidy boxes created by our detractors. And it would make their life easier if we did, because what balanced person would listen to the rants of a Neo-Nazi? But we are against war and racism, corruption and misrepresentation, we defend self-determination, and indigenous peoples rights, women rights, everyone's right to their history, culture, dialogue, research, plurality and meritocracy.
We are not Black radical nationalist, Communist, Islamic or Christian Zealots, Afrocentrics or Black supremist. Neither are we guilty by association because we take the good and the bad from everyone. Our associations and working relationships are not restricted just because someone has an issue with Nation of Islam or Libya.
In America, as actor Ben Affleck said, the way people speak about Arabs and Muslims would not be tolerated if the same things were said about Jews. The world needs one standard across the board. And shame on anyone who profits from human rights and then in their turn denies another people their human rights, dignity and voice.
Jews correctly hunt down every single war criminal and turn them out of their nursing homes to stand trial at 99 years old for crimes against humanity. And rightly so, maybe Africans have a lot to learn from how Jews handle some of their affairs. The horrors of the African Holocaust are not minor just because Africans do not have the power of media on their side. The legacy of slavery, apartheid and colonialism has a twisted double blow in how African history is given priority in the world today.[continue]
"Have our Jewish sisters and brothers forgotten their humiliation? Have they forgotten the collective punishment, the home demolitions, in their own history so soon? Have they turned their backs on their profound and noble religious traditions? Have they forgotten that God cares deeply about the downtrodden?"-Desmond Tutu
Judaism is a solid religion which has been responsible for influencing a significant part of our morality and law. As well as being the religion of the most recognized man to have ever lived — Jesus. As well as the religion of the most influencial man to have ever lived Paul (aka Saul of Tarsus). It definitely absorbed much of its components from Ancient Egypt (KMT) and has continued to this day (indirectly via Christianity and Islam) to be a force in shaping our modern reality. It has been an unspoken ideological cornerstone in the formation of Islam, just as much as Islam has shaped modern Judaic theology.
So we must identify 1. Judaism (religion) and slavery, 2. Historical Jews (Mizrahi, African, etc) and slavery, and finally 3. Modern European Jews and their involvement as European people in African enslavement.
JEWISH MYTH
"Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an Ancient Israelite a 'Jew' or to call a contemporary Jew an Israelite or a Hebrew"-Jewish Almanac (1980)
Now let us starting with the terms " Jew" we see that in the 1980 Jewish Almanac we read: "Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an Ancient Israelite a 'Jew' or to call a contemporary Jew an Israelite or a Hebrew."
And we must hold on to this when discussing the contemporary state of Israel and historical Israel. Just like Modern Ghana and Ancient Ghana, were not related. Actually the entire notion of a Jewish nation is largely a myth. Judaism as a religion is one thing but the notion of a connected Jewish people who went into 2500 year exile and still retain that genetic-cultural identity is nothing short of a national myth. A myth which piggybacked off of a holocaust to create the pseudo-state called Israel. ( See Invention of the Jewish People - Shlomo Sand).
To put it in another context, can you imagine Nigerian Muslims moving to Saudi Arabia and claiming it as their original land while displacing native Christian Arabs and having more rights than these natives? How are we suppose to honestly belive that white skin red-headed people with cowboy hats have anything to do with the Afro-Asiatic people of Ancient Israel? These are the realities which cause so much debate in African-Diaspora communities. The entire notion of the Khzar ancestry of the European Jew is a study gaining great momentum. But where it becomes vulgar is when White Jews hold themselves up as the original and orthodoxy of Judaism while denying Africans any authentic claim to Jewish heritage.
Zionism is a specific manifestation of white-supremacy and it is the most brutal form of neocolonialism. It is a racist opportunistic political ideology of White Jewish atheist who capitalized on both the horrors of the Jewish holocaust in Europe and the Biblical story of God's promise to the nation of Ancient Israel. It is both arrogant and the highest form of racial supremacy: God has given us, White Jews, someone else's land and we have the right to kill the natives where they stand. Does Apartheid Israel today have a right to exist?
"How can we (Jews) stop trudging along roads paved mainly with the forged materials of national fantasies?"-Shlomo Sand
Historically there is no argument for its creation, especially at the expense of another people. And if Israel was so sacred why was Uganda on the table as a home for Jews? Proving it was all opportunism and not a natural history of a people. But in the interest of human peace and advancement there is enough space in modern Israel to have a home for both Jewish and Arab people. Israel cannot continue to be a dominating oppressive force in a someone else land. Peace demands we make do with what we have and find coexistence based on justice and truth. But the issue is Israel has zero desire for peace, they want and demand complete surrender. The illegal settlements are without need, but still they injure the peace process by these dishonest greedy activities (See Torn Land)
Can anyone with humanity not empathize with the Palestinian whose great great great grandfather ploughed fields in what is now modern Israel?
Especially when that Palestinian is now being stopped by a 6 month old Russian Jewish immigrant (who barely speaks Hebrew) and being ask "where are your papers" to walk over the Palestinians ancestor's land.
It is a mirror to South Africa. And Israel has deceitfully hidden it's policies in smooth language and obfuscation. "There was no Palestinian state when we arrived?" Well there was no state in parts of South Africa when the Europeans arrived, so does that validate conquest? Because the people you are conquering failed to adhere to western notions of parliament and didn't have a flag and an anthem?
Many settlers are living in the occupied Palestinian territories not for ideological reasons but for practical ones. They have been induced to do so by generous Israeli government subsidies. Many settlers are zelots and regardless of need they intentionall provoke the tension by settling in Palestine. Because they believe that all the occupied territories belong exclusively to the Jewish people and that Palestinians there are not entitled to national or political rights.
Modern thinking, recognizes both the inherent rights of individuals as human beings and the rights of self-defined peoples to national self-determination. Medieval thinking, on the other hand, relies on holy texts and symbols, and conceives of people not as individuals and groups of individuals, but as fixed categories in a divinely ordained hierarchy
HISTORY OF MUSLIM PROTECTION OF JEWS It is not very well known outside of intellectual circles that the Golden Age of Islam was also the Golden age of Judaism. Because Jews who were persecuted by Europeans found far greater accommodation and tolerance in Muslim lands. Jewish revisionist have tried to cover up and re-write this history by stipulating that Jews were 2nd class citizens. But that observation is relatively moot when we contrast it against African-Americans today in modern America.
So in our so-called modern progressive democratic ideal, 1000 years on, look at the social-status of Africans in the West. Or let us look at the persecution of Muslims in European countries like France and Norway. But we can bring it closer to this debate and look at Ethiopian or Mitzrahi Jews in modern Israel. So the status of the Jew in Muslim lands allowed a boom in Jewish art, religion, culture, and more important their theology and scholarship. Because of Islamic influence modern Judaism was realized with the greatest scholar of Jewish history Maimonides.
Regards
Nosakhare
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