ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 26, 2008
Gandhi's Grandson Angers Jewish Community
Comments Critical Of Israel's "Culture Of Violence" Prompt Peace Center Co-Founder To Resign
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Photo
Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, in a Sept. 24, 2002 file photo. (AP Photo/Mike Morones)
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Emotional Museum Tour
President Bush gets misty-eyed as he visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem.
"It's the little problems that accumulate and become big problems," the fifth grandson of revered pacifist Mahatma Gandhi said when he moved his M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence to the University of Rochester last June.
Now, intemperate remarks about Israel and Jews being "the biggest players" in a global culture of violence have gotten Gandhi removed as president of the peace center he launched in 1991.
"My intention was to generate a healthy discussion on the proliferation of violence," Gandhi said Friday, a day after the institute's board accepted his resignation. "Instead, unintentionally, my words have resulted in pain, anger, confusion and embarrassment. I deeply regret these consequences."
The institute offers courses, workshops and seminars on nonviolence and will "continue its mission" at the University of Rochester, which provides office space and staff support, said the school's president, Joel Seligman.
Gandhi co-founded the center with his wife, Sunanda, at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn., and relocated it to the Rochester campus a few months after her death last February.
Quote
Gandhi's resignation "was appropriate" because his remarks "did not reflect the core values" of either the university or the institute, Seligman said in a statement. But a forum will be held later this year to allow Gandhi to discuss issues he raised with Jewish community leaders and other speakers, Seligman said.I think it's shameful that a peace institute would be headed up by a bigot.
Abraham H. Foxman, Anti-Defamation League"I think it's shameful that a peace institute would be headed up by a bigot," said Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, an international group that opposes anti-Semitism. "One would hope that the grandson of such an illustrious human being would be more sensitive to Jewish history."
Gandhi was on a panel of scholars, writers and clergy who discuss a new topic weekly on the Washington Post's "On Faith" page and his comments, posted Jan. 7, drew a torrent of criticism, much of it unfavorable.
Gandhi wrote that Jewish identity "has been locked into the holocaust experience - a German burden that the Jews have not been able to shed. It is a very good example of (how) a community can overplay a historic experience to the point that it begins to repulse friends.
"The holocaust was the result of the warped mind of an individual who was able to influence his followers into doing something dreadful. ... The world did feel sorry for the episode but when an individual or a nation refuses to forgive and move on, the regret turns into anger."
Describing Israel as "a nation that believes its survival can only be ensured by weapons and bombs," Gandhi asked whether it would "not be better to befriend those who hate you?"
"Apparently, in the modern world so determined to live by the bomb, this is an alien concept," he wrote. "You don't befriend anyone, you dominate them. We have created a culture of violence (Israel and the Jews are the biggest players) and that Culture of Violence is eventually going to destroy humanity."
Gandhi later apologized "for my poorly worded post," saying he shouldn't have implied that Israeli government policies reflected the views of all Jewish people.
"I do believe that when a people hold on to historic grievances too firmly it can lead to bitterness and the loss of support from those who would be friends," he wrote in a follow-up.
While emphasizing that Jewish suffering, particularly in the Holocaust, "was historic in its proportions" and that "it is also important not to forget the past, lest we fail to learn from it," he stood by his criticism of "the use of violence by recent Israeli governments."
"I have criticized the governments of the U.S., India and China in much the same way," he said, adding that "I want to correct statements that I made with insufficient care, and that have inflicted unnecessary hurt and caused anger."
The institute's research library contains multiple photographs, audio and videotapes, and 100 volumes of writings by his grandfather, who led India to independence in 1947 and was assassinated by a Hindu hard-liner in January 1948.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 932 CommentsRe: "Gandhi''s Grandson Angers Jewish Community"
Who cares?
Re: "Comments Critical Of Israel''s "Culture Of Violence" Prompt Peace Center Co-Founder To Resign"
First off, the Israeli welfare/terror/apartied-State is about the most contemptible country on the planet, and their endless crimes and atrocities are hard to even keep hearing about.
Secondly, the squatters of Palestine who call themselves Israel, seem to think that they represent ALL Jewish people. They don''t. Not Even close. Most Jewish people don''t even live in Israel.
Israel is a perfect example of why basing a country on a particular religion/cult is an extremely poor and dangerous idea.
Thank you to this grandson of Ghandi for speaking out against Israeli abuses, in the face of certain vicious attacks from the Zionists.
"And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us."
Or how about this - allow people to have opinions different from yours without demonizing them.
Think of all the countries ruled by people who still keep slaves, murder their own sisters in the name of their so called "honor" and who are waiting for a paradise whose principle reward is the right to have 40 virgin girls and 20 virgin boys to rape. People whose so called prophet was a rapist and child molester and whose high clerics, even today, offically approve of child molestation. People who send death threats to authors and cartoonists. People who strap bombs to their children and send them to kill other children.
Compared to those countries Israel is a paragon of virtue.
rillifane,
Re: "Think of all the countries ruled by people who still keep slaves, murder their own sisters in the name of their so called "honor" and who are waiting for a paradise whose principle reward is the right to have 40 virgin girls and 20 virgin boys to rape. People whose so called prophet was a rapist and child molester and whose high clerics, even today, offically approve of child molestation. People who send death threats to authors and cartoonists. People who strap bombs to their children and send them to kill other children."
"Compared to those countries Israel is a paragon of virtue."
Gee, you set the bar mighty high, don''t you.
No wonder Israel is such a decrepit nation of squatters, infested with extremist psychopaths.
Posted by
ilikecats1,
Re: "Describing Jews in a way that makes them seem like invaders or outsiders is simply racist slander..."
You must have a reading comprehension problem.
The only thing that I wrote about "the Jews" is that the Israeli squatters in Palestine seem to think that they represent ALL Jewish people. They don''t. Not Even close. Most Jewish people don''t even live in Israel.
Many, many, Jewish people are appalled at the endless Israeli atrocities.
###
Are you in this film?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dSHl3C9kgY
"Why don''t you cover your head?"
ilikecats1,
Re: "The Jews have lived in this area CONTINUOUSLY since that time and Jews ARE an indigenous people to this area."
Fine. The ones that managed this should be allowed to stay. The others should get out. If they survived that long without a formal sate, they should be able to get by without one from here on out.
I hate to break this to you, but people can convert to the religion/cult of Judaism, as is apparently the historical case with many Jewish people, including many in Israel.
In this case, these Jewish people would have no historical claim to the land of that region whatsoever; not even authority from some moldy old book of fiction. Nothing.
If you feel that the World owes you for some reason, because of WWII, then set up a "Jewish State" in Berlin, and get out of Palestine.
Again, thanks to Mr. Ghandi for standing up to these Zionist psychopaths.
Posted by ilikecats1 at 01:17 AM : Jan 26, 2008
The area controlled by the Isreali military is majority muslim. there are also a large muber of Chrsitians living in that area. It is not a "jewish" state any more than south africa was a "white" state. A minority of bigots have seized power in that country, and they brutally suppress the christians and the muslims. it goes against american values, we don''t believe in and shouldn''t condone minority rule by racist bigots.
Re: "I think it''s shameful that a peace institute would be headed up by a bigot," said Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League..."
It would be difficult to name a more hate filled group of racist extremists than the "Anti-Defamation League". Quite the Orwellian misnomer.
Re: "Gandhi wrote that Jewish identity "has been locked into the holocaust experience - a German burden that the Jews have not been able to shed. It is a very good example of (how) a community can overplay a historic experience to the point that it begins to repulse friends."
Who could possibly argue with that?
Re: "Gandhi later apologized "for my poorly worded post," saying he shouldn''t have implied that Israeli government policies reflected the views of all Jewish people."
True. Not even close.
ST
"The solution to the Israeli/Palestinian problem is simple.
It only demands both sides be treated equally, and thus far this has not been done.
First, here''s an abridged history. After the fall of the Ottoman empire Britain owned much of its land (the %u201CBritish Mandate%u201D). The League of Nations Mandate for Palestine of 1922 laid the plans for an Israeli state, but Israelis/Arabs committed many terrorist acts against each other and the British and it didn''t work. After WWII there was a moral outcry at the slaughter of innocent Jews so it was decided that Israel must be created immediately and the United Nations Palestine Partition Plan of 1947 was born.
Unfortunately, since Arabs were considered primitive second class citizens it was decided that the land where Israel now resides would be purchased from the British and its current inhabitants would either submit or be stripped of their land titles. And because of Arab disunity and political infighting they failed to stop it.
Since then, America has taken one side, turning a blind eye to Israels terror and collective punishment, while condemning Palestinian terror.
So here''s the answer. Demand that terrorism stop on all sides, that Israel return to the borders awarded it in 1947, and that Jerusalem be divided equally. And withdraw all funding from both sides until it happens.
Until then there will always be war."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
You understanding of Islam and middle-east is based on total ignorance and typical arrogance. Perhaps you should read more about both these subjects before formulating a prejudice against them(the religion or the race)
Personally I believe in Israel''s right to exist but that does not in anyway undermines my support for Palestinians. How long are these people required to be treated as if they are animals? What is their sin? Only because they were happen to be living where Israeli wanted to create their country, they have been treated as such.
Why are western institutions so allergic to criticism of Israelis? One can abuse Jesus, Bush, Blacks, White, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Muhammad or anyone for that matter. But as soon as you utter a word on Israelis you suddenly becomes untouchables.
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
ST
---
So who''s been charged with what crime spammer."
ilikecats1
Arun Gandhi.
ST
"In a world of universal deceit, telling the truth is revolutionary."
George Orwell, 1984
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
babarzm,
Are you sure that your comment was meant for me?
ilikecats1
Because some have suffered grave injustice, and others have not.
ST
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
ST
---
So who''s been charged with what crime spammer."
ilikecats1
Also state the charge, were they arrested? What where they charged with?? When is their arraignment? When is their court date? How many police did it take? Was there any shooting? Was here a search warrant?""
ilikecats1
Not necessary, according to Bush. Arun Gandhi was simply fired, and his livelihood removed, and FBI language specialist Sibel Edmonds was gagged under threat of life imprisonment. See "http://www.hairenik.com/HairenikTV/HA_TV_Clip65.htm" for a horrific truth.
ST
"If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say this or that even, it never happened%u2014that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death."
George Orwell, 1984
"We have become the enemy we fought."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
ST
---------------
So what''''s with the misuse of the word "criminal" ??
OH! Trying to play the hyperbole card and get some emotion up to visit you website.
CONSPIRACY THEORISTS, BUSH HATERS, ANARCHISTS, ISRAELI HATERS, et al,
VISIT ST''''S WEB SITE. ALL KINDS OFF ADDICTIVE FUEL FOR HATING BUSH.EVEN LINKS TO OTHER HATE SITES!!
There ST. Gave you a plug, spammer. Don''''t bother thanking me."
ilikecats1
No problem.
I was a bit mystified when you asked me about law and criminal charges in the first place, since we now simply live under a dictatorship.
And Dictator Bush has already indefinitely incarcerated an unknown number of anonymous American and foreign citizens in secret prisons without charge or representation where they are subject to institutionalized torture and murder.
Everyday.
ST
"I writhed in anguish for years. Always knowing pain was coming, but never knowing what I should attempt to say next, or how I should appear so that my American torturers would believe me.
The problem was that I was innocent."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
bobacorn
Or more hopefully it will be "Humans are angry at injustice", and will be plastered across the headlines of every unjust nation on earth, including our own.
ST
"I choose reality over comfort."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
Re: "I think it''s shameful that a peace institute would be headed up by a bigot."-Abraham H. Foxman, Anti-Defamation League
###
I find it shameful that a racist hate group would call itself the "Anti-Defamation League".
"One would hope that the grandson of such an illustrious human being would be more sensitive to Jewish history."
###
One would hope that the grandson of a Board member of the Anti-Defamation League, Adam Gadahn (Pearlman), would not pose as a Muslim and make fake "al-Qaeda" videos, aimed at fomenting fear and hatred of Muslims, but we don''t always get what we hope for.
It is not as cut and dry as you would like it to be. In fact, a great deal of the Jewish people in Israel today were expelled from other Middle Eastern countries. Their property was confiscated by those governments. Where else were they supposed to go? Madagascar? The South Pole? I am not defending the nation of Israel, but you can''t make statements like they should all go back except... It doesn''t work that way.
rudy654,
Re: "but you can''t make statements like they should all go back except... It doesn''t work that way."
Granted. There may have been a hint of rhetoric in this comment;-)
FeelFree1
Fellow patriot, while I believe that many in the Anti-Defamation League at least started out with good intentions, after debating them time and time again I have indeed found many to be intransigent racists, or simple theocratic ideologues. And it has been quite disheartening.
But I have also found many Palestinians and their supporters to be equally intransigent.
And yet I have found more, on both sides, who are willing to compromise for a just peace. Unfortunately, as in America today, their governments do not represent the will of the majority of their people.
ST
"God told us to kill them."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
posted by rudy654
Ha ha - thats funny rudy. Do you have any evidence for this or are you just full of *** like the guy who said there are 4000 year-old Jewish ruins in Israel?
Hello "SearingTruth",
Re: "...while I believe that many in the Anti-Defamation League at least started out with good intentions..."
I am not convinced that this is true, but I see your other points.
crzmeat,
Re: "I don''t viwe him a bigot poor choice or wording."
Nor do I. Well said.
and how is that pacifist thing working on the fascist nazi terrorislamists in india and pakistan murdering indian civilians on a daily basis working for you LOL
hahaha
good one
But the accepted assumption in India is that most of India''s Muslims were converted to Islam through the sword. Meaning the Indians were given an option between death or adopting Islam. The third option was getting examined in Islam religion along with heavy taxes- Jeziya (poll tax) and Kharaj (property tax).
http://adaniel.tripod.com/Islam.htm
this is what fascist nazi islam calls peace
are you ready to live under islam rule as a non muslim?
apartheid fascist nazi islamic style
Rights of Non-Muslims in an Islamic State
http://www.sullivan-county.com/id3/islamic_state.htm
Re: "...while I believe that many in the Anti-Defamation League at least started out with good intentions..."
I am not convinced that this is true, but I see your other points."
FeelFree1
OK, that''s it fellow patriot. I''m tired of the likes of you and brianwb constantly partially, or wholly, disagreeing with me. It''s just not allowed.
Have you read my moniker? It says "SearingTruth".
And have you seen my website? It says "The SearingTruth Institute for Liberty and Justice".
And what about all the stuff I''ve written over the last twenty years?
Haven''t you ever heard of the "twenty year no matter what you''ve written award" that I created?
Man.
Just like Rodney Dangerfield, I get no respect.
Now how much more intellectual capital, and money, do I have to spend before all of you will fall in line and agree with everything I say?
Grrrr ....
D-a-r-n-e-d individual thinkers.
P.S. You are awesome FeelFree1. And tell brianwb someone said the same thing about him, but don''t tell him it was me :)
ST
"Tyranny and tyrants do not change, nor does the character of those who defeat them."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
Thanks "SearingTruth".
Re: "Have you read my moniker? It says "SearingTruth"
I stand corrected.
Have a good evening.
Keep up the good work.
Agreed. Criticism of Israeli policy is immediately characterized as "anti-Semitism".
One is a criticism of policy, the other is a prejudice against an ethnic group.
then stop supporting fascist nazi terrorislamic slavers
The secret of happiness is freedom. And the secret of freedom is courage. Pericles as quoted by Thucydides
WHEN WILL FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM BAN SLAVERY???
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=MUSLIM+SLAVERY
http://www.iabolish.com/news/press-kit/bio/francis.htm
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/010017.php
NAME ONE MUSLIM MAJORITY COUNTRY THAT GRANTS EQUAL RIGHTS TO NON-MUSLIMS
Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. ~Abraham Lincoln
No one is free when others are oppressed. ~Author Unknown
Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves. ~D.H. Lawrence, Classical American Literature, 1922
I prefer liberty with danger to peace with slavery. ~Author Unknown
Freedom has a thousand charms to show, That slaves, howe''er contented, never know.~William Cowper
Ha, ha, ha, you''re funny if you think I am going to think that you even have the slightest understanding of the Middle East after that comment. Not even a good try.
Hi "formrusmcsgt",
One more comment before I go-
Re: "One is a criticism of policy, the other is a prejudice against an ethnic group."
Good point, and Semites include ALL Arabs, by my understanding- a fact that the "Anti-Defamation League" routinely ignores.
Good night all.
Posted by rudy654 at 04:38 AM : Jan 26, 2008
Xenophobes never do.....
While violence and discrimination against Jews in Arab countries started to increase before 1948, these escalated significantly since 1948 despite the fact that Jews were indigenous and for the most part held Arab citizenship. Sometimes the process was state sanctioned; at other times it was the consequence of anti-Jewish resentment by non-Jews.
Although some of the Jews emigrated because of the influence of Zionism that proclaimed the right of the Jewish people to return to their homeland, most Jews came to Israel as a result of persecution by Arab countries.
More at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_exodus_from_Arab_lands
Persecution of non-Muslims in Muslim countries
According to Islamic laws, non-Muslims in Islamic Lands should be subdued and be treated like Dhimmis, or second class citizens. They should be coerced and intimidated to convert to Islam, through special humiliating taxes like Jizya imposed on them. This has been happening in the Islamic World since the last 1400 years. While Muslims demand equal rights in non-Muslim countries, non-Muslims are systematically persecuted, terrorized and ethnically cleansed from Islamic Lands.
http://www.wikiislam.com/wiki/Persecution_of_non-Muslims_in_Muslim_countries
terrorislam6
Fellow citizen, which country do you live in?
If you live in America then the last thing I would be worried about is fascism from any other country, save our own.
After 225 years of American freedom and liberty, Bush and his henchmen, aided by the apathetic Democrats, have abandoned everything that was American, including our Constitution, and replaced it with a good old fashioned totalitarian police state.
In fact, Dictator Bush could have me or any others who still stand for our Constitution sent to a secret prison at any time, on his sole command. And the only reason he hasn''t is because most military and civilian police still will not follow illegal orders to attack clearly innocent American citizens, although a few of us are already in dungeons because they were convinced.
And every year, convincing them that those who stand for the Constitution are traitors will become easier.
Until it is no effort at all.
ST
"And then, in all my passion and sacrifice, I found myself only a number to be counted and disposed of."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
The status of People of the Book (Jews and Christians) under Islamic rule.
7th-21st century. The notion of Dhimmitude, originating in the 7th century, still applies today to non-Muslims under Islamic rule%u2014whether Jews or Christians, whether in Saudi Arabia or in Sudan. Dhimmitude began in 628 CE when Mohammed and his forces conquered the Jewish oasis at Khaybar. They massacred many of the Jews and forced the rest to accept a pact ("Dhimma") which rendered them inferior to their Muslim conquerors. Over the centuries, the ideology of Dhimmitude expanded into a formal system of religious apartheid.
Institutionalized apartheid. In Shari%u2019a law, there are official discriminations against the Dhimmi, such as the poll-tax or jizya.
No legal rights. Jews may not testify in court against a Muslim and have no legal right to dispute or challenge anything done to them by Muslims. There is no such thing as a Muslim raping a Jewish woman; there is no such thing as a Muslim murdering a Jew (at most, it can be manslaughter). In contrast, a Jew who strikes a Muslim is killed.
http://www.dhimmi.com/dhimmi_overview.htm
http://www.dhimmi.com/
http://www.dhimmi.com/victimsgallery.htm
Humiliation and vulnerability. Jews and Christians had to walk around with badges or veils identifying them as Jews or Christians. The yellow star that Jews had wear in Nazi Germany did not originate in Europe. It was borrowed from the Muslim world where it was part of the apartheid system of Dhimmitude.
Conditional protection. The protection of the Dhimmi is withdrawn if the Dhimmi rebels against Islamic law, gives allegiance to non-Muslim power (such as Israel), refuses to pay the poll-tax, entices a Muslim from his faith, or harms a Muslim or his property. If the protection is lifted, jihad resumes. For example, Islamists in Egypt who pillage and kill the Copts do so because they no longer pay their poll-tax and therefore are no longer protected.
http://www.dhimmi.com/dhimmi_overview.htm
http://www.dhimmi.com/
http://www.dhimmi.com/victimsgallery.htm
you must really hate FDR then, he rounded up all the japanese
and you must really hate the kkklowntoos too
LOOK WHO BROKE THE CONSTITUTION
GOP targeting Clinton on phone-call snooping
Republicans plan to seize on an allegation from the 1992 presidential campaign to tarnish Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) on the red-hot issue of government surveillance.
Government surveillance will be at the forefront of the political debate this fall as congressional Democrats and President Bush square off over legislation allowing electronic spying on U.S. soil without a warrant.
Republicans are focusing on an allegation in a recent book by two Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters, which suggests Clinton listened to a secretly recorded conversation between political opponents.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-targeting-clinton-on-phone-call-snooping-2007-10-16.html
have you always been pro-slavery???
terrorislam6
Curious that you so often perceive the loss of civil rights in other nations, yet seem blind to the abdication of the Constitution in your own.
Justice starts at home.
So let us restore it.
Then we can talk about, and judge, others.
ST
"And so I ask, how many atrocities must we commit before we are evil? How many rights must we lose before we are no longer free?"
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
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