c THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 30 Friday, Decindier 29 , 1 910" Will Arab-Israeli. Peace' Withstand Koran? SAM BARNETT By DR. ABRAHAM KATSH AND HIS ORCHESTRA 968-2563 President Emeritus, Dropsie U. In the present Middle East situation we tend to aa.tse'd 9ed4 Seajodee 22101 Coolidge 1 Block So of 9 Mi 41101144 Call 548-4031 We Bone-Skin-Grind-Fish Free WE WRAP FOR FREEZING Best Wishes for a Happy New Year and a Happy Chanukah from the makers of Farm Maid Dairy Foods - the finest name in Kosher Dairy products in the state of Michigan (under supervision of Rabbi Jack Goldman) Detroit Area Retail Kosher Meat Dealers Assoc. lose sight of the fact that we are dealing now not with 22 Arab states, but with 21 Muslim states which refuse to recognize a non-Muslim state in that part of the world once occupied by Mos- lems. Though Islam consists of many sects, some of which are even hostile to one an- other, all followers of Mohammed share the hope of "Islamizing" the non- Muslim world. Islamic reli- gious law divides the world into two parts: d'Ar Al- Islam, the region under the rule of Islam, and d'Ar Al- Harb, the area of war. Be- tween these two areas there can be__no peace. Practical considerations may induce Muslim leaders to conclude an armistice, but the obligation to con- quer and, if possible, con- vert, never lapses. Nor can territory once under Mus- lim rule be lawfully yielded to the unbeliever. Furthermore, there is a unity between Islam as a religion and the political thought of Arab leaders, and this unity is growing stronger, not weaker. Christopher- Wren, Cairo You don't have to know your meats and poulti-y when you buy kosher, because not only do you receive the finest, but that very important personal touch. All our meats and poultry are triple in- spected to assure you, the public, that only when buying kosher do you receive the purest. U.S.D.A. INSPECTED Sun., Dec. 31st thru Thurs., Jan., 4th EMPIRE FISH STICKS EMPIRE FISH FILLETS $ d i 79pkg . All member markets will be closed Mon., Jan. 1st WE WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR BERNARDS KOSHER MEATS DEXTER DAVISON KOSHER MEATS Bernard Rayber-13925 W. 9 Mile 398-3180 19835 W. 12 Mile Rd. Southfield, Mich.-557-7677 Freidman Brothers . PASADENA KOSHER MEATS and LOUIS COHEN & SON NORTHGATE KOSHER MEAT & POULTRY 24721 Coolidge Allan A Cohen & Joe Felstein OAK PARK 48237—LI 3-8860 25254 Greenfield Jack Miller Oak Park 48237-967-3907 HARVARD ROW KOSHER MEATS COHEN & SON KOSHER MEAT MARKET 21780 W. 11 Mile Road John Katz, Dave Krasman Southfield 48076-356-5110 26035 Coolidge Hwy . Jack Cohen—Oak Park 48237 LI 7-4121 SINGERS KOSHER MEAT MARKET DEXTER DAVISON KOSHER MEATS 13721 W Nine Mile Road Jack Attis, Philip Swarin Oak Park 48237—LI 7-8111 Feldman Bros. Proprietors 24760 Coolidge Oak Park 48237—LI 8-6800 CARL'S KOSHER MEAT MKT. FRANKLIN KOSHER MEATS & POULTRY Carl Carson 968-7450 Lincoln Center Oak Park Under the supervision of the Council of Orthodox Rabbis 32390 Middlebelt Rd. Farmington Hills, 855-1020 Ben Smith Don Barder While quantities last and. we -also reserve right to limit quantities. . correspondent for the New York Times, notes in an ar- ticle for that newspaper, June 18, 1978: "At least two reasons have been advanced to explain why Islam seems inherently more conserva- tive than Judaism or Chris- tianity. "First, Moslems revere the Koran as the literal word of God, not as Mohammed's interpreta- tion of it . . . . Second, -Mohammed laid out in the Koran detailed secular as well as religious injunctions for his followers, covering personal, social and politi- cal relationships and both civil and criminal law, mak- ing it virtually impossible to confine Islam to spiritual matters." In the same article, Wren points out that "Libya's ruler, Col. Muammar Al- Qaddafi, is perhaps the most puritanical exponent of Muslim fundamentalism among the leaders of the Muslim world today. He has gone so far as to call for the eventual reconquest of Spain, Portugal and Sicily, which were lost to Islam five centuries ago . . Wren indicates that the rise of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other ex- tremely Orthodox states as financial benefactors has made it advanta- geous for Muslim coun- tries to pay greater atten- tion to Islamic traditions. In Egypt, for example, the Muslim Brotherhood plays a prominent role in civil as well as political life. With this as background, Sadat's "peace mission" to Israel must be viewed by what he actually offered to Israel, rather than by the undoubted political bril- liance of his daring step which rallied a large section of world opinion behind him. He offered no inkling of giving up anything that would help secure Israel's independence as a state. It is not enough for Islam to recognize Judaism as a reli- gion which has a right to exist. It is the Jewish people, the Jewish nation in Israel, that has never been recognized by the Arab- Muslim leaders. In an interview with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (Newsweek July 17, 1978), Arnaud de Bor- chgrave received the fol- lowing answers (among others): Question: "Iraq says it will always reject the 'Zionist entity.' So if you refuse peace with Is- rael, even if it withdraws to its 1967 borders, is it correct to assume then that what you believe is the only solution?" An- swer: "Correct." Question: "Even if Egypt, Syria and Jordan could agree to act jointly, they have little military credibil- ity against Israel. Is war possible?" Answer: "Not to- day, not tomorrow. But the Arabs won't always be weak. Their strength is DR. ABRAHAM KATSH growing daily. Nor will they always be ruled by capitual- tionist regimes. In 10 years you will see a completely different equation." No matter what Sadat tells Begin, Israel must keep these attitudes of other Arab (Muslim) leaders in mind when it negotiates a peaceful settlement. Lead- ers come and go. But so long as the 21 Muslim states agree that the Jews are not a nation, and that they have no right to a state of their own in the Middle East, then Israel's security is in danger. That Is what the Islainic concept of Jihad (holy war) means, for all practical pur- poses. And if it is not yet time for the war, there is always the boycott, the at- tempt to expel Israel from the UN, the equating of Zionism with racism, any- thing to isolate Israel politi- cally and economically. Sadat's assurances are in themselves not guarantees. The New York Times editorial of Dec. 10, 1978 is right: "What Egypt gives can be revoked; what Israel yields can be regained only in war." Who will guarantee that the PLO will stop its mur- derous attacks on peaceful Israeli civilians? Who will guarantee a Palestinian state on the West Bank does not become the center for increased PLO terror? Con- ciliation and peace must mean safety, security. It is not a question of territory. The important thing is: How secure is the territory you do have. There are other small states in the world, but they are not constantly being challenged by terrorists who do not recognize their right to exist. Israel cannot surrender all its claims in exchange for words that may never be implemented. When I was asked in 1956 by a minister of education in Russia to define Zionism, I replied it was the Jewish ef- fort throughout the ages to emancipate itself from world imperialism. Today I think it is proper to state that Zionism has become the Jewish attempt to emancipate itself from Mus- lim and Third World im- perialism. Today Zionism is called "racism," tomorrow it will be another epithet, but the ultimate effort is to eliminate the state of Israel and the Jewish People as a people. Israel is no longer a' pious wish to be fulfilled. It exists. It is a legal entity, achieved not by conquest but by right and justice. It has been forced by others to become a warrior state. But to the Jew, Israel represents the correction of an age- old wrong, the end of humiliation. Israel today is no longer a dream. We have passed in a single lifetime from a workl- in which the existence of free Israel seemed incon- ceivable into a world which seems inconceivable with- out Israel's existence. To the Jew, Israel means that the flag with the Magen David is no longer a symbol of degradation Or- martyrdom but a symbol of creativity, of independence, of self-respect and dignity. To the Jew, Israel means that the Jewish people are no longer servants to hu- manity but contributors to civilization. It means that for the first time in 2,000 years the Jew has a place where the term "majority" includes him. To the American Jew it means that he is not only a member of a major faith, but a member of an historic na- tion as well. And it means that the world must now recognize the Jewish defini- tion of "What is a Jew," rather than the one imposed upon him by his enemies. Those who today ask Israel to relinquish its claim to nationhood, to statehood, are asking the Jews to commit corpo- rate suicide. History has proved that. During the Holocaust there was no country in the world will- ing to welcome the Jews and help them survive. How dare anyone now suggest to Israel that she give up anything that weakens her security and the safety of her people? What was the reason for centuries of Jewish per- secution and rightless- ness? Was it not that the Jews lacked a home, a center, a place where they could sink roots as a people? Now that they have achieved it, the Jewish people can never give it up. Is there a solution to this seemingly hopeless dilem- ma? I see only one pos- sible direction in which a peaceful solution can b found. The Muslim states in - the Middle East — like the Christian states in Europe — will have to separate themselves from the Mus- lim "church." The concept of Jihad will have to recede into Muslim mythology. The world of Islam will have to concern itself with moral and spiritual matters, and leave the legal and political problems to Arab govern- ments. When such a peace is the reality, then Islam and Judaism may once again re- sume their centuries' old inter-cultural relations and contribute once more the advancement of world civilization.