The Fall of Gaza

Seeing the horror unfolding in Iraq, Gaza, and Lebanon, which does seem to be sourced from Iran, I can only say that this so-called Islam-derived pseudo-religion of the terrorists is a force of nothing more than misguided evil. Sure, they have had hard times, but all this ransacking and cruelty is nothing more than chaos for it's own sake, the end of civilised norms; I weep for the innocent caught up in the midst of it. I can only hope that peace, order and justice can return... the 'justice' offered by such terrorist groups is really only dismal revenge, offering no hope of a better world.

Unfortunately, with the war in Iraq and it's subsequent break-down, more fools have been attracted to such apocalyptic cults and have been brain-washed into giving their lives to them. I wonder how it is that people can stoop so low- maybe primitive, reptilian parts of the brain take over and our usual human conscience gets short-circuited? Of course, there are probably politics going on here I don't understand, but that doesn't mean I need to excuse it, any more than I excuse heroine-addiction, which is also seen as 'a way out'.

We need to minimise the spread of this virus and also inoculate the population against it, with real education, of how to love other people more and how to practice sincere communication, of how to face life bravely rather than retreating into suicidal cowardice. As, ultimately, all this violence is fear and cowardice, avoiding what being a human is about. We have to also change the social environment so people are treated fairly and have something to live for. Equal rights and right education are the keys to a better future for all.

The violence has to be blamed squarely on those perpetrating it, yet at the same time, the mismanagement of the region by George Bush (and, less so, several of his predecessors), was criminally incompetent. He poured oil on the fire, by ignoring all the professional advice as to what would be unleashed, should the Iraqi army be dissolved and the forces of anarchy set free. How will we put the genie back in the bottle? We just have to show that terrorism doesn't pay and then no-one will support it. We have to set up systems guaranteeing equal rights so there is hardy any 'recruitment ground' for such groups. Presently, people seek to gain profit from the uncertainty- no doubt some of them being quite unsupected people, fueling pointless conflicts for their own selfish ends. Force may restrain terror, barriers may minimise it, but in the final analysis these won't be enough to end it. There is only one plan that can accomplish that.

That is God's own plan- to teach the peoples of the Middle-East to love one another, as if they are all one family. To have a peaceful social system that embraces all, whatever their creed, whatever their historical roots- To end this pseudo-religion that 'preaches' hatred and replace it with real religion, divine religion, that preaches endless love. One Nazarene introduced this fresh idea over 2,000 years ago to this region, indeed to the world. Let us pray humanity, especially Middle-Eastern humanity, listens to this vital Gospel message, before it is too late.

To The End of Terrorism

I just came across something remarkable on YouTube- Walid Shoebat, a former terrorist, speaks his mind about the real roots of terror . Just as you may have suspected, terrorism isn't just a response to policies or injustices. all that hatred and violence isn't just a 'response' the way the US civil rights movement was, the way Ghandi's movement was. It's something different, it has different goals. Now I can't agree with all of Israel's actions, as they can stigmatise peaceful Palestinians who just want a better life. But the terrorism is far worse, as it's behaviour is so irrational and self-destructive, so 'sick'.

It is truly shocking to see the sheer hatred that is being preached in radicalised mosques, the racism that has poisoned their religion. I am pretty sure that authentic Islam, or should I say the Islam that God would intend if he indeed established that faith, is not a racist creed (although the presence of dubious phrases in the Koran does at times make me wonder). All this anti-Jewish propaganda, all this talk of extreme judgments leading souls to heaven and hell, and the lies of going to heaven by making others suffer- all of this is a darkness sweeping the Islamic world, much like the effect of Sauron you can see in Lord of the Rings. Hatred is never a force for good- the spiritually clear-headed can see this. People who fought Nazism didn't hate Germans as such, they hated the corrupt ideology, the spiritual darkness of it. Which is why we now have peace with Germany, but could never make peace with the mercifully brief period of Nazi rule.

Now I am willing to admit that the most extreme of the 'Zionists' themselves have a destructive ideology, one that is antithetical to the spirit of the Jewish Faith. Also, that colonialism left a chain of ludicrous borders and damaged egos in this region, egos that are unlikely to heal soon. But, from what I can gather, this has never become the norm amongst Jewish people or Israelis, who have stayed relatively rational. Meanwhile, in much, unfortunately perhaps even most of the Arab world, you see Jews being demonised much the way they were in Europe, especially (but not only) the way this happened in the Nazi regime. You also have a commonly held, genocidal notion that Israel shouldn't even be talked to, but rather should be totally destroyed, despite the United nations specifically granting them a state, however short-sighted the borders given were.

So you have the situation where Israel, despite patterns of vengeful abuse from some of her citizens, really wants to live in peace with her neighbours and, as I have always promoted, establish peaceful cultural and economic ties. Meanwhile, many surrounding her pray and work for her destruction, even in shockingly blood-thirsty ways, thinking that this will get them into heaven. Now I don't want to stereotype here- I am sure that there are many rationally-minded, reasonable Arabs who want a peaceful future and are happy to co-exist. It would imply forgiveness, as many Arabs have suffered from Israel being established. But only through such reconciliation can things move on.

The same goes for Israel- they would have to forgive all the barbarous terrorist acts and all the lies and slander leveled at them. From what I can gather, Israel has a lot more to forgive, as it's horrible to be lied about and they made clear from the very beginning that they were happy to have a mixed state, with both Jews and Arabs (in fact they do, which is different from the Arab countries, who forbade any Jews from living there, a 'fait acomplit' that the media does it's best to hide. But the the Israelis do seem to be prepared to do this.

So what's the big hold-up? Why do the negotiations always fail, why is Israel never allowed to be considered a 'normal state'? Is it because of the injustice, the policies? Partly, yes, but without terrorism ending it is pretty hard to see them changing altogether, as they are part of a defensive strategy, removal of which may make some left-wing people happy in Europe and the BBC, but in the current situation exposes Israel to being targeted as weak and actually increasing terrorism. (Or militancy, as the PC has it.) Golda Meir is often held up as an example of an admirable Israeli ruler by European left-wingers and she does seem to be a great woman. But the fact that Israel was forcefully attacked to the point at which she was almost taken over makes me think that, for now, it just isn't safe to follow that path for Israel. Better to annoy some European left-wingers and live, than follow their advice and die, as unlike in video-games, you don't get a second chance.

So what's the hold-up? Why is it not safe to do a Golder Meir, why all the hatred? It isn't just policies and politics. It isn't that the religions can't co-exist if followed normally. It is addiction. An addiction to hatred and violence. Part of this
is in the sadly mislead Muslim youth, who are made all kinds of false promises of where such hatred will lead them. To paradise, where they'll have their 77 virgins. This has become a whole subculture, which moderate Muslims find it almost impossible to control, as they are not considered, 'cool' enough to be an influence. Now, there is nothing cool about violence, but it is almost natural for young males to have aggressive tendencies, which can be directed towards wars, careers, drug-use, or this. The so-called 'radical' imams are to blame here and they are literally profiting on terrorism, as this is how they make their name and their living. It's not real religion, at least in my book, but whilst people are going to listen to them, they feel, why should they stop. It is all an addiction... a drug addiction. The saddest thing is it gets in the way of humanely solving very real problems, problems that are often solved in other parts of the world.

However, there is also another audience to all of this... the media. Violence makes front pages, reasoned arguments don't. A successful war, such as the Falklands War, or the Bosnian campaign, can raise a politicians; stature, receiving far more media attention than a gentle peace process. Then of course, who can be blamed for the media's shortcomings, hungry for viewers and attention as they are, but... we ourselves. Yes, by buying newspapers or tv viewing time 'laced' with terroristic violence, we help keep it a prominent force in the world. We give the immature the attention they seek, simultaneously robbing those moderates who truly deserve it of airtime. I'd rather listen to Nelson Madella (a reformed terrorist, it must be noted), than Bin Ladin. But, without scouring the airwaves or the net, I just can't. I'd rather know what Ghandi has to say than Hitler. But documentaries on him are far harder to come by.

We need to end this addiction to violence, to solving problems through force alone, before it is too late for all of us. We have to stop or arrest anyone preaching violence in a religious place- we can't let anyone use the cover of religion to spread hatred. We need a more responsible media that, whilst it covers the psychotic violence of the terrorists and the military attempts to root them out, also gives airtime to moderate people who authentically care about others. Who really want to make the world better for everyone. Not just world political leaders and experts, also intellectual leaders and artists, people who understand deeply the feelings involved here. Most of all, we need an education system that doesn't just preach peace, it actually encourages it. Whilst some people need this more than others, it's something we all need, something humanity needs. Before it is too late.

Shadows of the Past

Recently I made a trip to Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, famous for enshrining Japan’s war dead, infamous for mixing war criminals up with them, without expressing remorse for their victims, (which in this sense makes it the polar opposite of the universally praised memorial at Hiroshima). The shrine itself, from the outside at least, looks just like any other one in Japan and surprisingly for me, so do the visitors- at least when I went, there were none of the loony right-wingers to be seen. Going to the museum is where you start to get a sense of just why this is such a controversial and emotionally-charged place.

The museum is basically a war museum, starting in Japan’s distant feudal past and finishing right up to the present day. What makes it stand out (and to my mind makes it inherently flawed) is it's constant glorification of war, even wars that had become hopeless to win. I suppose from a certain perspective this is it’s strength, after all, hasn’t war always been with us and soldiers always been willing to risk their lives for glory and their country, like sportsmen striving for their team? Well, yes and no- to apply the standards of medieval warfare, which was mostly trained soldiers fighting one another (I know this is debatable, but lets just stay with the stereotype for now)- to modern, especially urban warfare, is more than just problematic, it’s plain wrong.

Ever since the First World War, modern weaponry has been capable of randomly inflicting damage on people, in many cases taking away the ‘nobility’ of ground combat, though perhaps reserving it for the likes of top-gun fighter pilots. Soldier’s bravery, sacrifices and risks they run are still very real, but the work they often get engaged in is far from pure. The spread of urban warfare, however necessary it may have been, has also involved civilians like never before and with this the possibility of harsh reprisals being committed against them, to an extent that breaches the Geneva conventions.

Now, again some would say that a war crimes accusation is by its very nature political- if all sides breach the Geneva conventions in a war, is it really fair for only the loser to get punished for this? Well, this is another argument that I won’t be getting into here and I think the most neutral thing I can say is that no-one wants their own side to receive such rebukes and that in the heat of war all sides do things that are wrong, but some very much more so than others. My main point is that trying to cover up this feature of modern war is wrong, will be widely condemned whenever it happens and is the main problem with this museum- such that the location raises up international outcry for ‘beautifying’ conquest and war and only lamenting the fact that the former Axis power lost!

However, to be fair, I should add that whenever revisionists seek to posthumously accuse Allied generals of war crimes, British and American people are generally up in arms at the prospect, so much so that the Smithsonian museum in Washington DC had to change a planned exhibit on the horrors of Hiroshima as it seemed disrespectful to the war dead. Meanwhile Japan, with it’s 60-odd years of pacifism, is often accused of glorifying war, which in itself is more than a little hypocritical and unfair. Yet, despite the museum’s constant protestations of exhibiting a ‘struggle for peace’ (one which involved quote ‘subjugating’ parts of China), that is exactly what one sees here. They are far from the only ones doing this… a fact that doesn’t make these exhibits any less excusable, but at least puts them in context. We all want to honour our war dead. Without them we wouldn’t have the great nations we now have. We should just be sure not to do so in a way that glorifies atrocities in the same breath, for ‘those that forget their history are doomed to repeat it’.

It would be unfair of the world to deny Japan the natural right to fondly remember their war dead, most of whom died in the belief that they were serving their country, however twisted a leadership they may have been operating under. In case anyone says that fighting to take over other countries is obviously ignoble, it can be safely said that all countries able to have engaged in some form of colonialism to aid their economic growth. The question is not just that of taking over countries, but the manner in which it is done, to concern taken to protect the innocent inhabitants from harm. The kind of harsh reprisals made by Japanese forces against the Chinese and their treatment of both Asians and Westerners taken prisoner are beyond the pale.

No doubt countries like Russia and the same did far worse, but the point here is that ‘two wrongs don’t make a right’. When one attempts to gloss over or justify atrocities one is inviting scorn and confusing the issue. Soldiers fighting soldiers is one thing- soldiers massacring civilians or torturing prisoners quite another and something that cannot easily be explained away by the ‘heat of the moment’. It’s quite obvious to me that a racially prejudiced ideology was at least partly responsible, just as was the case in Germany and that people who try to justify such actions may well be guilty of the same prejudices themselves. It goes without saying that this is unacceptable for any decent people, whatever their national origins. Which means that whenever a Japanese Prime Minister visits this shrine to pray for world peace and the memory of lost soldiers, sparks will fly and the average Japanese person will feel hard done by, unaware of the issues at stake (which incidentally are edited out of approved school history textbooks, but that’s another issue, for another time!) One can be proud of one’s country for the good things it has done, there’s no need to gloss over the errors, the sins, the mistakes, to have a positive self-image.

So my advice? Move the war criminal’s remains to another site and make clear that this shrine is for celebrating the bravery of those who fought nobly, not for just everyone in a uniform. This would be a great and long-overdue contribution to global understanding and a way for Japan to get over this dark period better with her neighbours. Either that, or make another site dedicated to the same purpose; whatever it takes to distinguish between war heroes and war criminals, so that we are all on the same page. If Germany can do it, there’s no reason why Japan can’t… and personally I believe that sooner or later they will manage it. For myself, remembering the tragedies of the past and realising how much we have done in the relatively peaceful (for us!) years since, it makes me realise just how important finding peaceful solutions to world problems is, Sure, there’ll be wars, and despite all the evil new good things will come from them, such as new technologies and the movements of people’s around the world. Still, The more they can be limited to consensual combatants, if such people can be found, the better. How about computer games wars played on the Internet? Now, there’s an idea…

A Confession on Behalf of a Wayward Friend

Recieving that letter couldn't but help remind me of a scam that I actually, foolishly fell for. Here is a confession of how I was decieved, with a plea for the repentance and thus forgiveness of the misguided deciever-

A previously very trustworthy friend of mine, with whom I have had very good times and gone on several trips around Japan, called B******, got sucked into a Forex company operating in Tokyo called 'Toyo' , which he had been convinced, and then proceeded to convince me and another friend, was totally above board. He promised us a taste of the 'trillions of dollars' that are being traded world-wide through forex and that experienced experts in his company would limit the risk to 25% and produce massive profits, the like of which we had only dreamed of. It turned He emphasised that, being inexperienced, he was only a salesman and that it was a long-established company, which had deeply knowlegable staff that would do the Forex trading.

Yuko warned me that such companies are 'fly by night' entities and I made the tragic mistake of believing my friend over her, not knowing that he had been thoroughly brainwashed. What actually happened is that they let him do it, with next to no guidance, and he promptly lost a large sum of money of ours in just a couple of months and then suggested that I put more funds into the account and give him a chance to try again!

I was furious for weeks yet it is emotionally hard to press charges at a friend, even though I knew full well that he had been lying, be it under duress from the notorious fraudsters he worked for. So, in what was for me and hopefully him a dramatic resolution of the problem I forgave him for the lying, wanting him to make up for it through the good nature of his repentant heart rather than through legal duress- images of him languishing in a Japanese jail cell werer touubling to behold- if it would actually ever come to that, which I somehow doubt. (He since admitted that it was wrong to decieve us about what was gong on and says he is working on earning back the money he took through other investments, though this was about two years ago and I haven't seen a penny since!).