be enslaved


contributed to the growth of the alternative slave


trade from Africa. It was believed that there had


been several different creations of humanity. The


belief that other people belonged to a different


species continued to be held by some later


Enlightenment scholars, who tried to develop


systematic ways of categorising the races of mankind.


Racism and Empire


The success of the anti-slavery movements in the nineteenth century represented


something of a high point in efforts to contest extreme racist


beliefs. However, in the latter half of that century a new and more virulent


form of racism began to emerge in Europe, spearheaded by figures such


as Carlyle and Gobineau. It claimed scientific respectability for the idea


that human beings belonged to distinct and separate species. Each race


was seen as a self-reproducing biological group whose characteristics were


fixed forever with its own distinctive 'blood' and 'stock'. A scientific basis


was similarly claimed for the principle of arranging races into a hierarchy,


and physical differences were measured in order that groups could be


mapped on a


neo-Darwinian evolutionary tree, from 'primitive' to 'civilised'. Biological


reproduction within each group should be regulated, it was maintained, so


as to allow only the physically most superior to procreate, thereby improving


the racial stock. These theories were closely aligned with increased


European nationalism and with rising competition between the European


nation-states for a monopoly of markets, raw materials, colonial possessions


and world supremacy. Scientific racism spanned the


period of high


imperialism and two world wars - racial sentiments


were valuable supports for military mobilisation and


nationalistic fervour. This race-based nationalism interacted


with a race-based imperialism. In Britain, for


example, the Empire was frequently celebrated as the


achievement of an 'imperial race'. The revival of anti-


Semitism, leading to the pogroms against Jews in central


and Eastern Europe and Hitler's Final Solution,


was the climax of this pan-European trend.


Islam and racism


Racism involves stereotypes about difference and


inferiority, and the use of power to exclude, discriminate or subjugate. It


embraces the view that the human species can be scientifically divided into


different races and that differences between groups ultimately have a


biological or genetic basis. These views, though biologically discredited,


remain in much popular thinking about race and some scientists, usually


funded by right wing organisations, continue to make claims regarding the


links between genes and race.


On the contrary, it is now widely acknowledged that race is a social and


political construct, not a biological or genetic fact. Race cannot be used to


account for the wide range of differences between people. For instance,


we know there is more genetic variation within any one so-called race than


there is between 'races'. Moreover, it is now known that the human species


shares a common gene pool. All the while this issue of race was being


debated in Europe, the view in the Muslim world had already been made


Ask most people


Ask most people about racism and they will probably talk vaguely about


discrimination at work or in public attitudes to ethnic minorities. Only a few


will mention the verbal abuse which some people experience on a daily


basis, or the physical trauma suffered in racist attacks. But, racism is alive


and kicking and the situation is not getting any better. The level of racist


violence in the UK has risen dramatically in recent years, to an estimated


130,000 incidents a year. And a full 90% of these cases go unreported -


often because the victims have no confidence in the police or the judiciary.


The institutionalised prejudice that exists in some areas of the state system


is a major reason for the low levels of housing, education and job


opportunities which most minority groups face. People should not be


denied a fair chance.


In addition, the introduction of exclusive laws to keep migrants out of


'Fortress Europe' has condemned thousands of refugees to months or


even years of imprisonment while their cases are dealt with, even though


they have committed no crime. Some politicians and media figures continue


to portray minority or refugee communities as if they were a burden,


rather than highlighting the enormous, positive contribution they make to


the


societies in which they live. These misrepresentations reinforce stereotypes


carried over from the colonial era, and often go hand in hand with


negative media images of the Third World. In turn they encourage racially


motivated violence, and levels of abuse have been seen to increase when


public


figures openly attack minority groups.


The development of racism in Europe


From classical times, European thought has held onto a set of ideas and


images about the 'others'. The farther one moved from the centres of


'civilisation' - Greece and Rome - the more it was believed that Europe


was inhabited by strange and monstrous species: the 'wild' people of the


forests of the north; the 'barbarians' who could not speak Greek or Latin;


and the 'wild hordes' whose advance struck terror into the hearts of ordinary


folk. Europe was believed to be inhabited by what classical writers


like Herodotus and Pliny called the "monstrous races" - bizarre combinations


of human and animal forms, at one and the same time wondrous and


threatening. Anyone who did not belong within the known and familiar


communities - fools, beggars, nomads, witches, the very poor, widows, the


insane, even peasants from remote settlements - was vulnerable to negative


stereotyping. It was against these negative images of its 'others' that


European civilisation first defined itself.


In the Middle Ages, 'others' was extended to include Jews (portrayed as


betrayers of Christ), Muslims (portrayed as infidel enemies of Christian


Europe) and the Irish. As a result of voyages of exploration, bizarre ideas


of monstrous races were also applied to the new communities that they


came across. These ideas were consistently found in the accounts of the


explorers, such as Marco Polo, Sir John Mandeville,


Columbus, Vespucci and Sir Walter Raleigh. Within


a decade Europeans were debating before Charles


V, King of Spain, whether the Native Americans


were indeed human at all - did they have souls


and, if so, could they justifiably be enslaved? The


papal view that they did have souls and could not


“uncivilised foreigners!”


civilisation has arrived


ent individuals and ideologies in different places of


our globe and at different times. We know that


since the 18th century, when the Age of


Enlightenment had dawned, this idea has been


accepted and adopted as a principle or policy of


organised society. It is true that this idea was not


invented in the Qur'an. Muslims believe that this was


the teaching of all the prophets that God had sent to humanity, peace be


upon them all. But only through Islam has this idea ever been realised in


action over the centuries and among the most different and dissimilar


nations and races. An historian like Arnold Toynbee, who was not known to


be sympathetic to Muslims, wrote: "The extinction of race consciousness


between Muslims is one of the outstanding moral achievements of Islam,


and in the contemporary world there is, as it happens, a crying need for


the propagation of this Islamic virtue."


Islam's answer to racism did not remain as some pious exhortation, but


went on to sound the death knell of racial discrimination in much of the


world. This was signalled in the earliest days of Islam through the example


set by the final messenger of God, Muhammad(pbuh), and was to be


borne out by the subsequent events in the history of Muslim nations.


Muslim Spain represents a shining example of a progressive, cohesive and


advanced multicultural society, the like of which was never to be witnessed


in the world again. History bears testimony to the fact that Islam has,


uniquely and with no parallel from world religions and world civilisations,


overcome the problems of colour and racial prejudice.


Prophet Muhammad (# peace be upon him) - God's Messenger


There are instances galore in the life of the Prophet Muhammad#, which


show that he was the perfect exemplar, the beautiful pattern of conduct


that realised the principle of the oneness of humanity in both his personal


relations with his followers and with adherents of other faiths. We can


further appreciate how formidable a task it was to establish this principle


among his followers when we take into view the social conditions which


prevailed at the time. Arabian society was suffering from the same


conspicuous disease of racism and colour was not any less of a problem.


The Arabs regarded themselves as a superior race and they did not


recognise black skinned people except as slaves.


When, during the lifetime of Muhammad#, the Muslim community was


forced due to persecution to emigrate from Makkah to the city of Medina,


the Prophet# succeeded in establishing the first state in human history


based on basic human rights and respect for all races. From that point on,


the state was to appoint the best and brightest of the community without


regard to social background, wealth or race. Throughout his life, the


Prophet# constantly observed and strictly opposed racist tendencies


among his people. On one occasion, a companion of the Prophet# once


derogatorily called another companion Bilal, the "son of a black woman!"


The Prophet# on hearing this severely reprimanded the caller, saying: "Do


you condemn him because of the blackness of his mother? You are certainly


a man of ignorance, blindly following inherited


practices!"


And the Prophet# also declared: "People


descend from Adam, and Adam was made out of


dust. There is no superiority for an Arab over a


clear through the verses of the Holy Qur'an, God's


final revelation to


humanity, revealed to prophet Muhammad some


six centuries after prophet Jesus (may God's


peace be upon be them).


"And humanity is naught but a single nation"Qur'an 2:213


"O human beings! Be conscious of your Sustainer, who created


you out of one living entity and out of it created its mate, and


out of the two spread abroad a multitude of men and women."


Qur'an 4:1


Islam teaches that all human beings have a common origin, and that


because of their common origin, the whole of humanity is one family, one


nation. Human brotherhood is thus a real one. We all trace our ancestry


back to one and the same mother and father. The Qur'an, however, does


not shy away from or deny that there are differences in human beings


regarding their colour, language and other features. In fact, it affirms and


recognises these differences. But in the Qur'an these differences say


something of the greatness of God rather than of the greatness or


superiority of one colour, or language, or group of people over the other:


"And among God's signs is the creation of the heavens and the


earth, and the variations and diversity of your tongues and of


your colour; truly in that are signs for those who know" Qur'an 30:22


Here, inquisitive minds are made curious about the world at large. Far from


being described as a source of danger, diversity in nature is given as


something to be admired and marvelled at. Modern science may confirm


the unity of all human beings, but the Qur'an goes further to explain why -


what is the object and purpose of this division. It also provides us with the


one and only criterion or standard by which a person is judged by God:


"O human beings! We created you from a single (pair) of a male


and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may


know one another not that you may despise each other, truly the


most honoured of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of


you, and God has full knowledge and is well acquainted with all


things" Qur'an 49:13


This standard is neither colour, language, social standing, wealth nor


degree of intelligence. It is something which lies within the reach of every


human being, regardless, if only they made an effort to cultivate it within


themselves: righteousness! Righteousness is moral greatness and the


careful observance of duty towards God and one's fellow human beings.


The concept and idea of the oneness of humanity is Islam's unique


contribution to human civilisation, and it came as a natural sequel to its


cardinal doctrine: the unity of God. God is the God of all the worlds,


dealing with all of us alike, no matter what language we speak, what colour


we are or to what parentage we may belong.


Not a new idea? You might want to point


out that the idea of racial equality and human


brotherhood is not the exclusive property of Islam


- that such ideas have been proclaimed by differ-


“O human beings!”


Muslim Spain has no parallel


equality before God


America needs to understand Islam, because this is


the one religion that erases from its society the


race problem. Throughout my travels in the


Muslim world, I have met, talked to, and even


eaten with people who in America would have


been considered 'white' - but the 'white' attitude was


removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I


have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practised by all


colours together, irrespective of their colour."


A human weakness


To say that Muslims had managed to completely eradicate the scourge of


racism from themselves would be as presumptuous as to assert that


Muslims had managed to defeat evil itself. Considering the weakness of


human nature, some racist stains on the Muslim world were inevitable as


communities weakened in faith, and became less mindful of God and less


thankful for His countless favours and blessings.


Racism, then, is a human weakness. It still exists in all parts of the world


and manifests itself in many forms. Sometimes it appears as abuse or


physical attacks, which could be as serious as murder, assault or torture.


Racism is also manifest in discrimination, which could be in terms of state


welfare, education, employment, housing, court justice or in politics. In


many countries around the world this sort of racism is rife - discrimination


on the basis of colour or caste or family background. Racism is also hidden


within the ideologies of nationalism, tribalism, fascism, nazism and anti-


Semitism.


Race and culture


Over the centuries all forms of racism have had - and continue to have


another two separate but intertwining strands. One, biological racism, uses


physical or biologically derived signs as a way of recognising difference -


skin colour, hair, features, body type, and so on. The other, cultural racism,


uses cultural features, such as customs, language and dress. The two


strands usually appear together, but they combine in distinct ways, with


one or other prominent at different times and in different contexts. The


result is a focus on outer signs and features of a particular grouping of


people.


Islam teaches that it is not the outward forms that are important but the


inner values and principles. There are more than one billion Muslims all


over the world and they have many different cultures, customs, languages


and types of dress. There is no particular culture that is inherently more


Islamic than another. A European Muslim brought up in a European culture


is no less of a Muslim than an Asian or African Muslim brought up in an


Asian or African culture. In fact as the faith of Islam spread throughout the


world, the people who became Muslims did not discard their own distinctive


cultures but adapted them to adhere to the values and principles that take


them closer to God. These principles include the notions of equality, justice,


the rule of law and the sanctity of life, for Islam regards


these as universal values. Islam is as much a western


religion as it is an eastern religion.


non-Arab, neither for a white man over a black man, except the superiority


gained through righteousness and God-consciousness."


The reverence which Muslims hold for Prophet Muhammad# meant that


this declaration was to shape the general attitude of Muslims, right to the


present day.


Unity through prayer


Among the measures introduced to level the differences of rank or colour


among the steadily growing community, perhaps prayer ought to be


mentioned in particular. Five times a day Muslims meet together for prayer.


Among the first Muslims were members of the noblest Arab families as


well as a good number of black slaves. At prayers they all stood in rows,


shoulder to shoulder before God. And when during the course of prayer,


they prostrated before their Lord, it might well have been that the head of


an Arab noble praying in a row behind a slave rested at the latter's feet!


And so it was impressed on their minds that they were all equal before


God. The human heart once moulded in this way led to the natural consequence


that all citizens genuinely enjoyed equal status in society.


The Hajj


The annual pilgrimage, or Hajj, is a fundamental religious practice


performed by Muslims. This huge assembly of believers in God, the


gathering together of a multitude of worshippers from all five continents on


a single desert plain, is perhaps the most spectacular expression, symbol,


and proof of the unity and equality of human beings before God. There, for


all to see, is a multitude of men, women and children, close to 2 million in


number, and from every race in the world. Every person is dressed alike,


eliminating completely all marks and signs of distinction: the mighty and


the wealthy cannot be distinguished from the poor and the lowly. Here they


come, brother unto brother, sister unto sister, bearing witness to the


brotherhood and sisterhood of humankind, to the equality of all human


beings before their Creator.


The intense feeling of universal brotherhood and peace of the Hajj even


liberated a black activist like Malcolm X from his previously aggressive


racism. His youth was characterised by crime and drugs, but he turned his


back on that life and became one of the most outspoken and charismatic


speakers against the injustice and racism suffered by black people in the


USA. However, he had come to believe that all 'whites' were evil and only


'blacks' were good. Although he considered himself a ‘Muslim’, he did not


really know the teachings of Islam. Then he took the opportunity to perform


the Hajj, and this was to change his thinking forever:


"Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and the overwhelming


spirit of true brotherhood as is practised by people of all colours and races


here in this ancient holy land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad, and all


the other prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been


utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I


see displayed all around me by people of all


colours...There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from


all over the world. They were of all colours, from the


blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we


were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit


of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America


had led me to believe never could exist between white


and non-white.


transformed


much in common


Serbia in the 90s

ferentiated by class, region and religion as well as by culture, ethnicity and


race. Assimilation is a fantasy, for there is no single culture into which all


people can be incorporated. In any case, it seldom leads to complete


acceptance, for the demand for assimilation springs from intolerance of difference,


and for the intolerant even one difference is one too many.


One of the major reasons why total assimilation has become unacceptable


is that it cannot be justified morally. It attempts to suppress difference and


condemns to second-class citizenship, in fact if not in law, everyone who


does not accept majority norms. It actually encourages the opposite: isolation.


There are many reasons why some immigrants have become more isolated


than others. Certainly it has to be acknowledged that it is a complex two-way


process. Racism forces some people into isolation, and this fosters nothing


but ignorance, reinforcing prejudices, encouraging mistrust, mutual suspicion


and hate (and so the cycle continues). Perhaps also because Muslims


do not wear their religion lightly, some Muslims are concerned that assimilation


necessarily means abandoning the principles and values of their religion.


Whilst fear of losing something precious is understandable, cutting


oneself away from society to become isolated from others is not a characteristic


of Islam. It can give a false impression to observers of take, take,


take, giving nothing in return - and this is not in the teachings of Islam.


Instead, Islam requires Muslims to take a full part in their society, to


contribute to society, culturally, economically and politically. Historically


speaking, over the centuries, whenever Muslims have travelled to other


lands, they have learned the languages and customs of their societies and


inter-married with the people without abandoning their values and


principles. This is the reason why Islam continues to exist in many different


societies around the world in a variety of cultures. The whole debate,


however, is rapidly being superseded by the growing number of children


born and brought up in Britain, and the growing number of converts to


Islam who are all in the process of forging a new British Muslim culture -


feeling both totally Muslim and totally British.


Nationalism


This forging of a new British Muslim culture would make some people very


uncomfortable and one of the most common questions is that of loyalty.


Where does the loyalty of Muslims lie? Is it to their religion or is it to their


country? For Muslims the answer is quite simple and it is to be found in the


teachings of the Qur'an. Loyalty is to God. What this means is that loyalty


is to what is right and just and fair. There is no concept in Islam of “my


country right or wrong” nor of “my religion, right or wrong”. It is a matter of


conscience, and what is important is what is in the interests of all of us, of


the human race and of the planet earth, not the self-centred interests of


one group of people over another. Muslims are duty bound to be loyal, to


serve their family, their neighbours, their society and the country where


they live - but it is not a blind loyalty; that would be morally indefensible.


The last two thirds of the 20th century have made more people refugees


than any other century before due to that kind of blind, raging nationalism,


usually accompanied by religious or ethnic reasons. Just remember the


exodus of uncounted Jews from Europe; the expulsion of 11 million


Germans from Eastern Europe; the bloody population exchange between


India and Pakistan; the many Palestinians who have been scattered all


over the world; the flight of the Bosnians and Kosovars; and of the Hutus


and Tutsis. The 20th century was indeed the century of displaced persons,


Immigration


Much of the debate on racism in Europe is closely linked with the


phenomena of mass migration in the late twentieth century. People


confused Islam with the different cultures that many Muslims in Europe


had brought with them. Ironically some of these people flee to the West to


escape the cruel dictatorial regimes that are partly being supported


through the 'ethical' foreign policies of some Western governments. The


issue is also surrounded by 'immigration myths' propagated by racist


groups. Myths built around emotive subjects such as the number or 'flood'


of immigrants, Britain being overcrowded, or immigrants taking people's


jobs and running down the inner city areas. The facts are that since 1964


more people have left Britain each year than have entered and of those


that enter, there are more white than non-white by a ratio of 2:1. The nonwhite


population is actually just 5% of the total population, less than in


other major western European countries, some of which are more densely


populated. Far from taking people's jobs, immigration has proven to be a


boost for a country's economy by creating wealth and more jobs, and by preventing


vital public services (transport, NHS etc.) from grinding to a halt.


Unemployment is caused by changes in the economy (recessions), not


because people are coming into Britain. Some of the lowest unemployment


Britain has had this century was in the 1950s when immigration into Britain


was at its highest level since WWII. Bad housing conditions existed long


before 'black' immigrants, and urban decay has existed in Britain since the


Industrial Revolution. Nobody expects that the UK or any other country will


relax border controls completely and let everybody in who wants to. But


the case against controlled immigration continues to grow even weaker as


Britain's birth rate declines.


Integration: "Them and us"


In reality racists hide behind immigration myths because they really don't


mind immigration as long as it is 'white' immigration. Some still continue to


believe in the existence of 'pure' racial groups. In truth they are detached


from reality for the human race cannot in fact be divided in this way. No


such groups exist. The history of the human race and of every region in


the world is one of invasion, conquest, migration and so on - and Britain


was no exception.


Amuch more common reason against non-white immigration given nowadays


is that “they” don't fit in with “our” way of life. On the face of it, this


sounds reasonable: If you're going to live here, then you must learn the language,


obey the law and contribute to society. Certainly for Muslims, none


of this is objectionable, indeed it is a requirement according to Islamic


teachings, for Muslims to do so. But some people would prefer immigrants


not to try and amend an unfair law, or to pass on knowledge of their heritage


to their children so that, for example, grandparents can speak to their


grandchildren. They would prefer them to change so utterly that, bar the


colour of their skin, they would be indistinguishable from anyone else in


society. The uneasy assumption behind all this is that a


mono-cultural society is better than a multicultural society,


whereas history shows us that the opposite is true.


Successful nations have always been pluralistic, tolerant


of others, allowing diversity, ensuring the continuing


adaptability and survivability of the society. The other


problem with this assimilationist view is that Britain is


not and never has been a homogenous and unified


whole - it contains many conflicting traditions and is dif-


Islamophobia


The term Islamophobia refers to unfounded hostility towards Islam. It


refers also to the practical consequences of such hostility in unfair discrimination


against Muslim individuals and communities, and to the exclusion of


Muslims from mainstream political and social affairs. There are those who


would say that the use of this term panders to what they call 'political


correctness' and that it stifles debate and criticism of Islam. But there is a


difference between debate on the one hand, and prejudice or hostility on


the other. The difference can be seen, for example, when Islam or Muslims


are discussed as a monolithic entity, or as inherently inferior, or as the


'other', or as the 'enemy', rather than recognised as being diverse, dynamic


and different but equal.


Anti-Muslim racism has been a feature of European culture at least since


the Crusades, but has taken different forms at different times. In modern


Britain its manifestations include discrimination in recruitment and


employment practices; high levels of attacks on mosques and on people


wearing Muslim religious dress; widespread negative stereotypes in all


sections of the press, including broadsheets and tabloids; bureaucratic


obstruction or inertia in response to Muslim requests for greater cultural


sensitivity in education and healthcare; and non-recognition of Muslims by


the law of the land, since discrimination on grounds of religion or belief is


not unlawful.


Islam - the very anti-thesis to racism.


Muslims cannot possibly afford to rest on the laurels of the exemplary


anti-racist teachings of their faith. Not only did God's final


revelation, Islam, succeed in bringing racial harmony among the


people with whom it came into contact, it is also true that much


of the success of Islam in various parts of the world goes to the


credit of this Islamic virtue. It is the duty of the Muslims, now


more than ever, to understand that their survival and the survival


of the world rests to a large degree on the propagation and promotion


of this Islamic virtue. A virtue that provides humanity with


the spiritual and moral foundation on which lasting peace and


mutual trust and respect among the nations of the world can be


built. The curse of racism and narrow-minded nationalism have


been and still are responsible for many of the troubles of the


ancient and modern world. Islam is, first and foremost, a universal


religion founded on belief in the oneness of God, that stands


for the equality and unity of humankind. To return to God is to


sweep away the curse of racism.


and against this bloody background of recent date, we hardly need to


recall other monstrosities like the systematic extermination of Native


Americans in the 18th and 19th century and black slavery in the USA until


the civil war.


Patriotism has been described as a non-aggressive form of nationalism


that expresses one's loyalty to the country in which they live, and so is


nothing more than family feelings extended toward 'kin and tribe'. What is


important is that human beings commit themselves to a higher moral ideal


that curbs excessive feelings and leads them towards justice. God says in


the Qur'an:


"O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses


to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your


kin, and whether it be against rich or poor; for God can best


protect both. Follow not the lusts of your hearts, lest you


swerve, and if you distort justice or decline to do justice, truly


God is well acquainted with all that you do." Qur'an 4:135


Anti-Semitism and Zionism


Anti-Semitism is the adherence to views or practices directed against the


interests, legal rights, religious practices, or lives of Jews. This is clearly a


racist notion and has no place in Islam, for the Qur'an commands upholding


the rights of the Jewish people. Zionism was a secularist and nationalistic


transformation of an aspiration basic to orthodox Judaism to establish the


Jewish nation in Palestine in reaction to the Czarist persecution of Russian


and Polish Jewry and to other outbursts of Anti-Semitism. The only


alternative to persecution, it was argued, was to found a Jewish state. The


fundamental flaw in the idea was that it required the political or physical


expulsion of the Palestinians, who had nothing to do with the pogroms of


Europe, to make way for the emigrating European Jews. It is quite possible


to be against anti-Semitism and to be against Zionism at the same time.


The Palestinians should not be made to suffer for someone else's crimes.


Two wrongs cannot make a right.


Zionism today describes the organised sympathies and support in the


West, especially in the USA, for Israel and also the efforts of Soviet Jewry


to emigrate to Israel. It has resulted in the occupation of Palestinian land,


the plundering of their resources, in continued expansion by bulldozing and


illegal settlements, and Israeli state terrorism on the Palestinian people for


more than 50 years. The Zionist movement is a pure colonial movement


that has misused Judaism to serve its unlawful purposes, and still does.


Zionism is neither a representation of Judaism nor a fulfilment of a Judicial


prophecy. Decades of Zionist propaganda have misrepresented Zionism as


a progressive, modern force bringing civilization to an arid, uninhabited


wasteland. Such an image is an illusion; Zionism is an apartheid philosophy.


It was not only land that was needed to reach Zionism's goal, but land


without another people in the majority. Since Palestinian Arabs were by far


the majority throughout the period up to Israel's establishment as a Jewish


state in 1948, the Zionist state could emerge only by denying the majority


its rights or by becoming the majority, either through


immigration, or through reducing the number of


Palestinians by ethnic cleansing. This is what has


been going on in the region and is continuing to


happen right now.