Below is a short history of Islamophobia which rests on the assumption that the purpose of history was to produce Harry's Place:
First of all an early period when Islamic Empires and Christendom were on a level par (some people argue that it was only really with the industrial revolution in the late 18th century that the relationship became asymmetrical) and there was theologically motivated fear and xenophobia. Secondly during the period of Absolutism when land was a key resource to be fought over and Islamic Empires were seen as both a threat and an opportunity. Thirdly as Capitalism developes and an obsession emerges with arguing that Islamic Empires uniquely won't give concessions to European capitalists because of something essential about their nature (and wars are fought against these backward people), fourthly during the period of colonialism when rebellions against colonial rule were seen as inspired by these backward fanatics who for some strange reason rejected western progress. A massively historically dense and dispersed set of prejudices emerge on this basis (and are taken up almost unchanged by the Zionist movement which adds a kind of macabre post-script to this development). Fourthly all these prejudices are mobilised and combined with European anti-immigrant hysteria. Then comes 9.11 and the result is lots of liberal people think, 'huh, after all the bigotry was true' and begin writing 'brave' and 'courageous' articles to this effect. At some point Harry sets up Harry's Place.
And thats the story so far.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
israel...1091833,00.html
Thursday November 20, Jayyus
The farmers took the permits. Finally, they could not bear to watch their harvest die. And then the games began. Abdullatif Khalid, the engineer who runs the Emergency Centre at Jayyus, tells me he has just come back from a smallholding owned by four brothers. They are struggling to feed their flock of 150 sheep. Since the beginning of November they, like all the other farmers, have been dividing a day's food over five days. They are trying to slow down the process of starvation. Some of their ewes have miscarried and some of their lambs have died. They drive their sheep to the yellow steel gate in the barrier. They have their permits and the Israeli soldiers have no problem letting them through to their pasture. But they refuse to let in the sheep. They have no orders, they say, to let in sheep.
Khalid says that all the sheep owned by the village are going to starve, while their pastures lie across the Israeli security barrier. "Can somebody intervene here?" he asks. "You know when birds get stuck in oil slicks or whales get beached, everybody rushes to help them. Maybe helping the Palestinians is complicated. But the world could help the sheep. That should be simple."
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