Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., January 09, 2008 Shvat 2, 5768 | | Israel Time: 17:02 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 10:07 07/12/2007
Self Test: Are you a fanatic on the Middle East?
By Bradley Burston
Tags: Bradley Burston, fanatics 

Ask fanatics whether they are fanatics, and the answer they are likely to give is a calm No.

It's an honest answer. It reflects a self-conception of clear thinking, unsullied judgment, broad knowledge, and political consistency.

The fact that it is often dead wrong never seems to intrude. It's a primary perk of the genuinely extreme.

So how can you possibly tell if you are, in fact, a fanatic? As a start, take the following self-test.

Part One [30 Points]: True or False - The more I learn about the Israeli-Arab conflict, the clearer it becomes.

Part Two [70 Points]: The following are a list of Seven Deadly Sins of the Mideast. For each, answer the following question, regarding the two sides of the Israeli-Arab divide, with respect to the side that ethnicity, religion, lineage, and/or sentiment place you on.

A. The other side is constantly guilty of this sin.
B. Both sides are often guilty of this sin.
C. The other side is flagrantly guilty of this sin, and my side is often and unjustly accused of it.
D. My side is flagrantly guilty of this sin, and the other side is often and unjustly accused of it.

1. Gall

Example: In an interview on the eve of a state visit to London in late October, Saudi King Abdullah accused Britain of failing to act strongly enough to combat international terrorism. He told the BBC that most countries, Britain included, did not view terrorism seriously enough.

"It will take 20 to 30 years to defeat the scourge of terrorism with vigilant effort," he said. "And I strongly urge all countries in the world, including Great Britain, to take the matter of fighting terrorism very, very seriously."

This, from the nation which remains the world's pre-eminent source of funding for terrorism.

This, from the royal family which spawned - and until he turned his guns around to face them, sponsored - Osama Bin Laden.

This, from the country which brought you 15 of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11, 2001, and which did precious little about it afterward.

2. Sanctimony

Example: June, 2006. Seven Palestinian civilians are killed in an explosion in Gaza. It may have been an errant artillery shell, a buried artillery shell, or some other explosive. Israel's response is instinctive.

"The IDF is the most moral army in the world," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tells his cabinet.

"It does not and never has made a policy of targeting civilians."

ASIDE: Let us, for the moment, put aside the debate comparing intentional versus incidental killing of civilians. Let us consider, instead, the possibility that the only truly moral army is the one which never faces an enemy, one which never fires a shot. One which is never at war.

Those who have served in the IDF will attest both to acts of extraordinary humanity under fire, and egregious acts of gratuitous cruelty in carrying out the duties of occupation. Neither, strictly speaking, are policy. They are a reflection of the broad autonomy of action granted Israeli commanders and soldiers.

3. Obscenities of Honor

Example: From a 1998 article http://www.merip.org/mer/mer206/ruggi.htm on Honor Killings in Palestine by journalist Suzanne Ruggi in the Middle East Report:

"Every year, hundreds of women and girls are murdered in the Middle East by male family members. The honor killing-the execution of a female family member for perceived misuse of her sexuality-is a thorny social and political issue. Palestinian activists campaigning for equality find it difficult to stop the killings altogether. Legitimacy for such murders stems from a complex code of honor ingrained in the consciousness of some sectors of Palestinian society."

"The family constitutes the fundamental building-block of Palestinian society. Family status is largely dependent upon its honor, much of which is determined by the respectability of its daughters, who can damage it irreparably by the perceived misuse of their sexuality."

4. Obscenities of Victimhood
THE MECHANISM: [Repeat until convinced]
I am the victim. I am the only victim. There is no other victim before me. The other side, if it suffers, has brought this suffering on itself. The other side, if it suffers, cannot know how my side has suffered immeasurably more. The other side, if it suffers, deserves it.

5. Racism
ASIDE: Examples are legion. In many areas of the Middle East, Muslims of Arab origin mistreat Muslims of African origin, calling them "slave," shunning them or, in cases like Sudan, slaughtering them.

In Israel, there is an elaborate, multi-tiered pecking helix of racism and mutual hatreds, among them the Ashkenazi-Sephardi divide, the Jewish-Arab divide, and local feuds along such ethic lines as Jews of Russian, Moroccan and Ethiopian origin.

6. Obscenities of Higher Law, or, Claiming God's Will for Immoral Acts
MECHANISM: Holy men sanction and legitimize violence against innocents and against institutions of religious denominations they oppose.

7. Lust for Vengeance
Fill in your favorite.
SCORING

Part One: True - 30 Points. False ? 0.
Part Two: For every C or D answer, 10 points. For every A answer, 5 Points. For every B answer, 0 points.

70 Points and above: Congratulations. You are a true fanatic.
40-65 Points: You are conflicted, and may find yourself envying the conviction and apparent happiness of the fanatic.
Less than 40 points: You are doomed to a certain level of woe. You are the true victim of the Seven Deadly Sins - a moderate.

______________



Previous blogs:

People who hate the very idea of peace
Nine reasons Annapolis will succeed
A kinship of genocide
Dying of occupation - a case of cancer and the Israeli right
Palestine, and the crime of being a Jewish state
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Oh Hillary
Clinton throws everything but the kitchen sink at New Hampshire.
Jewel of the Crown
Diamond billionaire Lev Leviev buys most expensive property ever sold in Britain.
  1.   ALL KILLINGS ARE INTENTIONAL 10:34  |  Sam 07/12/07
  2.   People like Bradley are why I can`t be an anti-Israel fanatic 10:39  |  Michael 07/12/07
  3.   who is absolutely normal 11:03  |  a Jew 07/12/07
  4.   Bradley is a little confused today 11:41  |  The Arab Hammer 07/12/07
  5.   Ah Sam a true moderate 11:45  |  fanny the fanatic 07/12/07
  6.   FANNY, WHO`S FAULT IS IT? 12:08  |  Sam 07/12/07
  7.   Burston, I dislike you categories... 12:55  |  Teresa-Maria (Tess) 07/12/07
  8.   bradley bereft of common sense raises the wrong questions 13:13  |  victor hardman 07/12/07
  9.   I think I`m fairly neutral 13:48  |  Chris Linthwaite 07/12/07
  10.   A passionate fanatic, you bet, and proud of it!!! 14:02  |  Virginia 07/12/07
  11.   #4 Arab Hammer 14:05  |  Awake 07/12/07
  12.   You May Be A Conventional Israeli Leftist If... 14:11  |  Yoram 07/12/07
  13.   WHY BRADLEY? 14:12  |  indrajaya 07/12/07
  14.   Tess, Then you are a passionate fanatic like me. 14:25  |  Virginia 07/12/07
  15.   Confusion, conflict, core values 14:36  |  B 07/12/07
  16.   The real telling moment... 14:43  |  Nik "Banned" Miller 07/12/07
  17.   8 Victor scoring over 100 points on Bradley`s fanatic scale. 14:46  |  Michael 07/12/07
  18.   Linthwaite 14:53  |  fanny the fanatic 07/12/07
  19.   THE TRUTH IS NOT IN THE MIDDLE 14:59  |  Ben A 07/12/07
  20.   # 9 Linthwaite on being neutral 15:12  |  Lynn 07/12/07
  21.   Arab Hammer...what he is saying is..... 15:14  |  Lynn 07/12/07
  22.   Chris Linthwaite and definitions 15:20  |  ZISD 07/12/07
  23.   YES THEY DO 15:29  |  Neil Golan 07/12/07
  24.   Who says so ? 15:34  |  Naji Benaji 07/12/07
  25.   Palestinain`s,Arab parents,and Muslem`s 15:37  |  Mecca 07/12/07
  26.   #10 Makes my case 15:42  |  Chris Linthwaite 07/12/07
  27.   no room for fanatics 15:42  |  mecca 07/12/07
  28.   A sporting Attempt Bradley 15:44  |  FOX 07/12/07
  29.   Wisdom? 15:44  |  Me, mecca 07/12/07
  30.   Hamas Re-think your actions 15:46  |  ACHMAD 07/12/07
  31.   Fanatics 15:53  |  Tina 07/12/07
  32.   Yes. I am a fanatic... 15:57  |  bat yam 07/12/07
  33.   Chris Lintwaite, An Important Life Lesson 15:58  |  FOX 07/12/07
  34.   Pal`s , take positive actions 16:01  |  Moe 07/12/07
  35.   Palestinian brothers Repent, rethink re evaluate! 16:04  |  Yasir 07/12/07
  36.   ISLAMIC NOT 16:08  |  Neil 07/12/07
  37.   yes 16:13  |  YES 07/12/07
  38.   HAMAS????????????????? 16:17  |  Neil 07/12/07
  39.   No Test Needed 16:18  |  Tony Anthony 07/12/07
  40.   MOHAMED SPEAKS TO HAMAS 16:19  |  MOE 07/12/07
  41.   My current "guilt factor": Israel 61 % Palestinians 39 % 16:22  |  Swiss (Dino) 07/12/07
  42.   # 19, The Truth in Not in the Middle 16:23  |  Andrew 07/12/07
  43.   Mohamed said! 16:23  |  Achmad 07/12/07
  44.   Mohamed said! 16:23  |  Achmad 07/12/07
  45.   WHOLE ARAB-ISRAEL CONFLICT EXPLAINED IN LESS THAN 20 LINES 16:30  |  G. Marcus 07/12/07
  46.   #17 o to see oosells as others see us michael 16:32  |  victor hardman 07/12/07
  47.   A Bonus Question 17:05  |  Tosefta 07/12/07
  48.   Chris 17:19  |  Albert Seligman 07/12/07
  49.   Fanatical about the Mideast ...... Perhaps I am.... 17:32  |  Dagma 07/12/07
  50.   Yes. I am a fanatic... 17:59  |  bat yam 07/12/07
  51.   # Little correction to my # 34 18:03  |  Swiss (Dino) 07/12/07
  52.   #33 Fox 18:05  |  Chris Linthwaite 07/12/07
  53.   #48 Albert Seligman 18:10  |  Chris Linthwaite 07/12/07
  54.   46 Not sure I`ve ever been called a fanatic before Vicky 18:13  |  Michael 07/12/07
  55.   I`m not calling myself a fanatic until Brad Burston shows us what 18:49  |  Jacob Blues 07/12/07
  56.   I am a Fanatic too and undersandably so. 19:00  |  Natasha 07/12/07
  57.   It`s not a game with equal teams 19:17  |  Jasmine Murphy 07/12/07
  58.   re #2 `People like Bradley...` 19:18  |  Colin Wright 07/12/07
  59.   All right, so what did everyone actually score? 19:24  |  Colin Wright 07/12/07
  60.   #56 Natasha 19:25  |  tbora 07/12/07
  61.   A better bonus question 19:28  |  Jacob Blues 07/12/07
  62.   I am a fanatic too and understandably so. 19:29  |  Natasha 07/12/07
  63.   Chris - answer 19:30  |  Albert Seligman 07/12/07
  64.   Who Cares - The LORD 19:40  |  Shechinah 07/12/07
  65.   #47 Ghastly Impostor is a fanatic 20:03  |  Genuine Tosefta 07/12/07
  66.   I must be a True Fanatic gauging by Bradley Burston 20:03  |  Dolly 07/12/07
  67.   Bradley Burstein doesn`t give his score on the quiz 20:06  |  Genuine Tosefta 07/12/07
  68.   Natasha 62, so why did G-d throw most of the Jews out of Israel? 20:36  |  Michael 07/12/07
  69.   My test results 20:49  |  Morris Valentine 07/12/07
  70.   Chris Linthwaite #9 why you are not neutral 20:56