I support your cause, but not your protest

To:Youth For Palestine - Netherlands
Amsterdam
August 31, 2014


I was in Berlin the day before the World Cup final and found myself close to a demonstration of 2~3,000 pro-Palestinian demonstraters marching down the street (towards the US embassy). They had a few catchy rallying cries, in German, and they were actually thought-provoking. I even imagined joining their ranks as it is a worthy cause, despite the presence of a few black flags with Arabic writing (Isis has no monopoly on that symbol), and when asked to stop and talk with the police they complied without fuss. It seemed like a beautiful expression of democracy, unity and cooperation. Asked by the police to turn back as the road was blocked, they turned without incident.

Perhaps because of the ralliers' lack of German fluency, or a lack of agreement with the other chants, I noticed that one chant roused more voices and was screamed (screamed!) with vigour and aggression nothing else had matched, at least three times as many voices: The Takbir. At that moment all desire to empathise with the demonstrators evaporated and I felt anguish. I felt I would never be welcome, no matter how passionately I support the cause, and decided to leave.

I live next to the Blauwe Moskee in Slotervaart, Amsterdam and have enjoyed many a night in the last five years being sung to sleep by those beautiful words and other prayers as my neighbours come together for Iftar. Ramadan being in summer these last few years, I gladly leave my balcony door wide open to let the song in as I drift off. It brings this kaffir to a calm, pleasant place before I slumber.

Those five syllables were delivered by the demonstrators more as a threat than a unifying voice or call to morality as I believe they were first intended (correct me if I am wrong). It sickened me. It reminded me of TV images of people dancing in the streets after the towers fell. It was delivered alongside the Holocause Museum which, ten minutes earlier, had moved me to tears - that alone was disrespectful, but it changed the atmosphere from jubilant defiance to aggression. I realise this undercurrent of religion will be present at any demonstration of the kind, and it makes me so very sad.

It is the reason I won't be joining the demonstration in Dam Square on 3 August 2014, no matter how badly I want the Palestinians to break free of their oppressors, and for the world (but especially the USA) to recognise this South African's opinion that Israel perpetuates a modern Apartheid system - not because it is my opinion, but because it is so.

This is not the way...