Soccer Dad: Arun amok

January 11, 2008

Arun amok

Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, gives pacifism a bad name.

Here's a roundup of responses.

Shira bat Sarah (who brought this swill to my attention) writes in Family Tradition:

Why no calls from the Ghandis of the world for Arabs to lay down their arms? Why is there the implication that Jews and Israelis should not be allowed to defend themselves? Why do their words imply it is okay to have an open season on Jews?

In Arun Gandhi, disgrace of the third generation Solomonia writes:

Gramps suggested the Jews sacrifice themselves to the Nazis in the hope of exciting the sympathy of the world. Grandson apparently thinks the Jews of today should do the same, but goes further in blaming them for the state of the world. Amazing. Jewish identity doesn't depend on violence, but Jewish survival does. It's an inconvenient world.

Blog-o-fascists puts it simply:

Ignorance, bigotry...yes, anti-Semitism...thy name is Gandhi. How much dining out can you do on one famous last name?

Infidel Bloggers Alliance similarly observes Arun Gandhi: fruit doesn't fall far from the tree:

And to sum it up, let me pose this question:

Gahndi says,"the Jews should have offered themselves to the butcher's knife." So, how exactly does his philosophy differ, in practice, from that of Hitler?

Sometimes a picture says it best, and Force Duo does it with the Photoshop illustrating Gandhi's grandson, making his gramps proud!

Blogs of Zion writes:

It is apparent that Gandhi's legacy continues with his grandson Arun. Arun Gandhi ignores the real perpetrators of the "culture of violence" and excuses their behavior by using the Jews, Zionism, and Israel as scapegoats.

Reformed Pastor did a very serious fisking of the whole essay, in No one's fault tub their own:

Israel puts its faith in its military for an obvious reason: having been invaded by its neighbors on several occasions, been the object of almost daily bombardment for decades, been told by Hamas and others that there is no place in the Holy Land for Jews, seen Israel and Jews demonized on a virtually round-the-clock basis by its enemies, threatened with annihilation repeatedly, and condemned on a regular basis by the United Nations simply for defending itself, Israel knows what fools like Gandhi refuse to recognize, that it can depend only on itself and its own strength if it is to survive.

Backspin provides a short version of the fisking.

Shadow Warriors apply scorn liberally:

This from a guy who doesn't want to get a real job, and instead finds it more lucrative to go on the lifelong speaking-tour, lecturing everyone else about their moral inferiority to him.

Israelly Cool! observes that the grandson's feelings are Out in the Open:

Accusing the Jews of wanting the world to feel guilty about the Holocaust. Stating that Jews "repulse" friends. Calling Israel and the Jews the "biggest players" in creating a culture of violence.

I've got two words for you: anti-Semitism.

Barking Moonbat Warning System demands that we explain this:

Israelites get blown to bits for what, existing, and it's THEIR fault? I don't know what's more of a barf alert on this piece, the content or the source of this crap.

PoliGazette assigns some blame to the Washington Post:

Giving a voice to people who hold different opinions is all fine and dandy, but perhaps American news outlets could make an exception for anti-Semites? I can't see how drivel like this helps the debate.

Little Green Footballs looks beyond the younger Gandhi's words to the words of the commenters. What he sees is beyond the pale:

And the reader comments for this repulsive article are absolutely vile; the antisemites crawled out of the woodwork for this one.

Contentions.David Hazony spawns an excellent conversation on the topic of the Gandhis and mindless pacifism. It makes you wonder if Commentary might make Richard Grenier's "The Gandhi Nobody Knows" available. Powerline provides Grenier's summary.

Rubicon3 points out one possible consequence of such nonsense:

As if the Israelis wouldn't have jumped at the chance to be friends with their neighbors, coming off the horror of the Holocaust.

Such statements are damaging and do not help the cause of peace. On the contrary, they just encourage Islamic fundamentalist violence.

Gandhi has now issued an apology:

I do not believe and should not have implied that the policies of the Israeli government are reflective of the views of all Jewish people. Indeed, many are as concerned as I am by the use of violence for state purposes, by Israel and many other governments.

The ADL has weighed in.

I'd go much further. First of all the original implied nothing. It consisted of clearly stated beliefs. What Dr. Gandhi wrote is that Judaism is too rooted in the past and that the Israeli government in its actions, reflects that. So his response that not all Jews support Israeli actions, does nothing to contradict what he wrote in the first place. What he gives no consideration to - as many critics noted - is that Israel is responding to threats, not arbitrarily attacking innocents.

There is nothing unintentional in Gandhi's controversial entry. He meant every word. The ADL is wrong to ask him to apologize. He won't and he can't because he truly doesn't believe that there's anything wrong with what he wrote. He is only concerned with the way his words were (correctly) interpreted.

His morality is just as warped as his grandfather's.

Crossposted on Yourish.

arun gandhi, israel, judaism.