Religious extremists are the real concern

I am an American living in Thailand and am Jewish. I’ll tell you what I think is the reason US politicians, so many of whom happen to be vocal Republicans, stress the support of Israel. It is not that they love Jews. No, that historically has rarely been the case. It is not even for the state of Israel and its citizens. Rather it is the evangelical Christians who they are really appealing to, their electoral base. It is not to Jewish Americans. And frankly, many Jews in America do have concerns about the agenda of the right-wing evangelical Christian movement. Perhaps more than most other groups, aside obviously of the neo-nazi, white power, Jew-hating crazies that abound. 

If the evangelicals’ vision of the rapture is true, then what they are really awaiting is the end of the world and the death of all non-believers of Jesus Christ. As a Jew, these folks scare me more than a group of punks walking down a dark soi in any city here. As for the one billion Muslims in the world, most of whom are peaceful and misled by their leaders, it’s the armed jihadists I would justify moving against. But for the others, I would ask why they do not speak out against the hatred, incitement to murder and mayhem that those leaders call for. To murder innocent people is unforgivable. Where are the Muslim leaders who want peace for their children, for the world, that will speak out for it?

Win

Bangkok