A few facts on Middle East

I wonder if JC Wilson has ever lived in the Middle East, been to Israel or known any Muslims.

Firstly, northern Israel was not a desert. It is part of what is known as the Fertile Crescent and even today most of the Negev in the south still mostly remains desert. The Israeli settlers have not changed that.

The state of Israel was declared in 1948. It was not granted by the UN. Not all Palestinians are Muslims. There are some interesting Maronite churches in northern Israel along with Greek and Arab Orthodox in other parts of the region. Of course, the conflicts have led to a reduction of Christians in the Middle East.

Winston Churchill, in a letter to the American president during World War II, said victory would not be obtainable without the help of Muslims. In fact, many Muslims were recruited into the British-Indian Army, which played a major role in driving the Japanese out of Burma. Islam as a religion has two main divisions along with different sects. The extremist interpretation has been fuelled by sentiment stirred up by Western countries beginning with the Mujahideen in the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Before recent history, Islam was mostly seen as a tolerant religion.

The Palestinian-Israel question is complex, but it won’t be solved by the woeful ignorance of some letter writers.

Ian Martin