The Ishmael comment puzzles me. The article is clearly critical of Islam and the accomplishments of Arab Muslim culture in the middle east. He seems to pull it out of thin air, comparing Southerners who blame the problems of the South on Yankees of two centuries ago to Muslims who blame their problems on Jews. I'm not sure it's a legitimate comparison, he's at best talking about a small subset of Southerners who to my knowledge may talk conspiracies of sorts at a BBQ, but don't strap bombs on their children. My best guess, it might be an Arkansas thing.
In truth, I don’t know enough about either player to make a rational response. Greenberg may be a good guy. I haven’t consciously read enough about him to know. Perhaps I should have and it’s my own fault here, but it is still true.
As for Ajami, here’s another guy I’m not knowledgeable about. The comments quoted in Greenberg’s article seem sound enough. Evidently Ajami does recognize weaknesses/failings in the Arab world. I’m just not sure he hasn’t addressed the evils of America as well.
As for the Southern States being comparable to the Arab world, it’s bogus on several counts.
Someone on the tread touched on the fact that Southerners don’t strap bombs to themselves and blow themselves up in crowded public places. I think it’s also notable that when the Southerners did feel that the North had gone astray, they didn’t conduct a war of terrorist and anarchist dreams come true. They adopted a military uniform declared their sovereignty, and fought face to face with their enemy.
Agree or disagree with the policies of the South, they conducted themselves by honorable (if you can ever say that about war) accepted tactics.
There are times when people try to be all-encompassing to curry favor with readers. It’s a ploy that says, “See, I am even honest about our own shortcomings. I’m not just taking others to task.” In this instance, Greenberg went toi far.
I don’t buy into his comparison of the South to the Arab condition.
Granted there may be some pockets of contempt for the North today, but there is contempt between high school student bodies. It’s human nature to dis some other group. It’s irrational on the face of it, but it is normal. Every nation in the world experiences this. It’s just human nature.
We could say the South compares to the Brits, or the French, or the Germans, or the Russians, or the Chinese, or the Japanese. In each culture, region, or town, there are people who blame their fate on someone or something else.
The good thing is that this more often than not doesn’t materialize into anything tangible. I think most folks realize that although this silly situation exists, in most instances it isn’t acted on.
Of course it is at times though. These are the places where hot spots surface around the world. No place does it surface like it does in the Islamic world though.
Our South like the Arab (read that Islamic) nations? Wow, is he off base.
Terrorists
Suicide bombers
Mutilating their women’s sex organs
Treating Women like cattle
Killing private citizens en mass
Stoning women because they were raped
Beating them if they don’t remain covered in public
Trying to kill all Jews
Attacking Israel without provication
Swearing an oath to not stop until Israel is pushed into the Sea
Greenberg made a bit of a mistake here. He stuck both feet in his mouth. Sad really...