Brian Moore67 said:So, you’ve got these anti-Israel propaganda types out there claiming it’s an apartheid state—basically saying they’re running some kind of Holocaust against Muslims—but then, get this, thousands of people fleeing conflicts within Muslim nations are actually heading straight for Israel. Like, seriously? If their rhetoric was actually true, why would anyone run toward it? It just doesn't add up!
Check this out—570 people from Darfur fled to Israel:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...413031,00.html
And then, just last night, 39 Sudanese refugees were caught trying to sneak into Israel illegally—meaning they weren't even looking to follow asylum protocols, they were just trying to cross the border under the cover of darkness:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...413775,00.html
Even 700 Palestinians from Gaza are trying to escape Hamas by heading into Israel:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...413744,00.html
I mean, I don't remember hearing about folks fleeing to South Africa or trying to scale walls to get into Nazi Germany, right? It's wild!
So, from what I know, Black people weren't even fleeing South Africa. On the contrary, South Africa held out against sanctions for a long time because, despite the segregation, they were hiring Black workers. People from neighboring countries would actually come there for work. Sure, the pay was lousy, but they had jobs and could even afford to educate their kids.
The truth is, Black people were actually fleeing *to* a much more stable South Africa from countries torn apart by wars fought for American or Soviet interests. Places where even Cuba was sending aid in terms of manpower and military gear!
Brian, sorry to break it to you, but you're barking up the wrong tree with the South Africa stuff.That isn't a great example to use. Some of us remember things a bit better, even if we don't have the English skills to drop a link to prove it!
Basically, almost all of Africa was a war zone back then. Just look at
Congo and Angola—those are classic examples. I even saw Black Angolan soldiers being treated in a hospital in Chicago once! Nobody really talked about it openly, but everyone knew the US was involved, playing both sides of the fence.
P.S. Don't go saying I've just been brainwashed by some old propaganda machine regarding JAR.
I figured this out myself by digging through different sources and reading between the lines. Plus, there were plenty of Black students around. Some of them found ways to hang out privately. I actually had a bit of a shock once when one guy told me that the dictatorship in Spain felt less intense than what we had here! He was from a wealthy, high-class family but was still on our scholarship. He used to travel to New York just to get his hair cut because the local barbers didn't know how to handle Black hair! Between him and his Arab neighbors, I got a totally different perspective. Most of them were Protestant! At least the ones I met through my landlady and her daughter who was a student. I was a tenant, and she basically dragged me everywhere. I was like her little shadow, in a way. Her mom loved hosting Black folks—that’s how she put it—especially during the winter. A lot of them were seeing snow for the first time! She thought it was fascinating. The Black Muslims didn't really try to bridge the gap. Only one guy shared things with me that sounded totally unbelievable compared to what our Muslims believe. But those Protestants tried to explain their relationships within the same country and same skin color.
Anyway, most Black people back then couldn't read or write, so they had no clue about the segregation politics. We only ever heard official news about the groups that were already organized around
Mandela in JAR itself.