Do you agree with this Martin Luther King quote please look inside?

Question

When approached by a student who attacked Zionism, Dr. King responded: “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You're talking anti-Semitism.”

Source: Seymour Martin Lipset, “The Socialism of Fools—The Left, the Jews and Israel,” Encounter, (December 1969), p. 24.

I personally agree with it.

Answer 1

I think Thomas Friedman said it best



“Criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic, and saying so is vile. But singling out Israel for opprobrium and international sanction—out of proportion to any other party in the Middle East—is anti-Semitic, and not saying so is dishonest.”



It is a shame though that many people that have recently come to this page will not be honest and come out and say they hate Jews.

Personally I do not get it, why play these games and just come out and say it?

Answer 2

Hmmm..., so you would say that many Jews are Anti Semites as well??? I mean, there are many of us who do not support Zionism at all...

That’s why this statement loses weight for itself...

By the way, Martin Luther King has lived in a different decade and who knows what would his opinion be nowadays.

I personally must say that Anti Semitism doesn’t have much to do with Zionism.

To make it short: Anti Semitism is hate against all “Semite races”, Jews in particular.

Zionism is against a certain form of political interpretation of Jewish people, especially Israelis.

So, the only connection I can see is that an Anti - Semite will be of course an Anti – Zionist, because he detests Jews and everything having to do with our people.

But of course somebody can be against Zionism and still a friend of the Jewish people and a Jew himself.

Zionism has been an important movement in former times, I agree with that, but it’s sad to see that nowadays people are not willing to understand that the only possible future we have is a future we build up together, without Zionism and without terrorism.

Don’t you think it’s time to replace Zionism for peace movement???

Answer 3

I note that, as happens from time to time here on Yahoo Answers, an Arab tries to redefine anti-Semitism. And now, again, the intent is to deflect criticism from an anti-Semite.



First, note that Arabs themselves frequently speak of "anti-Semitism" as synonymous with anti-Jewishness -- before the 1947 partition, for example, Egyptian UN Representative Haykal Pasha warned the General Assembly that partition would bring "anti-Semitism" worse than Hitler's -- frequently they justify or obscure an anti-Jewish action by saying, "How can I be anti-Semitic? I'm a Semite myself."



According to Professor S. D. Goitein, "the word 'Semitic' was coined by an l8th-century German scholar, concerned with linguistics. The idea of a Semitic race was invented and cultivated in particular in order to emphasize the inalterable otherness and alien character of the Jews living in Europe."



Another eminent Arabist, Bernard Lewis, dates the invention of the term "anti-Semitism" to 1862, although "the racial ideology that gave rise to it was already well established in the early 19th century. Instead of -- or as well as -- an unbeliever ... the Jew was now labeled as a member of an alien and inferior race... "



As early as 1940 the Mufti of Jerusalem requested the Axis powers to acknowledge the Arab right "to settle the question of Jewish elements in Palestine and other Arab countries in accordance with the national and racial interests of the Arabs and along lines similar to those used to solve the Jewish question in Germany and Italy." This is the anti-Semitism that united the Arabs and the Nazis in the Second World War.



Anti-Semitism in Berlin, especially towards young Jews, appears to be on the rise. The capital's Central Council of Jews has received many complaints from Jewish parents whose children have been verbally and physically abused at school or on the street, according to a November announcement from Gideon Joffe, the council's chairman. Since the start of the year, Berlin's police have registered 190 anti-Semitic incidents, up from 123 in 2003 and 146 in 2004 (2005 saw 272 incidents, but many of these were the work of a single right-wing extremist). The most recent incident was on November 19, 2007 in Tempelhof, when players in a youth football team hurled anti-Semitic insults at members of the opposing, Jewish team. Mr. Joffe said many of the attacks were seemingly carried out by Muslims from immigrant families, whereas in the past Germans were mostly to blame.







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Answer 4

I read some of the answers and I must smile. Or cry.



One small person calls Martin Luther King "ignorant." Hutzpah knows no limits.



Another one misdefines Zionism out of total ignorance and hatred.



Another recites false history, made up by radical Islamists to incite against the Jewish state.



Please, if you have anything between your ears, discern between the fantasy of Arab apologists and what is truth.



The Palestinians left their homes in 1947-48 for a variety of reasons. Thousands of wealthy Arabs left in anticipation of a war, thousands more responded to Arab leaders' calls to get out of the way of the advancing armies, a handful were expelled, but most simply fled to avoid being caught in the cross fire of a battle. Had the Arabs accepted the 1947 UN resolution, not a single Palestinian would have become a refugee and an independent Arab state would now exist beside Israel.



The beginning of the Arab exodus can be traced to the weeks immediately following the announcement of the UN partition resolution. The first to leave were roughly 30,000 wealthy Arabs who anticipated the upcoming war and fled to neighboring Arab countries to await its end. Less affluent Arabs from the mixed cities of Palestine moved to all-Arab towns to stay with relatives or friends.



All of those who left fully anticipated being able to return to their homes after an early Arab victory, as Palestinian nationalist Aref el-Aref explained in his history of the 1948 war:

The Arabs thought they would win in less than the twinkling of an eye and that it would take no more than a day or two from the time the Arab armies crossed the border until all the colonies were conquered and the enemy would throw down his arms and cast himself on their mercy.



By the end of January1948, the exodus was so alarming that the Palestine Arab Higher Committee asked neighboring Arab countries to refuse visas to these refugees and to seal the borders against them.



Meanwhile, Jewish leaders urged the Arabs to remain in Palestine and become citizens of Israel.



And in fact, some 20 percent of all Israelis today are indeed Arabs. And they enjoy rights that Arabs living in the corrupt terrorist "Palestinian Authority" would give their eyeteeth to have. And a standard of living far in excess of the PA Arabs. Except of course, for the "bosses," who have stolen the money from the Arab masses in the PA controlled areas, and thus live like kings.





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Answer 5

absolutely, he nailed it, and decades later people still don't get it.



edit: read the quote carefully. it's not criticism of zionism, or criticism of the actions of the government of israel he's talking about. it's criticism of zionists, the people, which is code for criticizing them as jews.

Answer 6

I disagree to the ignorance of that quote. There is no knowledge or wisdom to be gained from it. If that indeed was a quote by King, it was based on the fact that he was either as ignorant as he was conceitedly arrogant, or that he was intelligent and feared political retaliation by the Jewish lobby groups who could silence him forever.



I need to clarify some misconceptions:



Zionism is the racist belief that the Jewish people are "God's" chosen people and consequently that the world belongs to them. Quite often, the heads of such Zionist movements are in fact Jews, but let us not confuse a Jewish person with an Israeli person or a Zionist.



Semites are ancient peoples of the current Arabian and Levantian regions spanning from Syria until Saudi Arabia. These peoples spoke Aramaic, Arabic and Hebrew, to name the primary ones. The majority of these peoples were Arabs. A small minority were the ancestors of the Israeli Jews of the past, not of the present. The European Jews are converts who are not in fact Semites. Seperate religion and race. Arabs and Jews who originated from that region, who have been living in harmony with the Arabs are historically blood Semites. Very few Jewish Semites remain today. The application of the term "Semite" to refer to a Jewish person is by way of deception erasing the proof of ancestry and is through that rewriting Arab history-omitting very important historical facts in the process. It is quite convenient to stake claim to Semitic land if none other than Jews are Semites. Arabs, however are Semites through decendency, and yet are often labelled "Anti-Semites" in response to their opposition to Israeli and/or Zionist policies.



Israel is a Jewish state that was created through the hostile military occupation of a land called Palestine. Palestine is historically Arab land where Semitic Christian and Muslim Arabs cohabitated alongside many Semitic Jews in relative peace until the creation of Israel and the mass immigration of armed Jewish converts into the land as settlers.

I consider myself an Arab nationalist who has no hatred for Jewish people, but bitter resentment for Zionists who would see the remainder of the human race as their slaves. Do take a care to observe the world around you today. You will notice that Zionism is indeed prevailing.

Answer 7

Yes, of course.



But today it is poliically correct to support all other nationalistic movements (no matter how bloody), but to oppose the Jewish nationalism.



Only because it is Jewish.



If that is not anti-Semitism, then I don't know what is.

Answer 8

Yes I do. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a genius... it's a shame he was assassinated.



He was also an avid Israel supporter.

http://www.bluestarpr.com/docs/mlk1.pdf

Answer 9

I agree with it, though I've read it's hard to document that he truly wrote that. But I wouldn't be surprised if he did write it, or to find out he believed it even if he didn't write it.

Answer 10

I agree.

Anti-Zionism has become the socially-acceptable form of antisemitism.

Criticizing Israeli policies is one thing, but denying Jews their right to live securely in their land is surely antisemitic....



Theodor Hertzl, the father of Zionism, wrote the book The Jewish State in the late 19th century. In it, he proposes that antisemitism will disappear if Jews lived in their own land.

This notion seems so laughably naive nowadays....

I have seen a post here in which an aswerer claimed that Jews should go back to Europe "where you [they] belong!!!"

The funny thing is, that Europeans always shouted "Go back to Palestine, you @##@& Jews!"

Now isn't that ironic???????????

Answer 11

The quote from Prof. Wistrich summarizes the entire problem of these anti-Semites who claim only to hate the Zionists. He has exposed them brilliantly.



Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed this question. He stated:



." . . You declare, my friend, that you do not hate the Jews, you are merely 'anti-Zionist.' And I say, let the truth ring forth from the high mountain tops, let it echo through the valleys of God's green earth: When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews--this is God's own truth.



"Antisemitism, the hatred of the Jewish people, has been and remains a blot on the soul of mankind. In this we are in full agreement. So know also this: anti-Zionist is inherently anti-Semitism, and ever will be so.



"Why is this? You know that Zionism is nothing less than the dream and ideal of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land. The Jewish people, the Scriptures tell us, once enjoyed a flourishing Commonwealth in the Holy Land. From this they were expelled by the Roman tyrant, the same Romans who cruelly murdered Our Lord. Driven from their homeland, their nation in ashes, forced to wander the globe, the Jewish people time and again suffered the lash of whichever tyrant happened to rule over them.



"The ***** people, my friend, know what it is to suffer the torment of tyranny under rulers not of our choosing. Our brothers in Africa have begged, pleaded, requested--DEMANDED the recognition and realization of our inborn right to live in peace under our own sovereignty in our own country.



"How easy it should be, for anyone who holds dear this inalienable right of all mankind, to understand and support the right of the Jewish People to live in their ancient Land of Israel. All men of good will exult in the fulfillment of God's promise, that his People should return in joy to rebuild their plundered land.



"This is Zionism, nothing more, nothing less.



"And what is anti-Zionist? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely accord all other nations of the Globe. It is discrimination against Jews, my friend, because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-Semitism."



Any sane person would agree with this assessment.



I agree with it.



Just one or two more things. An answer here referred to a place called Palestine. The only place in today's world called "Palestine" is a city in Texas.



And finally, I quoted Dr. King and used the word N e g r o. But Yahoo Answers apparently considers this a word that must not be used and repalced it with asterisks. Any comments.





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Answer 12

Zionism is a political movement. It's an idea. Judaism is a religion. I respect Judaism I respect and like Jews but I don't have to agree with them on their political ideas. And Jews do not have to agree with me on my political ideas. Do I sound anti-Semitic to you? Peace!



definition of anti semitism, you will notice there is no mention of zionism in it, what do you teach?



Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism, also known as judeophobia) is prejudice and hostility toward Jews as a religious, racial, or ethnic group. While the term's etymology indicates that antisemitism is directed against all Semitic peoples.



Antisemitism may be manifested in many ways, ranging from individual expressions of hatred and discrimination against individual Jews to organized violent attacks by mobs or even state police or military attacks on entire Jewish communities. Extreme instances of persecution include the German Crusade of 1096, the expulsion from England in 1290, the Spanish Inquisition, the expulsion from Spain in 1492, the expulsion from Portugal in 1497, various pogroms, and the most infamous, the Holocaust under Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany.

Answer 13

Well MLK understood what anti-Zionism really was. I certainly agree with it.



Good Luck!!!

Answer 14

I'm shocked by j.driven's answer, very unprecedented.



by the way so do I personally always agree with everything I say. I have mutual agreement with myself. *buzzing in head*



I come back and see some people try to defend their baseless decision by calling other answers stuff. this is very close mined narcissistic thing for a Jew to say. some peoples' instantaneous agreement with it obviously show whether they are open to any sort of criticism.

Answer 15

so by the same token if people criticise those working towards establishing human rights in palestine,are they not criticising the majority of decent human beings on the planet? also are not arabs semites?

dont use quotes from a great humanitarian to justify the intolerable regime in israel, becuase i doubt dr king would support what is going on in palestine now!

Answer 16

Kind of sort of. One I think would have a tinge of anti-semetism- that doesn't mean they're anti-semetic though. Zionism is quite militant. But it does mean one is anti-Israel.

Answer 17

No, I think that his statement is very inaccurate. No one is above criticism, and this ''criticizing Jews/Zionists='antisemitism''' is not gonna intimidate people into not criticizing Israel so stop trying, just like it's Okay to criticize the US, Britain, China, Saudi Arabia and others, it's Okay to criticize Israel and the Israeli government when you don't agree with their actions, you're free to defend them of course, and I'm free to criticize them.

Answer 18

The late Martin Luther King did not know any better at that time and he needed the Jewish support.



Zionists in Palestine are not like Zionists in the USA. The Zionists killed native people and took their homes by force and forced them to live in a refugee camps. Dr king did not know all the crimes committed by the Zionists.



Many of Dr king students are critical of Israeli policies today.

Answer 19

How open minded!

Answer 20

umm dude its not so black and white. palestinians lost land and were displaced because of zionism. they dont give a flying **** if your a jew or a christian you took land that is not yours. back in 1882 you ashekanazies were only in palestine for less then a generation and you demanded a country on palestine. ARAB LAND! It was not your land to begin with and that is were a huge issue is. Anti Semitism has nothing to do with it.



Foreigners on arab land is the issue.

Answer 21

agree.



I came back to read more answers and found Hopeless. Now she and everyone that cares knows I would rather go on a rattle snake round up than agree with her on any point.

her answer is to the point and I can't fault it this time. darn.

Her question to you is good too, just what are you trying to teach to whom? I find your words true too. Seems like always, but that name carries responsibilities, so what are your credentials?

I have confessed to being a dumb*** already so I have none.

Answer 22

well the, all world do not lick Jews. and you do not blame them.they greater this troubles.the society do not accept them,.Mr,Luther king he med of Wat he seed,but do not forget king itself was a troubles Maker.i remember him very well