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Michael Gerson
5/26/2010
Throughout history there have been times when respect for another culture clashes with universal human rights. A form of this is playing out now among traditional, burqa-wearing Muslims and a more liberal, European society. Seen as a sign of subjugation and oppression, some European leaders find the burqa unacceptable. But Gerson points out that banning or otherwise regulating the wearing of burqas is actually an assertion of European cultural identity that undermines the concept of religious freedom.
Gerson writes about politics, global health and development, religion and foreign policy.
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Cohen tells of his recent talk with Col. Avi Gil of the Israeli Defense Forces, who seems cautiously optimistic about the prospects of peace between Israel and Palestine. After leaving Israel for a two year stint training with the US Marine Corps, Gil returned to West Bank surprised to see the thickness of the yellow pages had tripled, a sure sign of an increase in business as well as a decrease in violence. Gil admires the state-building of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad but thinks he may be “walking on the edge” because his pledge of nonviolence hasn’t stopped the stone throwing or Molotov cocktails. Tensions will surely flare when the world pushes for Palestinian statehood in 2011 or 2012 and Israel applies the brakes. For now, Gil says, “Let’s walk slowly to arrive as fast we can.”
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