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Friday, June 20, 2014

Political correctness as euphemism for political cowardice




Miloš Zeman, the president of the Czech Republic, in his speech on Israel’s Independence Day said:

“There is a term, political correctness. This term I consider to be a euphemism for political cowardice. Therefore, let me not be cowardly.”
  
He was right. More than three weeks after this remarkable speech these words have been validated by the very country he so valiantly defended - Israel. His speech, as far as I know, has not been published in full by any Israeli mainstream paper or site. No political analyst commented on his speech. His speech remains virtually unknown to Israeli readers. He is apparently considered a hot potato.  

The reason jihadists like Hamas have such an impact on Israel is not their inherent strength but our political correctness i.e. political cowardice to point to what they believe in.  Even today, with Hamas accused of kidnapping the three Israeli teens, I have yet to see an Israeli paper which would quote Article 7 of the Hamas Charter:

The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.

Or even less likely, quote the Hadith where Article 7 is taken from:   

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. "O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him."

When will we see an Israeli politician’s staff answer the way Milos Zeman’s did?

For the president would consider it blasphemy to apologise for the quotation of a sacred Islamic text.