Isi Leibler’s sane “Pseudo-liberal Jews are causing unspeakable damage” (Candidly Speaking, January 29) serves as an antidote to the madness I’ve been hearing since US President Donald Trump’s executive order on refugees.
However, the crux of the matter is not being addressed: The ban should be on ideological, not religious grounds.
During the Cold War, communists could get into the US only through a waiver. Since Islam is not only a religion, but a political ideology, Trump is applying similar rules to Muslims, and we should view this as targeting the ideology.
If there were a way to easily differentiate between what Ayaan Hirsi Ali calls the “Mecca Muslims” (i.e., “Muslims who are loyal to the core creed and worship devoutly, but are not inclined to practice violence”) and the “Medina Muslims” (who “see the forcible imposition of Shari’a as their religious duty”), there would be less of a problem.
But this test is not easy to come up with, so it makes sense that until then, there should be a ban.
MLADEN ANDRIJASEVIC Beersheba
However, the crux of the matter is not being addressed: The ban should be on ideological, not religious grounds.
During the Cold War, communists could get into the US only through a waiver. Since Islam is not only a religion, but a political ideology, Trump is applying similar rules to Muslims, and we should view this as targeting the ideology.
If there were a way to easily differentiate between what Ayaan Hirsi Ali calls the “Mecca Muslims” (i.e., “Muslims who are loyal to the core creed and worship devoutly, but are not inclined to practice violence”) and the “Medina Muslims” (who “see the forcible imposition of Shari’a as their religious duty”), there would be less of a problem.
But this test is not easy to come up with, so it makes sense that until then, there should be a ban.
MLADEN ANDRIJASEVIC Beersheba
