Israeli Religious Discrimination

[Russell Turpin]

Paul Prescod writes:
>This principle [the "homeland" theory] is embedded in most ideas of human 
>rights ..

I think you're wrong about this. Human rights are more
typically expressed as the rights of individuals, than
as the rights of peoples.

>.. There is an abstract entity termed "a people" and "peoples" have a right 
>to "self-determination". In other
>words a right to sovereignty. In this world, that can only occur when they 
>also have control over some geographic region. ..

How far do you want to carry this? Mexico has been battling
an indigenous insurgency. In Europe, the Basques are still
fighting for a homeland. India, New Guinea, and China are
each home to dozens of different peoples, each with their
own language and religion. There are hundreds of indigenous
peoples in South America and Africa. The US and Canada have
their own groups of indigenous peoples. To which pieces of
land do these groups have rightful claim? And how do we
battle the existing polities to assert these claims? And
how are conflicts resolved, when multiple groups claim the
same ground? History is long, and the people who were
conquered yesterday got there by conquering a previous people
the day before, who did the same, going back many millenia.

In some sense, I believe in arbitrary right of secession.
Right down to the individual. The problem with the "people"
who carve out a piece of land to rule is that they are then
the majority, which uses their new found homogeneity to turn
around and oppress a now smaller minority group.

>The alternative is to say that when a geographically-
>distinct cultural minority finds itself trapped in a majority country it 
>has no moral/legal recourse other than to ask for decent treatment from the 
>majority.

Or to put this more positively, that every polity should
recognize fundamental *individual* rights, including
freedom of religion.

Russell


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