Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar has told CCN’s Wolf Blitzer that his party would offer Israel a “hudna,” if it pulled back to its 1967 borders. This term meaning “truce” or “armistice” as well as “calm” or “quiet”, coming from a verbal root meaning “calm”, according to Wikipedia, has become well known to anyone following post-9/11 events. We also know that its first example of was the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah in 628 between the Muslims and the Quraish, a Meccan tribe. Again via Wikipedia:
Two years later, in 630, a skirmish between the Bedouin and the Quraysh occurred; Muhammad considered this to constitute a breach of the treaty. Muhammad and his followers, 10,000 strong, marched upon Mecca and demanded the surrender of the city, which capitulated.
No more hudnas, please. How about plain old mutal state-to-state recognition.
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18 Comments
1. Carl Spackler:“No more hudnas, please. How about plain old mutal state-to-state recognition.”
That’s very, very euro centric. More dead, white men philosophy( Chomsky, excluded ). You, we, should respect other cultures, other values.
(Did I do good? Do I now get my rainbow, Kumbyah badge, coffee cup, and bumper sticker? Can I now go to the vegan, whole-wheat pizza and green tea parties?)
Jan 29, 2006 - 12:46 pm 2. Rhod:Spackler, what the hell are you saying? State-to-state recognition is Eurocentric? Only dead white men believe in it? We shouldn’t respect other cultures and values? One can’t even attend to your third paragraph, which is quite mad. Get help.
Jan 29, 2006 - 1:41 pm 3. pjb:I’m really surprised that more people don’t know what a hudna is, or what dhmmitude means? How about Taqiya, sanctioned lying in the koran to advance the cause of Islam. How about Jaziya, a tax all because you are not muslim, which is still being practiced all over the world in muslim countries.
Religion of tolerance and peace? I don’t think so.
Jan 29, 2006 - 2:24 pm 4. Anthony (Los Angeles):In Islam, and especially as the Islamofascists interpret it, hudna is nothing more than a temporary truce, something designed to buy time while Muslims gather strength for a renewed struggle.
I’m surprised anyone would fall for this after so many years.
Jan 29, 2006 - 3:04 pm 5. RogerA:Carl Spackler–perhaps you should have turned the sarcasm button on!
pjb: You might also add Kaffir to your list of interesting Islamic terms–with respect to Taquiya, it is very similar to the concept of “mental reservation,” employed by some denominations of christianity, or, perhaps the auto-de-fe (at least for those that remained obdurate), the mode of execution designed to avoid the proscription of spilling blood. Organized religions can be quite inventive in circumventing god-given proscriptions.
Jan 29, 2006 - 3:06 pm 6. Godzilla:Carl, you definitely got yourself a lifetime membership to the Daily Kos fan club with that one.
Jan 29, 2006 - 3:11 pm 7. Terrye:Hudna means they get to lie. One thing about the history of the jihad, anything is acceptable if it furthers the aim of Islamic domination. Most religions have a central code or core but sadly to the Islamists the only thing that matters is who is the last man standing. None of this golden rule stuff for them.
Jan 29, 2006 - 3:16 pm 8. John Sobieski:You mena kittman, deception by reservation. Kaffir is ‘dirty, unclean, haram, forbidden’ Infidels are called kafurs or kaffirs. Same thing, dirty infidel, should not be touched like a turd.
I call Mohamedans that are particularly good at taqiyya and kittman TaqiyyaMasters.
Jan 29, 2006 - 3:17 pm 9. RogerA:John–Interesting name–the 17th century Polish christian king who helped lift the siege of Vienna by the ottomans, as I recall–and your use of the term Mohammedan–VERY politically incorrect!!! Haram! but then I looked at your blog–I always appreciate the insights of one who has been there and done that. Thank you.
Jan 29, 2006 - 3:23 pm 10. Carl Spackler:Rhod,
Sorry. sarcasm /off
Jan 29, 2006 - 3:57 pm 11. pst314:“Hudna means they get to lie”
Curiously, a traditional Muslim justification for executing infidel prisoners of war is that, being infidels, they cannot be trusted to not take up arms again. Isn’t the Religion of Peace (TM) fascinating and wonderful?
Jan 29, 2006 - 6:49 pm 12. Yehudit:This is a clever way for Hamas to recoup its tattered image and make Israel look bad. Hamas can appear generous and seemingly act contrary to its stated mission to destroy Israel. If Israel doesn’t take up hamas on its offer, Israel appears to be “obstructing the peace process.”
Many of those who were discomfited by having to acknowledge Hamas’ true colors, can now reassure themselves that Hamas isn’t as bloodthristy as they almost had to admit.
Jan 29, 2006 - 8:38 pm 13. Kevin Peters:Roger:
But notice that even the drastic return to the ‘67 borders, the dream of the far left wing of the peacenik wing in Israel gets the state of Israel only a TRUCE! Recognition? No. A change in the mission statement of Hamas to wipe out the state of Israel? Of course not. They say they are going to wipe out Israel. THEY MEAN WHAT THEY SAY.This isn’t a election slogan that can be dropped when their poll numbers are down.They will continue to make plans and devise diplomatic covers so they can eventually achieve their goal.They are not going to drop their dream. They may give the impression to usefull idiots in the west that moderation could happen. All this talk of possible moderation now that Hamas is in power is naive wishful thinking.
Jan 29, 2006 - 9:58 pm 14. Rhod:Carl:
The embarrassment is mine. I haven’t been around here for a while; the regulars know each other and I missed the irony. You did a remarkable impression of the Moorlocks I encounter elsewhere. Apologies.
Jan 30, 2006 - 4:28 am 15. Jamie Irons:Yehudit writes:
This is a clever way for Hamas to recoup its tattered image and make Israel look bad. Hamas can appear generous and seemingly act contrary to its stated mission to destroy Israel.
This is especially apt. The real trick, and I expect we will see efforts in this direction soon, will be for Hamas to become the “victim” of the mean Israelis, in the eyes of western moonbats and media, at least.
Jamie Irons
Jan 30, 2006 - 6:47 am 16. Ray Zacek:Truce. Armistice. Calm. Quiet. Well, I’ve learned something. I thought hudna was Arabic for “long time to reload weapons.”
Jan 30, 2006 - 7:41 am 17. Bruce Wechsler:It is hard and demoralizing to believe that the old “Hudna” routine still has an audience outside the arab world, where it is immediately translated [transformed] to “gesture of peace”.
The Bush team at a senior level should “out” the word for what it is, once for all and as directly as is possible, in an important official speech. Perhaps that will happen in the SOU tomorrow; though more likely to come from Condi. But PLEASE let it be done.
Still in all, it is heartening to see all the recent truce offers coming our and Israel’s way. Especially when coming from an enemy sworn to the total destruction of your way of life, it is a sign of weakness and fear, and nothing else.
There will be a defacto Hudna btwn Hamas and Israel in any case because Hamas will be dealing with heavy continued internal clashes and attacks. Not that I wish it on any innocents in their midst, but it doesn’t exactly weigh heavy on my mind that corrupt Palis and Worse Palis are bleeding each other fianlly. Quite the contrary, I must admit. Chickens coming home to roost, etc.”
Jan 30, 2006 - 10:19 am 18. Doug S.:Bruce Wechsler, I think your conclusion nails it. Hamas knows that it cannot turn its back on the Fatah hotheads living next door. I, too, find their predicament grimly amusing.
Israel will now be treated to the spectacle of seeing two of their vicious enemies bleeding each other down. But I also don’t think they can do much to take advantage of situation except hunker down behind the wall so they don’t expose themselves to stray bullets… and hope, maybe, that the Egyptians will move in to clean up the mess before they have to.
Jan 30, 2006 - 3:39 pm