Outlawing the Islamic Movement: McCarthyism Israeli style

 
With skullcap: sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement (Photo Activestills.org)

By Rami Younis
Say what you will about the Jewish state, just don’t say that the only democracy on the planet never stops challenging us. On Monday night, Israeli Defense Minister Ya’alon signed an order outlawing the northern branch of the Islamic Movement. Following the decision, the police raided the offices of 17 non-profit organizations connected to the group, confiscated documents and equipment, froze bank accounts, and announced that it would interrogate its leaders, among them Sheikh Raed Salah. 
This is yet another McCarthyist decision brought to you by the Zionist establishment, both its left and right wing. And while the Palestinian leadership in Israel is busy condemning the decision, a closer look shows that the security cabinet’s decision is nothing less than a gift to the Palestinian public in Israel. (....)
 Whether under or overground, the Islamic Movement will continue to exist. Raed Salah has already announced that he will continue to act as its leader. The state’s attempt at deterrence will not work, for the simple reason that there is an overwhelming feeling of persecution of Arab citizens that has been especially felt over the past few months. When the Palestinian public feels persecuted, it will prefer to unite and put aside its differences (similar to what happened with the formation of the Joint List in the run-up to the last elections). The goal of this decision, which comes in the wake of Netanyahu’s Mufti-Hitler episode and directly following the horrifying massacre in Paris, is the dehumanization of Israel’s Palestinian minority.
The criticism by Israeli politicians — from both the Left and the Right — against the Islamic Movement is the ultimate proof of how reality is being distorted. There is no point in responding to the right, since it wants to outlaw Palestinians themselves. Thus, I will respond to the Zionist Left.
This morning, leader of the Zionist Left Isaac Herzog published a tweet in which he compares the Islamic Movement to far-right Jewish extremists, as if we face no occupation or oppression. Everyone is partner to this government’s grotesque policies, and there is no better proof than Herzog’s support for the government on this issue, along with many others.
 Secular Palestinians do not hide their criticism of the Islamic Movement. Socially, it represents an ideology that we find difficult to agree with, as it discriminates against the Palestinian LGBT community and opposes equality between men and women, while making every effort to maintain the patriarchal structure of the traditional Palestinian family. But this is an internal conversation to be held among Palestinians, in which only we have the right to express our opinions. Politically, large parts of the Islamic Movement do view the occupation as part of a larger religious war. We struggle against this point of view, especially since it only promotes the Zionist agenda. This, again, is an internal matter.
The religious Palestinian community deserves both a voice and a leadership — this is the essence of democracy. However much we agree or disagree with the group’s ideology is our own matter, which we must now put aside in order to stand behind a movement that represents a large part of the Palestinian people. These are the days when we will hear Zionists repeat the mantra: “Say thanks that you are even allowed to express yourself and take advantage of our democracy.” Expect to hear these sentiments expressed often in the near future.
It is our right as Palestinians and human beings to say whatever we’d like. This right is not granted to us by anyone, especially not the establishment. As long as our rights are taken away, we will continue to express ourselves — even if it means struggling against a McCarthyist regime. This is our natural right as the indigenous people of this land, regardless of what the leaders of the only democracy on the planet believe.