Would you allow a relative of slain terrorists to talk at your child's school?

[Bill Mattocks]

I thought this was interesting. Propaganda? Brainwashing? Or the opposite? Personally, I think this is a good thing. I would not mind seeing it done in the USA; but I understand other opinions. What do you think?

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Maki...aelis-who-ve-never-met-a-Palestinian/(page)/2

Osama Abu Ayyash tells his story to Israelis who've never met a Palestinian
Osama Abu Ayyash visits Israeli classrooms, telling his story of loss and forbearance to humanize Palestinians to Israelis who may have never met one.

 

[Cyriacus]

When the Conflicts are resolved? Yes.
When the Conflicts are ongoing? No.

Because theres a reason Military Organisations tend to dehumanise the identity of Their enemy in times of War, up to a point.
It makes it easier for a Nation to live with its own use of force. And if everyone started being sympathetic to every family of every Terrorist who was felled, that would only end in needless obstructions if action was taken.

However, that doesnt mean that it shouldnt be mentioned that They do, in fact, have families, and are Human.

 

[Big Don]

Speaking sympathetically of terrorists? Absolutely not. I would physically stand between them and the stage.

 

[granfire]

Interesting.

Maybe if they would talk more they would need to throw less bombs....

He talks about an epiphany he had one day after noticing an Israeli car at the house of a neighbor who had lost a child. He accused the neighbor of hosting "murderers." But Abu Ayyash was persuaded to listen to the Israeli, who told of losing his 14-year-old daughter to a Palestinian attack. "I was crying inside…. How could they talk together? I started to think from the beginning" about the conflict, he says.
Right-wing critics say this dialogue confuses and softens up Israeli youths. Michael Ben Ari, from the right-wing National Union Party, says, "Identify with the families of murderers? That is insanity which is impossible to understand."

Strikes me as ironic in this context.

However, I think we forget a wee bit of a detail:
The family of the terrorist is not necessarily a terrorist cell, just as the parents of a dead child are not murderers because their army or police killed somebody you know.

However, as usual, I found the article hard to follow.
Don't they teach writing at journalism school anymore?

 

[Dansolo]

Speaking sympathetically of terrorists? Absolutely not. I would physically stand between them and the stage.

Agreed. I am tolerant of people who are different, but I have no tolerance for terrorists of any kind, nor of people who would try to convince my children (if I had any, that is) that said terrorists were not bad people. ALL terrorists are bad people.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Don't they teach writing at journalism school anymore?

That would be a 'no'. They do not.

 

[cdunn]

Honestly, it depends on the message - it would be a sad and terrible thing if humans started recognizing that there are other humans outside their in-groups of the day.