Young Israeli Arab leader: Like Ajami director, I don't represent Israel

[ProgressiveMuslim]

By Merav Michaeli



Abir Kopty, 34, a graduate of the City University of London, is a member of the Nazareth City Council and works for the Palestinian Government Media Center.

Abir Kopty, do all Israeli Arabs stand by what Scandar Copti said?

I very much hoped he would say that.
Why?

To spoil the celebrations a little, because it's impossible to continue sweeping things away. This person expressed the feelings of a million or so citizens who say this all the time, but no one wants to listen. Everyone rejoiced that there was a film nominated for an Oscar, but no one thought that the person behind the film also has views and finally, he expressed them. He said the truth: The state does not represent us.

Where does it not represent you?

In the occupation policy, in the settlement policy, in the policy of racism and discrimination. Eighty-percent unemployment among women; the many employers who do not hire Arabs. The development budget - hardly 4 percent of it reaches the Arab local authorities. Upper Nazareth is almost swallowing up Nazareth because it is expanding so much, and Nazareth has no lands to expand onto. Nazareth does not have an industrial zone. Education - I don't study my past, my identity - I study the history of the Jewish people. I also see the teachers' fear of teaching our history, the fear that the Education Ministry will dismiss them.

In Israel, they say that 80 percent of Arab women do not work because of tradition.

I've already lost the patience to put up with those racist statements. Does anyone even know Arab society that he can say such things? The Jews have no idea what processes are underway in Arab society, especially when it comes to the status of women. We welcome revolutions in our society; there have been many achievements, many taboos shattered. Today the number of women studying in academia is greater than the number of men studying, so studying is something they are allowed to do but working isn't? It's another attempt at silencing: Poverty is cultural and unemployment is cultural. How can that be? I refuse to let them leave us 60 years behind. First let them get to know Arab society, let them learn the data on our society...

read on...
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1155132.html

[ProgressiveMuslim]

1. The comments are instructive.

As an American, it's hard to imagine being so thoroughly hated in your own country.

[bemildred]

2. A very articulate guy.

As an American, I find it very easy to imagine, because I've seen it, you just have to have the right sort of skin and hair and stuff. Or maybe "wrong" is the right word.

And one can easily predict without even looking that he will be accused of being "ungrateful".

[ProgressiveMuslim]

3. Interestingly, my family doesn't experience that here, and they are definitely the "wrong" color

and religion. While my kids have heard a nasty word or two on occasion, their heritage hasn't kept them from a single thing or from pursuing -- or attaining -- an aspiration. It's just not an issue. That could also be because we live in a solidly middle class neighborhood in a blue state.

I typically don't think too much about Arab Isarelis, but.... the kind of Jim Crow laws and society exclusion that Israelis of Palestinian heritage face is really, really awful.

[bemildred]

4. I'm 64, things are much better here than they used to be.

And some places are much better than others too. I'm just saying I find it easy to imagine here, not that it is the same here now as what this fellow is talking about, it isn't.