On a more academic note, I've been reading several sources on the history of Israel, Palestine, and Islam. Time published this article that only touches on the roots of rage Islamic extemists hold. For the last several years I have been reading information on Middle Eastern countries, though I don't know the reason why. I'm really fascinated by their religion, culture, people, economic conditions, et cetera. We never really studied these countries in high school, so I thought I should take it upon myself to read up on Islam and Arab countries to satisfy personal curiosity.

A lot of Arab hatred toward the US is due to our support of Israel. I'm researching why we support Israel more than Palestine, not to say that we should or shouldn't. There probably is some doctrine out there like the Marshall Plan or something that sets American Foreign Policy on Israel/Palestinian relations, but I can't seem to find this document. Is our ardent support of Israel because of the WWII/Holocaust-pacifism guilt? I really don't know. A lot of Arab/Israeli conflict is due to Israeli control of Jerusalem. According to Islam, this city is the third holiest after Mecca and Medina. On the other hand, the Jewish faith believes that this land is promised to them through Abraham's Covenant with God. Which faith justifies ownership of Jerusalem, or the area of Israel and Palestine for that matter? Israeli/Arab conflicts date back many centuries prior to mythological Romulus and Remus' establishment of ancient Rome. Both peoples have suffered indignities, injustices and unprecedented violence at the hands of each other as well as from outside parties, e.g. the Crusades of the 11th-13th Centuries. A personal question I have concerning the Jewish faith and Torah: why isn't Jesus recognized by their faith as the Messiah? I'm curious about why; I do not support any established religion, and I would never say one faith is superior to another, so it's not like I want to convert Jewish people or point out the fallacies of Christianity.

 Sort of related in a very small way: I've noticed there hasn't been much talk of restitution for African-American slavery in the US (I say there is a small correlation because of both people's enslavement in the past). Restitution of Holocaust survivors is just because these people are still alive and should be reimburse for the pain and suffering, if not for their forced labor. But in the case of Black slavery, I think it's safe to say no former slave is still alive, and many generations separate the progeny of slaves, further reducing any reparations rights. I watched The O'Reilly Factor on September 4th, 2001, and listened as Bill and Juan Williams discussing reparations for slavery, and Williams was against it, stating that it was an offensive suggestion. Am I being insensitive to the past injustices of Black Americans? Not at all. I'm not discounting [to be finished later]