In general, I support Israel's right to defend itself. That said, this supporting premise is racist tripe. Here in Silicon Valley we have thousands of Arab and Muslim programmers, engineers, scientists, and businesspeople making a real contribution to technology. These people are not dumb, nor are they culturally illiterate. They are in general, better educated than Americans (which isn't saying much). His assertion is condescending garbage.
I support your position that Arabs are not dumb or, in general, culturally backward. However, the Arab and Muslim programmers, engineers, scientists and businesspeople you refer to are in the United States, a free country, and not living in Mideastern Islamic states.
Islamic states are not free, and the flower of creativity and individualism no longer blooms in those countries. If, at some point, an Islamic state decides to turn into one with a representational government, with the same basic freedoms we enjoy in the US, then those countries will progress. Heck, there aren't even public opinion polls about the leaders of these states.
There have been no great achievements in any of those countries in centuries. The reason os not ethnicity or religion. The reason is lack of freedom. It's hard to progress when your leaders keep you ground into the dirt under their bootheel, while hoarding oil money.
The doctors from Arab countries at the hospital I work at are likewise quite good. But you note these people left the Arab nations to make their contribution. I would bet that most got at least their graduate degrees at American (or Canadian) universities.
Anyone else note that this sounds oddly like the divide between the American North and South that led to the Civil War?
This is perfectly understandable: a certain type of Englishman looks at an Arab and sees a desert version of his most cherished self-delusions. Where Jews are modern, urban and scientific, Arabs are feudal, rural and romantic.
The paragraph refers to the Englishman's self delusion, not the actual differences between Jews and Arabs.
It's the ancient story: when a society goes sufficiently toxic, the good people leave, and things go from bad to worse at home.
Then the question needs to be asked; Why when foreigners attend American universities do they for the most part, not return to their native countries when completing their degrees? Why are they contributing to the United States technolocical advances and not that of their native country? I have had the opportunity to work and know many well educated, smart and culturally literate foreigners.
And some of them fly planes into buildings while their buddies on the ground celebrate. The Nazis were great technicians as well.
And they live in America. Show me the Arab/Moslem country where this is true.
I'd say it's typical ethnocentric self-congratulating racist garbage. Any objective person will realize that the article stinks.
The truly sad thing is that people come to America to escape the corruption and destitution of their native countries, which is the result of their very culture, only to attempt to recreate that culture here…