How many of you got to talk to Muslims and hear what they really think about us? Muriel Braley did it and even published a book on the subject. In the coming weeks, the book "Between me and you - Conversations with Muslims" that he wrote in Raleigh will be published. The book reveals hundreds of conversations he had with Muslims from around the Middle East, what they really think of us and why, and what are the real roots of the so-called "Israeli-Palestinian conflict".
In a fascinating interview with "Srugim", Barali tells what Muslims in Nablus, Jerusalem and even Lebanon think of us and shares what he thinks needs to be done in order for us to win the war. He connected on social networks with Arabs from Nablus and Lebanon
He began his acquaintance with the Arabic language in Raleigh when he studied at a yeshiva in the Christian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem. "I very quickly understood the importance of learning spoken Arabic, especially during the 'Knife Intifada' of 2016, because every day we would pass through the Nablus Gate and the Muslim Quarter to get to the Yeshiva." He learned Arabic through online applications where he spoke with Arabs from Gaza, Nablus, Jerusalem, and other countries in the Middle East. "In the beginning I concentrated on learning Arabic, but very quickly the conversations turned to very interesting topics about how they, as Muslims, see Judaism, the Jews and the State of Israel."
Did they know you were Jewish?
"In some of the conversations they found out that I was Jewish. Sometimes they cursed me and blocked me. Sometimes they didn't care. Sometimes they told me they didn't have a problem with 'Jews', but only with 'Zions'."
Barali says that among Muslims the concept of "Zionism" is very distorted. "They think that Zionists are colonialists who want to conquer 'Palestine', commit genocide, and even conquer the entire world, and not Jews who want to return to their homeland, to the Land of Israel as they dreamed for 2,000 years."
Barali (29), who immigrated to Israel from New York at the age of 18, says that sometimes he preferred to remain in the American image. "Sometimes they thought I was an Arab living in the United States, and sometimes I revealed to them that I was an Israeli Jew." "Jews have no connection to Israel or Jerusalem, David and Solomon were Muslims"
What do they think of us? what did they tell you
The things Barley tells are amazing. "I was told that the Jews today have nothing to do with Jerusalem or the Land of Israel - neither historically nor religiously. That the Jews today are not at all related to the Israelites of old who were Muslims," Barali shares. "There was never Jewish rule in this land before 1948. King David and Solomon were Muslims and Solomon built the Al-Aqsa Mosque, not the Temple (which never existed)."
According to him, "I realized that their historical perception, which is directly influenced by Islamic sources, forms the basis of the Islamic war against the revival of the people of Israel in the Land of Israel."
What did you understand following the conversations you had?
"After hundreds of fascinating conversations, I realized that the information that the information the Muslims I talked to revealed to me, is not accessible to the general public. People do not know these things and do not have the ability to talk to Muslims the way I do. So I decided to write a book."
The book he wrote in Raleigh is special of its kind. According to him, "There is no book similar to the style of the book that brings the things from the field, through the real conversations and stories that I experienced, and not in a scientific or academic way." "The public is thirsty to know what the other side really thinks of us"
Were there any interesting responses you received? Arabs who became disillusioned for example?
"Unfortunately, there are those who have become disillusioned. Unfortunately, there is no basis for discourse," Barali says sadly. "They have a completely different perception of history and their concepts are completely distorted. Especially after all the propaganda and incitement that exists today in mosques, schools, textbooks and of course in social media."
Brali says that when he started publishing, the book was in great demand. "People are thirsty to know what the other side really thinks of us. Many people understand that there is no great love for the people of Israel, but they don't understand why.
According to him, "You have to know the other side's head. What they believe. What motivates them. What makes them act. You have to know the root of the problem. It is impossible to deal with a certain problem if you don't know it well from the inside."
"The basis for change is to connect with our truth, that's the only way we can win"
Did the 7/10 massacre affect the writing of the book?
"The truth is that I started writing the book a few years ago and for some reason I stopped in the middle, but after 7.10 I realized that I had to publish the book, during this period I am doing crowdfunding to raise the necessary funding to publish the book, you are welcome to donate."
Finally, Barali asks to convey one message he received following the writing of the book. "Before all the practical solutions, we need to understand that the basis for change is our education, of the people of Israel. We need to connect to our truth, to our deep and true connection to the Land of Israel. Only in this way can we stand firm against our enemies."
