The United States has become both the guilty and the victim! It is a nation of great diversity and complexity when it comes to immigrants and one now has to wonder if politicians – who are the engineers of U.S policy – have undermined the American dream and devalued the very principles of the founders.
Regardless, America will remain the country that everyone wants to live in.
It is not bravery to protest in America, and it is not heroic to fight police and destroy American Universities. This is the case of the students’ protests across the country. The students are completely missing the point and the meaning of protests in a democratic society. It is important to understand that America relies on private sectors which are independent from the government. Therefore, there is a zero chance that camping and destroying educational institutions will change U.S foreign policy.
Regardless of the purpose of the protests, the constitution of the United States provides a shield for protesters in America. “ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (First Amendment)
Accordingly, violence and destruction of property is clearly not part of a legal protest as the the merit of any protest does not legitimize unruly action. The students’ protests against Israel have lost its legitimacy and become a wave of violence among young University students. The chaos of raising Palestinian flags and advocating antisemitism should not only concern the Jewish community but the entire American community. For the same wave of violence but under different banners and circumstances can arise against other groups in America.
Joe Biden’s administration’s strategy has shifted the country’s direction and created a more dangerous situation for Americans. However, U.S foreign policy has always been in support of Israel. But now indeed, the roles of social media and the internet in connecting people with each other create such an environment especially for the younger generation to be influenced quickly by the world’s events, and hence jump to erroneous conclusions.
The protesters are on the wrong track in expressing their opposition to Israel as they moved to a stage of opposing and threatening Jewish students. Obviously, American students lack the political maturity to realize and distinguish between America and American people, including Jewish, and the U.S foreign policy and the political agenda.
They also seem to have a very shallow understanding of Hamas and its history.
However, American educational institutions are not the designer of Israel’s law, and the century’s old Israeli-Palestinian conflicts will not be solved by destroying the American system. In all of the University students’ chaos, one question arises: Are many of these students simply spoiled young men and woman with little serious hardship in their lives and desiring some adventure?
One can’t help but observe the double standards of the students, who while accusing America and taking down its flag down, are living in America and enjoying its freedom and opportunities. Sadly, between the politicians who are the designers of wars and the ungrateful students who are now the saboteurs of the Universities, America has become both the guilty perpetrator and the victim.
– Serwan Zangana supported Operation Iraqi Freedom as a U.S Army translator before coming to the U.S from Kurdistan, Iraq in 1997 to seek political asylum. He was granted asylum status and years later proudly became a U.S citizen. He currently serves as a correction officer in Roanoke.