Saturday, December 26, 2015

PCG Slurred Turkish Charity IHH as "Terrorists" (2010)



On May 31, 2010 a flotilla of ships supplied with humanitarian supplies was sailing to Gaza in a bid to break the State of Israel's blockade against the Gaza Strip that has been in force since 2006 and which continues to be maintained to this day. One of the main organizers of this humanitarian flotilla was IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation (İHH İnsani Yardım Vakfı).

In the night Israeli personnel boarded the ships. Nine Turkish men were killed on board the Mavi Marmara. One of them was a US citizen. A tenth man was beaten into a coma and died four years later never regaining consciousness.

PCG responded to this mass lose of life by condemning the organizers of this humanitarian convoy as "terrorists" who "got exactly what they were aiming for". It was asserted that the humanitarian convoy had "nothing that constituted real humanitarian aid." It is asserted that the charity organization that organized the convoy "had ties to terrorist networks" and "invited dozens of terrorists with ties to Iran, Hamas and al Qaeda to participate."
The terrorists who sponsored the Gaza-bound “humanitarian” mission in early June got exactly what they were aiming for: a lethal retaliation from Israel’s navy, followed by a tidal wave of international outrage against Israel. It doesn’t matter that 50 passengers on board the Mavi Marmara were linked to terror groups, or that the “peace activists” attacked Israeli commandos with metal rods, broken bottles, knives and stun grenades, or that three of the Turks killed by Israeli commandos actually wanted to die as martyrs, or that investigators discovered bulletproof vests, night vision goggles and gas masks on board the ship, while finding nothing that constituted real humanitarian aid. (Stephen Flurry, "Israel The Outcast," June 4, 2010.) 

The folks who organized it knew what they were doing. The Turkish group that staged the “humanitarian” mission to Gaza had ties to terrorist networks. It invited dozens of terrorists with ties to Iran, Hamas and al Qaeda to participate. It specifically sought to bust a naval blockade solely intended to limit Hamas’s ability to turn the Gaza Strip into a military bunker. It forced a confrontation, banking on the ability to turn it into a public relations disaster for the Jews. (Joel Hilliker, A Good Excuse to End a Bad Relationship, June 9, 2010.)
Are these serious accusations directed at IHH justified? Reading these words it is clear that these men had no idea about the nature of IHH from their perch in Edmond, Oklahoma.

This post is not about endorsing or condemning a charity organization. This is to correct misinformation. We do not deserve to be misinformed that so and so are "terrorists" without good evidence. We do not deserve to be told that this charity organization had "nothing that constituted real humanitarian aid" on the Mavi Marmara when in fact it is a charity and has done many acts of charity all over the world. There have been controversies but in regards to the Mavi Marmara there is nothing to justify such vicious slurs that PCG directed at IHH.

Turns out IHH was founded in response to the horrors of the Bosnian War of 1992-5.




IHH has provided aid to Syrians suffering because of the cataclysmic war.










IHH has provided aid to Yemen, a country undergoing civil war at present.



IHH has built wells in Africa and Asia.





IHH has built homes in Darfur. Since 2003 Darfur has been the scene of intense violence as the Khartoum regime has sought to suppress a secessionist movement there. Some have described the depredations of pro-Khartoum militias as genocide.


IHH has provided aid to Palestinians in Gaza.




IHH sent aid to Pakistan after the earthquake there in October.



IHH has provided negotiation to release hostages.


There is more charity work done by IHH.





So it is clear that IHH is fully capable of providing aid as was their stated purpose in sending the Mavi Marmara to Gaza to try and break the Israeli blockade against Gaza.

How dare PCG's leaders slur this organization as "terrorists" when PCG's leaders clearly knew so little about it.

2 comments:

  1. I wonder what thoughts go through the minds of the PCG insiders as they read their own Trumpet articles. Just reading the Wikipedia articles on this topic gives one a sense of the complexity of this event, and the controversial nature of many of the smaller component activities which made up the event. Normally, one would think that an analyst would consider the two or more sides involved, boil it all down, and then come out with something really incisive as opposed to wholly embracing one of the sides.

    When genetic science disproved British Israelism, some in the Armstrong "think tank" came up with the preposterous rebuttal that the Jews of today are not even the "real" Jews of antiquity, that they are gentiles who converted to Judaism. Armstrongism is in such a state today, that its teachers and believers will say anything to prop up the failed prophecy mold which is based on B.I.

    If charities from Western democracies are permitted to mount relief efforts to the suffering around the world, and expect "hands off" policies, allowing them to render their aid, doesn't fair play mandate that people of different belief systems and ethnicities be allowed the same privileges and hands off treatment for their charities? Actually, Armstrongism has never really advocated broad-based charity except amongst their own. Ministers have often preached "Brethren, it is wrong for us to help and comfort the people whom God is punishing!" And, of course, to the ACOG purist, there is no such thing as a random natural disaster. In their world, every bad event is punishment directly from God calculated to push people towards Armstrongism.

    I hope that just some of the PCG members use their computer resources to fact check some of these lop-sided articles. The research these days is even sloppier than HWA's!

    BB

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    Replies
    1. If is terrible that PCG have this simplistic script. A tragic event such as what happened on the Mavi Marmara does not fit their script so they enter into denial in order to keep their script intact in the eyes of their followers.

      PCG is talking about human lives but PCG dehumanizes them just to make them fit their dogmatic script.

      Incidentally this approach also dehumanizes Israeli Jews. Instead of viewing Israeli Jews as follow human beings as beautiful, talented and flawed as anyone else PCG stereotypes them by simplistically portraying them as "the good guys" in PCG's dogmatic interpretation of world affairs. Although this may seem friendly it is in fact dehumanizing as Israeli Jews are stereotyped in an unrealistic manner instead of being viewed as they really are: follow human beings as beautiful, talented and flawed as anyone else.

      Teaching people to view various peoples in simplisitc, stereotypical ways such as this might make people who end up leaving or getting kicked out of PCG vulnerable to being tricked into adopting racist, anti-Semitic ideologies.

      I suspect PCG's simplistic and stereotypical view of Israeli Jews might actually unintentionally fuel anti-Semitism among their followers and ex-followers.

      We need overcome the dogmas of Armstrongism and learn to appreciate and judge people of whatever nationality and religion as human beings instead of being this or that people fated to do this or that.

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