ArtSpeech

Criminal Nazis during WW2 were using the sick nonscientific methods of measuring the noses of people to “discover” their religious affiliation..Israel (under Netanyahu-Bibi) returned to a similar methodology (DNA requirements etc) when accepting new immigrants. This poster (a humorous re-enactment of the horrible nazi pseudoscience) is called: “Investigating my own family religious lineage” (my mother’s father Kubin was a Ukrainian Jew and she was in a concentration labor camp during WW2).

My understanding is that Jews are a pan-ethnic and pan-racial group of people around the whole world and are not scientifically racially or ethnically defined religious groups.

This poster situation was a part of the brutally censored show of our ARTSPEECH organization at Midway Gallery in Boston and was falsely called without any justification “antisemitic”.

Religious elephant in the room nobody wants to acknowledge.

(SUBMITTED TO NEW YORK TIMES AND HAARETZ INCLUDING THE ABOVE HUMOROUS PICTURE)

We repeatedly witness how religious animosity leads to conflicts and wars. The ongoing Israel/Palestine conflict has tragically resulted in the deaths of thousands of children, fueled by religious differences among their parents. However, children are born without knowing what religious affiliations will later define them. Israel recently declared itself a ‘Jewish state,’ signifying its identity as a religiously defined nation. This move invites comparison with the neighboring “Islamic state”.The current pro-religious propaganda distorts the scientific reality that being ‘Jewish’ is not inherently tied to any specific race or ethnicity but rather to religious affiliation. Instead, it promotes a non-scientific narrative that equates ‘antisemitism’ with racism. During my time in Israel, I met locals of diverse ethnic backgrounds — Black, Indian, and Asian — who identified as Jews. The global Jewish community comprises numerous ethnicities. In fact, even Donald Trump’s blond, blue-eyed daughter considers herself a Jew. Like being Jewish, being Muslim is not confined to a specific race or ethnicity. Muslims come from diverse racial backgrounds. Similarly, being Christian is solely a matter of religious affiliation and is not determined by race. Today, I came across a deeply disturbing interview with New York Rabbi Marc Schneier, in which he attributed the cause of the latest conflict, claiming that Palestinians “want to eradicate Judaism.” This belief is the bloody seed of this ongoing religious conflict. In the 1960s, Palestinians, predominantly secular and sometimes atheistic, wore the keffiyeh (scarf) in red, symbolizing atheist Marxist ideals. Over time, there has been a gradual shift towards embracing the Islamic religious foundation. (After all, Hamas is essentially a religious organization.)When we elected a president who is a Christian religious extremist, it should not surprise us when he strongly supports the ‘Jewish state’ and advocates for religiously-fueled conflict and massacres. An article in the Boston Globe mentioned that Biden carried a rosary in his pocket throughout his presidential campaign. Let’s not forget that the Jewish Torah essentially constitutes the initial five books of his religious centerpiece, known as the Bible. The existence of Muslims depends on Islam, Jews on Judaism, and Christians on Christianity. Were there no religions, Christians wouldn’t have persecuted and killed Jews throughout European history, leading to the desire for Jews to establish their own religious state in Israel as a response? Muslims wouldn’t seek to establish an Islamic state due to persecution by Christians, while Christians wouldn’t have orchestrated the Crusades to the “Holy Land” or forced conversion on the native inhabitants of America ( “convert or die” they used to say). “cont” Establishing states based on religion regresses us to medieval times. Our forefathers aimed to create the United States free from the religious authoritarianism witnessed in Europe. Thomas Paine’s ‘Common Sense’ expounds upon these principles. Regrettably, their intentions were overshadowed by those advocating for a state promoting ‘freedom of religion.’ Thus, we find ourselves with a misleading regard for religious beliefs, posing a significant threat to harmonious social coexistence. Like poisonous worms infiltrating a system, various religions exert influence on and dictate state affairs. What I observe in the USA is an unwillingness to acknowledge and tackle the increasingly growing problem of religions exerting greater influence over our society and global societies. It’s the huge elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge. This phenomenon might partially stem from the celebrated collapse of the Soviet Union by the West. Reagan famously referred to it as the ‘Empire of Evil.’ The Soviet Union notably sought to eliminate religion entirely from society, marking the first instance in world history of a state attempting such a comprehensive removal of religion.I grew up in socialist Czechoslovakia where religion had little presence. Children didn’t segregate themselves into various religiously affiliated groups or adopt similar brainwashed identity divisions. We were simply taught to perceive each other as equal human beings. During my involvement in the Czechoslovakian dissident movement, I believed that the communist government’s suppression of religion was a bad idea as it failed to respect the freedom of religions. Now, I think it was a very good one!If we aim to live in a more peaceful world, we must fight for freedom from religion rather than for freedom of religion. As adults, we are all equal human beings. With my ten-year-old daughter in mind, I hope that atheism will become an inevitable aspect of the world’s future.

Milan Kohout.

RESPONSE FROM NEW YOUR TIMES:

Thank you again for contacting the Opinion section at The New York Times. An editor has reviewed your submission and unfortunately, we’ve determined that we will not be able to use your piece. Because of the large volume of submissions, we have to reject many excellent essays every day. Please feel free to offer it to other publications. And please consider submitting again in the future.

RESPONSE FROM HARRETZ:

From: Dina Kraft <dina.kraft@haaretz.co.il>

Subject: RE: Milan about my article for NYT

Date: January 21, 2024 at 5:37:23 AM EST

To: Milan Kohout <plzenslovany@gmail.com>

Milan,

Thanks for sending both the article and art. I’m going to pass, but appreciate you sending your op-ed.

All the best, Dina