"Been a long time gone Constantinople, now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night."

They Might be Giants

Ya Allah, we used to say when something amazed us in Israel. It was a great universal expression of exasperation. They don't say it in Israel much anymore, because of predjudice against anything too Arabic. It's not right. I still say it.

Ya Allah, it's like, Oh my G-d, or why?

Many in Turkey were asking the question today, and yesterday.

You see, in Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country, there is absolute peace with the Jewish community. The synagogue that was bombed hasn't been attacked in 17 years. One Turkish Muslim at the scene told NBC, "we don't see them as Jewish, they are Turks."

Still that is not the strongest argument I can make that suicide bombings are disgusting, this is.......

18 out of the 24 people killed in Turkey this weekend were of Muslim decent.

Only 6 Jews died, a fitting representation of the ratio of Jews to Muslims worldwide, a fitting figure that only reminds us of another, 6 million.

Nonetheless, the Turkman's comments on NBC did more today for peace than any other stranger on a T.V..

These people, they were all different, polar opposite in religious belief.

But they will all be buried and honored as Turks.

Yes, it angers me that Muslims are so populous and willing to kill their own. This was the main point of what I wanted to express.

Yet in midthought, I relented. It bothers me that terrorists will take innocent lives because they aren't strong enough or man enough to face the might of America.

It bothers me that people who lived in peace are now distraught and have no thanks for their graciousness.

But this Turk, Muslim, forty plus with greying hair, really defined humanity. "We don't see them as Jews, they are Turks, and we know most of them."

Because when you have the time to grow, and live, and love, no one's race matters, you know them, and they become your kin, a sub atomic particle of your nation, a huge part of your daily life.

Ya Allah, I ask in vain, in tears, for that man, his community, 18 Muslims, and six Jews, why?