My nome de plume is “Manggis Malaysia”. Why?

That essay is written by a very close friend which I'm so thankful of the special friendship. It is exactly one year since the frienship with Manggis Malaysia started and I'm very pleased and honored to publish what Manggis Malaysia composed to celebrate our friendship first year anniversary.
Thank you my dear friend Manggis Malaysia.

My nome de plume is “Manggis Malaysia”. Why?

Manggis is a very special variety of fruit in Malaysia. If durian is the “king of fruit”, Manggis is the “queen of fruit”. Both of these fruits are not allowed to be brought into hotels in Malaysia. Durian is prohibited in hotels because of its typical smell, although for durian lovers durian smell is gorgeous. Manggis, on the other hand, has no unpleasant smell, but its prohibition is because of its natural yellow glue/gum may stain the clothing an unforgivable stain.

I love both these fruits, but I love Manggis (or the English call this mangosteen) more for its deceiving characters. Manggis is dark reddish black colour on the outside, but its edible flesh inside is pure white. Its white flesh may look pale, but is more succulent than grapes, tastes tangier than oranges, and sweeter definitely than strawberries. Tasting Manggis for the first time will give you a heighten sense and delightful surprises and I am sure you will want to taste more.

If you ever come to Malaysia, make sure you look for this fruit. Manggis is seasonal and not so plentiful. Unfortunately, the current Manggis variety is not suitable for export. May be in the future we shall produce a better variety for export so that more people in the world can taste our Malaysian Manggis.

That is why I choose Manggis as my nome de plume.

Hanan has requested me to write under a nome de plume, but I could not think of any “pen-name”, until today when I was driving home from work and Manggis just inspires me to write in his blog which tries to bridge between two estranged people… and enemies.

Of course, after writing to Hanan for one year, we are hardly enemy, we have, during these months, make a small achievement by turning each other from enemy to friend. This is a small achievement indeed.

When I sent my first email to Hanan, it was really driven by my curiosity, to know the conflict between Israel-Palestine from ground level. I have heard from Palestinian sides and now I want to know from the opposite. It is no good reading from published materials, since both sides are biased. To me, to experience is better. InshaAllah, one day, I will go to this troubled land and witnessed the conflict myself.

I wish I can tell the Israelis and the Palestinians to stop the war once and for all. Too much blood has been spilt, too many has died, too much suffering and what do you achieve? I am sure, putting the politics and bad people aside, there are many good honest people from both side wanting peace.

In this short note, I like to disclose some of our early communications, and show how our friendship began. As you can see this “Friendship prior peace” blog is the inspiration fruit of our friendship. I even helped him in its logo design and I drew the objectives together with him. “Friendship prior peace” is really Hanan’s idea, but my complementing idea is “making friend with your enemy”.

It is easy to make friends with your friends or someone you do not know. It is very difficult to make friends with your enemy, what more to a sworn enemy for time immemorial, like the Jews and Muslims. But I always question this notion. Are we (the Jews and Muslims) really enemies? Why do we (Muslims) hate them (Jews)? Wait a minute, is this really true? Why are people telling me so? What are their motives?

It was through these questioning that I began to search for the answers by contacting my “enemy” (i.e. Hanan), and from my communications, I form my own conclusion.

May be we should allow the friendship ball starts rolling, and collect more and more friends along the way. This is what the “friendship prior peace” blog aims to do.

We (Hanan and I) hope in time to come, when friendship flourished throughout the world, all the wars and fighting becomes irrelevant and non-issue.

Will you be my friend, my dear enemy?

This is my first email to Hanan….

From Manggis Malaysia Thu Feb 19 08:44:48 2009

Dear Hanan,
I found your address from Tun Dr. M blog.

I am a Muslim and of course fully sympathetic of what is going on in Gaza and the Palestinian. Of course, I was angry by your first comment which really showed how ignorant you are. And m fully supporting Tun M's comments. But your subsequent comments made me think twice about you. I think you are a good person. Keep writing and "enlighten" our people your side of the story. The brutalities have been going on for too long. I hope there will be some peace in the Middle East. Sometimes, I do feel the Arabs has to be blamed as well.

I hope we can find some middle of the road solution to this conflict.

Salam.
Manggis Malaysia

From HANAN LESHNOVOLSKY Fri Feb 20 05:55:44 2009

Dear Manggis Malaysia,
Salam Alaikum, Shalom and Grace.

First, I apologize for my delayed reply.
Thank you for your e-mail. It is really enthusiasm during any argument or e-mail exchange. The way of dialog must sustain because I think that this is the only way to find the proper solution for both sides.
I understand very much your brotherhood support to the Palestinians. I know they are suffering. It is just because our bloody (Palestinian and Israeli) history is based on misunderstanding followed by fatal mistakes. The greatest mistake was using the force of violence instead using the force of the spoken words or written words.
The second mistake is for both sides to think how much I can gain (get) from the other side instead of being generous and think how much can I give to the other side.
I'm not ignorant of anything and I'm aware of the suffering of both peoples because I live here and know the events from first source. My first commenet was more so called aggressive in order to capture the attention of Dr. Mahathir and all bloggers. I would not comment upon myself as good or bad person since the judgment is for the others. What I can say is that I don't have many (I cannot find even a single) enemies and I'm a friend to everyone. You probably read in one of my comments that I was mentoring three Malaysian students in their studies. It was done mainly by e-mailing and I met them once or twice (not as a group since I mentored them one by one). I would do it with everyone no matter he/she is not a Jew or Israeli.
Maybe my side (the Israeli and Jewish) is not complying your vision as same the opposite which is related to us. We'll probably would not be able to convince each other with the justice each of us understands. But, we can talk to each other. Time and patient can do miracles. Instantaneous solutions based on anger cannot be achieved and "cannot hold even water".
I wish and hope that peace can be in the Middle East one day same as you wish. No one likes war and more dead.
You may keep writing to me whenever you like. Feel free to do it and I promise to answer.

Salam, Shalom.

Hanan,
Israel

From Manggis Malaysia Tue Feb 24 16:39:09 2009
Assalamualaikum
Dear Hanan,

I first know about the Jewish race during a school play (The Merchant of Venice), I played the role of the merchant Shylock. Unfortunately for me, I was only in the support team, so although I did all the practises, but did not have the opportunity display my talent since the first team did well. My second and real encounter with a Jew, was when I worked in a factory in Britain. He was my floor supervisor. We did not have much to say to each other, but I did sense some arrogance in him. And of course, subsequently, in my adulthood life, my knowledge of the jewish people comes from the usual media and its bias. Of course, I must have a few jewish friends or acquaintances but I know them only by their european or american identities during our professional exchanges. Some of them are exceedingly kind. However, I do sense an invisible curtain of mistrust, real or imaginary. Allah hualam. Only God's knows. We never talk about religion or the mid east conflict.

The Middle East conflict is too complicated for me to understand. Why after the WW2, the British must take some land from the palestinian and give it to the migrating european jews to establish the state of Israel, I do not understand.(please answer this from your point of view). After so many years, I become sensitize with the conflict and began not to bother about it, since I am too remote from the conflict physically, as well as temporally. By temporally, I mean, I do not carry the memory of hatred between the Muslim and the Jews. In some sense, I feel, the the fight is probably over the wealth (oil) in the middle east. US wants to have control over the region. It must destablize the area by creating wars. The Israel state is only working as its proxy of threat. The war in the middle east has nothing to do with religion. It is a war of greed. Do you agree? Let me know your view.

The Jews and the Muslims share the same traditional religious practises, worship the same God (the only ONE) and respect the same line of prophets. Except that two are trapped in a syndrome of inherited pride and prejudice. The jews with its inherited pride and arrogance and the muslims with its inherited prejudices.

But the recent Gaza genocides with many bloody pictures such as a child head's severed from his/her body amongst the rubbles and ruins, are too much for me to see. Of course, I gave some donations to alleviate the pain of the these victims. But the amount which I gave must be too small to be of any effect other than to serve my conscience. I think the neighbouring Arab countries could do more to help these people. I do not understand why they are reluctant to help. Do you?

I hope you also visit the site which call to criminalize war founded by Tun Dr.M. I hope you can give some comment to this.

It is nice to know someone from the Zionist State. This is my first real encounter with a Zionist from Israel. I want to understand.

Wassalamu Alaikum. May God's peace be with you.

Manggis Malaysia

From HANAN LESHNOVOLSKY Wed Feb 25 11:17:23 2009

Dear Manggis Malaysia,
Salam Alaikum, Shalom and Grace.

Thank you for your continuation of writing to me privately. It is really showing that you do care about a dialog despite the long distance, different culture, different religion and from other aspects. This is something I'm also striving to achieve. This is the main reason of my participation in Dr. Mahathir blog.

It looks like both of us are about the same age, so our understanding of life and experience is about the same. I assume you have a family to care about as same as me. Luckily, I believe your family is facing a much better life than the Palestinian families.

I'll try not to answer your all issues in order not to have any influence upon your mindset and opinion. I would like you to make your judgment by yourself. I'll prefer to ask you questions about what you wrote me. I'm doing it only because I think that self convincing about truth is much stronger than if some one is trying to convince you. I don't want you to support my vision just because I convinced you that I'm right. This is from two aspects. One - When it is self convincing, it will be protected strongly and have firm pillars. Two - If someday we become friends and you'll find that what I tried to convince you as truth is false and you believed me, then you may think I fooled you. How can you then be my friend if you think I fooled you? I hope you understand my point.

Regarding the school play "The Merchant of Venice" I have for you several questions:
1) What do you think about the story, is it a true or a fantasy story?
2) Why did you choose to play Shylock?
3) Why do you think the school management brought that story to create a drama play?
4) What are Malay Muslims thinking about that story and how is that story is biasing their opinion on Jews?

Regarding the Jewish supervisor during your work in Britain. It may be that he was arrogant, but can it be that you interpreted his behavior wrongly. Please try to answer the questions as honest as you can. You must not answer them to me if you feel not comfortable to do so, but at least try to answer it to yourself.
1) You said he was arrogant. Was he arrogant because of his being a Jew?
2) Was he arrogant because he was a manager?
3) Did that arrogance affect your biased opinion on Jews?
4) If yes, how many Jews you knew before him that was as same?
5) Is arrogance related to a religious behavior or personality of people?
6) Did you meet any Christians, Muslims or any other religious people that were arrogant?
7) What in his character made you thinking that he is arrogant?

About so called the biased knowledge about Jews in the media.
1) What is the most and frequent media you are exposed to?
2) Is that media a free opinion media?
3) Is that media including TV as well clerics speeches in Mosque?
4) What is a ratio between the reports about what happens on the Palestinian side and on the Israeli side?
5) Do you feel that the media has an intention to be pro one side all the time?

About the other Jewish friends (European and American).
1) Why do think or feel that there is a curtain between them and you?
2) Why didn't you spoke about the "conflict" with them?
3) How do you know they are kind? Can't it be they are not so kind and just pretending to be polite to you?
4) Do you have any contact with them these days?
5) Do you think you are able to establish with them a friendship not related to the professional relations?
6) When you have been with them, was it you that were a single among many of them, or vice versa?
7) Do you think that if you talk with them about religion, will it affect the relations badly?

The Middle East conflict is very complicated. I doubt that it can be solved easily and in a short time. The Balfour Statement about the home for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel was much earlier than WW2 even started. But this is not the point. If I need to answer you from my point of view it may not comply with the facts and knowledge you are aware of. The Jewish people, including me, along the generations of their existence are chained to the Land of Israel as their promised land as God promised to our fathers Abraham, Issac and Jacob. In many of our prayers we end with "Next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem". Those are my national and Jewish roots. That desire of the Jews is not acceptable by the Palestinians and Muslims abroad. The problem is not the belief of each side that it is right and the other is wrong. We cannot convince each other because the right or wrong is widely gaped. We can (both sides) go through the history and find facts in thousands pro and against and we never agree because everyone thinks that he is right and his history is the truth.

We have three options to solve that problem. One - Israel will win the "war" and defeat the Palestinians totally. Two - The Palestinians will win that "war" and defeat Israel and banish all Jews from the land. Three - Both sides can find a solution, as difficult it is and have two independent states side by side. There is a fourth option which is not a solution, but a "time bomb" - one state for both peoples. Imagine one of the sides is a majority and the other is a minority. Than there will not be fairness and independence of one side. Imagine that the Malaysian Chinese are now 65% of Malayisia. Would you accept it that they will govern you? Would Malay, Bumiputra or any native accept it?

We must think about a logical solution with dignity for both peoples. Both peoples deserve to live "boring" life. Each side must understand the desire of the other side and must accept a compromise from a willing stand point and not as an outcome of enforcement. Each side must be ready to sacrifice something or many things. This is the only obligatory solution.

The conflict is more complicated than the oil manipulations. Assume Israel lives in peace with all its Arab neighbors. What a bad impact can it have on the oil politics and control? The conflict is much deeper than that. Dr. Mahathir calls it a territorial conflict. It is a territorial but also a religious one. If it would be just a territorial, it couldn't be that all Muslim world is against the Israeli policy against the Palestinians. It is so called the Muslim brotherhood. The Muslims are afraid that the Jews are intending to destroy the Al Aqsa mosque and rebuild the Baitulmaqdis. This is also a major part of the conflict and related to the religious aspect. As far as I'm aware and know it from Judaism and the Israeli politics, this is not going to happen. to assure that it will not happen, in order to avoid extreme people to ignite that flame, a solution must be found. After the solution is established - it will be an insurance policy to freeze the status of all holy places. Just keep in mind that after the 1967 war when we captured back the old city of Jerusalem, we could demolish the Mosque and rebuild our Baitulmaqdis and we didn't. Isn't it proving something?
The conflict is very emotional. An emotional conflict tends to be a religious if both sides are from different roots of belief even it is about a territory. That's why it is combined and difficult to solve.

I agree with you that both, Islam and Judaism are pretty much the same. But Islam demonized Jews since prophet Mohammad's times. They have been tagged as not trusty and arrogant. Muslims are called not to have the Jews as friends. Among Muslims, aren't arrogant and not trusty people. Isn't the same among Christians or Idol worship people? Demonizing people based on their religion is not right. Assume I'll think all Muslims are terrorists because Al Qaeda is a Muslim terror organization. Just assume I'm a "prophet" and writing now a holy book (which I'm not and will never be) and demonizing Islam and Muslims as blood thirsty terrorists. Is it logical?
I'm not going to argue about the religious aspects as you are familiar with and I respect very much your belief. Assuming some of the Jews are arrogant and not trusty, does it mean all Jews are alike?
We must "forget" yesterday's events and think about the present day as a new born day. We must respect every person from the first moment as trustful and humble without any bias. If that person is a bad one - it is not the nature of religion, but his personal sin. We (the Jews) believe God chose us as His superior nation among nations, but He is not guiding us to be arrogant or false. In every group of people you may find good and bad people.
I'm writing to you because my initial impression about you is that you are an honest man, respectful and thinking using your brain and feeling using your heart. I'm not thinking that you are a terrorist. I don't know even how you look like and I trust you. This is something that is not happening between the Israelis and Palestinians. They don't trust each other and this one of greatest obstacles to have a solution for the problem.

I really honor your generosity to donate for the suffering Palestinians. We really don't want them to suffer. I wish they could live in a relaxed life like you. Any donation, a single coin or a million RM is equal if it comes from the heart and with love. Let me ask you something "provocative". Would you donate for the Jews as same if the situation was opposite (I tend to believe, you would do it, because generosity is not related to a religion)? Did you know about the help Israel provided Turkey a few years ago during two earthquakes happened there? Within hours we sent out our special rescue teams with the most sophisticated equipment and superior trained dogs to find survivors? Was that shown in the Malaysian media? When the Tsunami hit SE Asia and Malaysia-Penang, Israel was ready to send any required aid to you and Indonesia. The Malaysian government refused it at once as well the Indonesian government. Finally the desperate Indonesians with a very high toll of lost lives accepted the Israeli aid but insisted to remove any identification signs that it comes from Israel. I'm sorry to say it, but it is a kind of arrogance of governments. During disaster times, conflicts should be put aside, this a basic human expectation.

I visited Dr. Mahathir's web site to criminalize war. I have one objection regarding the definition. He should include the terror actions whatever they are to be criminalized. I hope that one day will come and will not need that initiation since there will be no wars. I have very much respect to Dr. Mahathir and I'm following him for several years. He is an interesting person. I don't agree with his very biased out speaking against Israel and against the Jews in some cases. But this is his right to think as he likes. Even we don't agree, I think we could be two good friends. Don't you have friends that you are thinking different from them? As long as our arguments are non violent and not humiliating we can still remain friends. Do you think Dr. Mahathir can admit mistakes or do you know if he did it once in the past? I have an impression that he cannot admit mistakes, but may be I'm wrong (may be I don't know him so well).

Dear Manggis Malaysia, please forgive me if my expressions were somehow offending mistakenly, which was not my intention. I wanted to summarize my vision as you asked for it. I hope you find it interesting and enlightening, even you may not agree with them. I hope it is not demonstrating any arrogance.

May God bless you with peace wasallam ala kululalam, Shalom,

Hanan,
Israel

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Manggis Malaysia