re: #249 Clio

Behind the shield of screen-name anonymity, I am going to make some remarks more frankly than I might otherwise.

I am an American Jew born and bred, and now live in a small town in Israel where there are several Israeli-Arab villages near by. Some of these Israeli-Arabs — who are of course Israeli citizens — work in my town or others near by, some of them in responsible positions in places like banks and hospitals.

I get on very well with them. (And have also suffered the occasional humilation of having an Arab correct my Hebrew.) I LIKE THEM. They tend to have a good sense of humor, and I always like people with whom I can have a laugh.

Yet there is always the lingering silent question — are they genuinely decent as they seem to be, or is it taqqiya? And I HATE having to think that.

So in other words, you are wondering when one of them is going to sneak up and stick a shiv in your back?