From The Shalem Center web site: an excerpt from: DEFENDING IDENTITY Its Indispensable Role in Protecting Democracy, by Natan Sharansky, with Shira Wolosky Weiss (soon to be published):
From birth I had been deprived of both freedom and identity. Then, suddenly, both came to me at the same time. For me the two became the most closely connected parts of my life, the one supporting the other. My participation in two movements- Jewish immigration and human rights- I treated as two complementary forces. One, human rights, gives quality of life, the life of a free person without fear. The other, my Jewish heritage, gives meaning to my life. It takes me above the immediate reality and provides a connection to history and to purpose- which then gives the strength to fight for freedom as well…
... More often than not the free world sees itself as endangered because of national and religious prejudices. The enlightened world watches in despair as nationalist, ethnic and religious groups are moving to attack and destroy one another, and are turning on the free world itself. The world seems to be seething with hatred based on identity, with daily scenes of barbarism, tribalism, terrorism. The most terrible atrocities in the name of identity are happening before our very eyes. All this only supports or strengths the conviction of those in the free world who think that identity is a kind of poison. It strengthens the authority of those post-national theories which deny the legitimacy of identity.
...identity looks like the main force of destruction..... But what I want to argue here, and this is the main purpose of this book, is that far from being only destructive, identity is a necessary and positive force.
I claim that identity is as important for the stability of our free world as is democracy. Only their conjunction gives strength to the individual, to society, and to the state, to guarantee a free, peaceful, and meaningful life for their citizens.
Follow this link to pre-order Defending Identity: It's Indispensable Role in Protecting Democracy
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