To crash a wedding uninvited and absorb its sights and sounds is a hidden desire of both party lovers and college students. Modeled after the film “Wedding Crashers,” this goal became ever attainable this past weekend when my American University in Cairo friends and I attended a Muslim wedding for an AUC administrator.

It was quite possibly the most lavish party I had ever experienced in my life. Held at Cairo’s policy headquarters, an ornate government building replete with mesmerizing Arab architecture, held multiple cameras and large projector screens that followed the bride’s and groom’s every move as they walked slowly from outside, up winding stairs and into the party room.

This room, adorned with colorful banners, facsimile Roman pillars and authentic Egyptian artifacts, provided the ideal atmosphere for an event as momentous as a Muslim wedding.

The bride and groom, and, to a lesser extent, the wedding’s attendees, were treated royally the entire night. Famous Cairo musicians serenaded the couple, while 40 or so Egyptian male dancers encircled the invitees, including us AUC students, and taught us unique Egyptian dancing techniques.

Exit polls suggest we were only somewhat successful in emulating their moves, which leads to one conclusion – Egyptian men are noticeably better dancers than American males.

Not only were we treated like celebrities, but famous Egyptian actors and actresses did actually attend the wedding. In addition, the food was delectable, as evidenced by my consumption of three plates of chicken, kofta, rice, hummus, pasta salad, regular salad and cake. I can only hope that the next American wedding I attend is half as enjoyable as that Muslim wedding.

In contrast to this joy was a heavy intensity emanating from an AUC panel discussion last Thursday concerning the Israeli-Arab conflict, particularly the recent escalation in violence between the Israeli military and Hamas terrorists. Organized by the Al Quds Club, the Palestinian advocacy student group on campus, the panel included the deputy general of the Arab League and an Al Jazeera reporter.

Frustrated by the deputy general’s polished rhetoric throughout the portion of the discussion I attended, specifically his emphasis on Israeli violations of international law, I asked him during the question and answer session whether he considered the targeting of innocent Israeli civilians by Hamas to be terrorism.

He then rambled on for the next 15 minutes about how Hamas terrorists are resistance fighters and freedom warriors. Luckily, I had the opportunity to ask a follow-up question, which merely tried to clarify his answer – does killing Israeli civilians not in uniform constitute terrorism, and is therefore a violation of international law?

Yet once again, the deputy general dodged the question and instead continued on with platitudes equating Israel with Nazi Germany and Hamas terrorists with American revolutionaries.

His lack of a direct answer to a direct question revealed one of the fundamental problems facing Arab nationalists, and, to a lesser but equally as important extent, Zionists. It is the utter inability to objectively analyze an issue without allowing ethnic heritage to play a role in shaping one’s conclusions.

A Palestinian should not support the targeting of innocent Israelis because they are not Arabs. An Arab leader should not turn a blind eye to Hamas’ killing of innocent Israelis, many of whom did not even exist when Israel gained statehood.

Similarly, a Jew should not support Israel merely because it provides a safe haven for Jews. He should not support Israel because it is an official Jewish state with an official Jewish religion. Significantly more important is the fact that Israel, thus far, has been far more committed than surrounding Arab states in embracing liberal democratic traditions which transcend ethnic considerations.

Yet Israel should not be an official Jewish state with an official Jewish religion. America has been able to become the most powerful and virtuous country in the world without its government endorsing a specific faith or genetic makeup, even as many immigrants arriving on U.S. soil have endured incredible oppression abroad similar to that of the Jewish people.

Israel most assuredly has a right and a duty to defend itself, with force if necessary, against Palestinian terrorists. However, these efforts should be directed towards protecting not only the Jewish people, but also any innocent person living within Israel’s borders, a goal which the country has a history of fulfilling.

The central security issue for the Israeli Defense Forces and Air Forces, then, is to identify who is the enemy. Because Hamas intentionally and systemically blends in with the innocent Palestinian civilian population, it is very difficult for Israel to distinguish between innocents and terrorists.

The burden, therefore, should not be on Israel to have to justify its military responses, but instead on Hamas to explain why it places its own Palestinian people in danger by disguising themselves as innocents. The hard fact is that Hamas should be held directly responsible for the deaths of 10 or so innocent Palestinians in the most recent Israeli attack.

In any event, I may convert to Islam just so I can celebrate a Muslim wedding.

Greg Collins is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].