Gilad Atzmon and Agron Belica, Captured in New Jersey (VIDEO)

Authors, musicians, friends, brothers...

Gilad Atzmon holds Agron Belica's Book, The Passion of the Baptist, not the Christ, while Agron holds Gilad's book, The Wandering Who?"

(SALEM) - Gilad Atzmon's US tour is going strong, he caught up with Agron Belica in New Jersey, and this crew had a ton of fun hanging out and shouting out to their friends around the globe who share their passion for human rights and amazing music. Gilad is touring the USA and will be in Portland in a few days.

• Gilad Atzmon in the USA for the Next 2 weeks
• Gilad Atzmon: a Rare Appearance in Portland

Lisa Spaulding made this video and I enjoyed it so much, I think anyone who watches it will agree. Lisa is a constant help at Salem-News.com, she functions as our second level proof reader and she's good at catching the things that slip past me. Her video shows two men who are breaking barriers and taking huge strides as critics of their own cultural backgrounds.

You see, Gilad was born an Israeli Jew, Agron was born an Albanian-American Muslim. The footsteps of these men echo throughout the halls of controversy. Literally, everything they do is a challenge, be it music or writing, (both are authors) they take cannon sized shots at the problems that are endemic in their particular cultures.

Gilad's main point, though I hate to sum people of such complexity into a single sentence, is raising the awareness of the problems that accompany religious identity. He clashes with those members of the Israeli and Jewish communities who stand behind things like Israel's Jewish only roads and settlements, and separate laws for Jews and non-Jews that is a dead ringer for South Africa's apartheid.

Agron refuses to accept the cultural norms that he believes are destroying the very idea of Islam. He faults the Wahhabi and Salafist revisionists who rely on hadiths rather than the Holy Qur'an itself for direction, from where the stoning of women, sexual mutilation of boys and girls, relegation of women as objects of abuse, and militant conduct that in no way reflects the commands of God, flourishes.

Authors, musicians, friends, brothers...

Published on Feb 18, 2014