Susha

By and large the people who complain about the Israeli national anthem, Hatikva, do not care about the Israeli national anthem, or what it says. Their complaint is that there is an Israeli national anthem or, more precisely, that there is an Israel which can have a national anthem. What the Israeli national anthem is, its words and its melody are up to the Israelis.  

Personally I have a few concerns with the US national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, not least of which is that it is nearly impossible to sing well. There are things to complain about in almost every national anthem.

May 9, 2012 -- 4:41PM, Shusha wrote:

Well, one might argue with "Our home and native land" in the Canadian anthem as well. 

For First World Canadians, that part of the song is correct.

KS

Most nations are ethnocentric

May 9, 2012 -- 5:54PM, rocketjsquirell wrote:

KS

Most nations are ethnocentric

>>>>>>>> Maybe by demography but rarely it is shoved into national anthem.

May 10, 2012 -- 2:35PM, rocketjsquirell wrote:

BD

Maybe you should start listening to some more national anthems. Listen carefully now.

From Albania

With arms in hand we shall remain,
To guard our fatherland round about.
Our rights we will not bequeath,
Enemies have no place here.

For the Lord Himself has said,
That nations vanish from the earth,
But Albania shall live on,
Because for her, it is for her that we fight.

From Algeria

O France, the time of reproof is over
And we have ended it as a book is ended;
O France, this is the day of reckoning
So prepare to receive from us our answer!
In our revolution is the end of empty talk;
We are resolved that Algeria shall live -
So be our witness -be our witness -be our witness!

From our heroes we shall make an army come to being,
From our dead we shall build up a glory,
Our spirits shall ascend to immortality
And on our shoulders we shall raise the standard.
To the nation's Liberation Front we have sworn an oath,
We are resolved that Algeria shall live -
So be our witness -be our witness -be our witness!

From Angola

O Fatherland, we shall never forget
The heroes of the Fourth of February.
O Fatherland, we salute your sons
Who died for our Independence.
We honor the past and our history
As by our work we build the New Man.

. . .

Let us raise our liberated voices
To the glory of the peoples of Africa.

From antigua

Fair Antigua and Barbuda We thy sons and daughters stand Strong and firm in peace or danger, To safeguard our native land:

Really - just listen to a few Natioanl anthems before you make any more silly and unimformed statements about national anthems.

>>>>>>>> OK. Where are they putting "Ethnic" or 'Religious" words?