Islam's Embedded Anti-Semitism

The calling by Iran's president for Israel's destruction prompted Walid Salem's Daily Star (Lebanon) Commentary "Address the 'Jewish question' without resorting to propaganda" (Nov.8 '05) which follows on these observations..

Salem is blind to the overwhelming negative attitude of Islamic populations towards Jews as measured in polls and published in the Pew Global Attitudes Report Spring, '05 . The polls related to Jews, not Israel. and thus negates the frequent assertion that anti-Israel attitudes are mistakenly regarded as anti-Semitic. The report shows unfavorable attitudes in selected Moslem countries towards Jews in Spring, 2005 to be: Jordan-100%; Lebanon- 98%;Morocco-88%; Indonesia-76%;Pakistan-74%; Turkey -60%. Some significant Islamic states were not included in the polls. Results for the remaining 11 countries polled are: China-49%; Poland-27%; Russia-26%; Germany-21%; Spain-20%; India-17%; France-16%; Netherlands-11%; Canada-11%; US-7%; Britain-6%.

Jordan never had a Jewish population. Lebanon had 5,200 Jews in 1948 which increased to 6,961 in 1951 as some Jews went there instead of to Israel. Today there are not even 20 Jews in Lebanon, And in Indonesia? Ant-Semitism without Jews!

The fundamentalist Islamic credo is that Jews and Christians received God's word but officially distorted it in their favor. Only Islam presents the true text, thus implanting the devastating tendency to see evil conspiracy everywhere. One such was the early charge that some Jewish scholars accepted Islam in order to fracture its unity...This addiction to conspiracy theory was grossly enhanced by European anti-Semitism as featured in "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion"..Essentially rejected in the Christian world,the "Protocols" virus persists in Islam with re-publishing , wide readership and incorporation in dogma --without identifying source -- as in the Hamas charter. Both secular and religious populations are so entangled. Cure is not easy.Until achieved, symptoms can only be ameliorated.

THE DAILY STAR 8 Nov.'05:"Address the 'Jewish question' without resorting to propaganda"

QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"How do we deal with the 'Jewish question' in the Israeli-Palestinian and also in the Israeli-Arab and Islamic contexts?

"Is this the tolerant Islam that all average citizens know ... the Islam that promotes equal rights for all people whatever their religion...?"

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EXCERPTS:
. . . How do we deal with the "Jewish question" in the Israeli-Palestinian and also in the Israeli-Arab and Islamic contexts?

The first point is the Jewish question itself: Do we in the Middle East ask ourselves about this question? With the exception of a book written a few years ago by the Lebanese journalist Joseph Samaha, I have not seen other Arabic writings that recognize the Jewish question as not only a European question, but also as an Arabic-Islamic one.

The second point ... : if the Jewish question is recognized, then its phenomena should be discussed. ...frank questions need to be asked: Were the rights of the Jews throughout the ages guaranteed in Arabic and Islamic countries? If the answer to this question is yes, then why did the Jews of these countries emigrate to Israel? ... If it was only Zionist propaganda that led to their emigration, then why does a large portion of those who came to Israel from the Arabic and Islamic countries adopt right-wing positions toward the Palestinians and Arabs? Moreover, what have Arabs and Islamic countries done in order to maintain good relations with those Jews once they migrated to Israel? ... .

My third point centers on the strategy toward Israel. Do Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others of his ilk think that their propaganda helps Palestinians? Do they ... , help Israel integrate into the Middle East? Or does their attitude just help to increase those trends that call for Israel to be part of the West and to disconnect itself from Eastern culture and ties - except those ties of hegemony and dominance?

Do such statements help bring peace to the Middle East or more hatred ... and the proliferation of nuclear weapons? Does Ahmadinejad hope to use these weapons to eliminate Israel? Moreover, does he realize that an Israeli response might bring about the elimination of Iran and probably other Middle Eastern countries? ... .

The fourth point regards our roles in resolving the Jewish question. Of course the greater part of this problem was created in Europe, but as Israel was established in the Middle East, it falls upon us to answer the question: Will we accept the challenge of integrating Israel into the area? Or do we want to create new problems just because we do not bear the responsibility of creating the original problem? ... it is still our overall humanitarian responsibility to find a common solution to the Jewish question rather than to react to the suffering emanating from the establishment of Israel by causing anguish for the Jewish people. These are issues that Ahmadinejad did not think of because his very blind strategy can't see the humanity of the opposing side.

The fifth point ponders whether these actions reflect Islam. Is this the tolerant Islam that all average citizens know ... the Islam that promotes equal rights for all people whatever their religion, color, sex, etc? These blind ideologies have nothing to do with Islam. They only create the opposite of what Islam stands for: they create hatred out of religious differences, thereby generating religious wars.

On all of the above points, moderate Muslims are called upon to raise their voices. Moderate Muslims must be vociferous against blind strategies, and instead should call for a real and intensive discussion about the Jewish question and about Israel's position in the Middle East. Without such fruitful discussion, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not be resolved. Walid Salem is the director of the East Jerusalem office of Panorama, the Center for the Dissemination of Democracy and Community Development. He is also the author of books and articles on democracy, citizenship, youth rights, civil society development, Israeli-Palestinian peace-building and the right of return. ... .

21 posted on 11/08/2005 6:21:45 PM PST by Alouette (Gaza: Too small to be a country, too large to be an insane asylum (thanx: Pettigru).)

I will grant you that and offer my humble apology. My research tells me that the term originated (not "was coinded") in 1870 and, like you said, always refers to hatred of the Jews.
My larger point is that Arabs are also "Semitic" people which makes it at least a little confusing.

22 posted on 11/08/2005 6:35:25 PM PST by Past Your Eyes (I'm just sitting here on the Group W bench.)

I would say that the British worked against the formation of Israel was policy... They were empirically minded, needed the Suez Canal to sustain India. Oh, year, and oil! So it was more practicable for them to side with the Arabs then the Jews.

Furthermore, the Foreign Office saw this conflict happening realizing that Jews who would not agree to dhimmi status would be in direct conflict with Islam on what was considered by Muslims holy ground.

I have considered that. I am use to quite extreme anti-American views here in Canada; but when someone posted a poll showing that Canadian disapproval of Americans was only in the 30% level, I was quite surprised. Perhaps it is the same people who engage in American bashing - since those around them don't react I assumed they must agree. But as you said they could be the silent majority, some of which have opinions, but don't express them, and some whose only worry is whether their sports team won last night's game.

Probably what is useful is what the majority mean by the term "anti-semitism". I agree that incorrect usage of terms drives me wild and crazy. For example, the insistence on calling American natives "Indians". Indians live in India. But the term has stuck over hundreds of years of usage - in fact American natives themselves use the term.

So they hid reasons of pragmatism in moral drag? (Much like the French do now in excusing Iran). But, I do recall the Brits trying to rewrite Islamic history in India to keep peace in that region. Whitewashing Moslem atrocities against the Indians to keep India stabilized.

But I suppose America has engaged in similar activities - not allowing Israel to continue its advance against Egypt in the Yom Kippur, to allow the Egyptians to save face.

"Semites" includes Moslems as well as Jews. People think Antisemitism is the same thing as Anti-Jewish. 'Tain't so.

Well race does not include Asian or Hispanics.. But the word has evolved with common usage. Same for antisemitism.

Well, the Americans did not allow Israel to continue its advance because the Russians were threatening to escalate the war by becoming active participants. It really had little to do with the Egyptians saving face.

Re the British: I don't think they were trying to hide their pragmatism. They weren't going to risk the Empire to place what they considered an unviable state in a region where it was not welcomed.

To me, Indian is much better than the PC "Native American". What a crock that is. It assumes that we all should identify ourselves as a (blank) American of some sort.
If I'm not a "native" American after 14 or 15 generations of ancestry here, I sure would hate to have to try to get my identity from some other point of origin. Every single person in this hemisphere, without exception, has ancestors that came from another continent.

29 posted on 11/09/2005 2:46:14 AM PST by Past Your Eyes (I'm just sitting here on the Group W bench.)

I see. Native implies that they have more right to the land than you? Perhaps aboriginal would be a better term? The implication of the term "native" didn't occur to me until you mentioned it. In Canada we are even more PC. The government calls them First Nations. (Although I have never heard a First Nation chief ever use that expression)

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