Posted on 03/31/2002 7:00:19 PM PST by LarryLied
The Jewish community's official representation in France warned today of a "new Kristallnacht" after a series of attacks on Jewish targets over the weekend.
The Central Consistory in Paris said it was "profoundly worried by the repeated attacks on French synagogues," and called on the government immediately to step up protection of Jewish buildings and institutions.
"Without this, we would have no choice but to consider the Jewish community as living through the beginnings of a new Kristallnacht, with the government totally passive," the Consistory said in a statement.
Kristallnacht is the name given to the night of November 9, 1938, when German mobs embarked on an orgy of anti-Semitic violence with the encouragement of Adolf Hitler's Nazi government.
President Jacques Chirac added his voice to the growing condemnation of the violence, which he described as "extremely worrying." "Whether it's against places of worship, or Jewish people, or the things they represent -- it is totally unacceptable," Chirac said.
In the latest attack vandals set fire to the front of a synagogue in the eastern French city of Strasbourg early today, and Jewish leaders said it was provoked by a large anti-Israeli demonstration there the day before.
Petrol was poured on the doors of the synagogue in the Cronenbourg quarter, and the subsequent fire spread into the hall before being extinguished, but there was no serious damage.
"I am not surprised by the fire. On Saturday anti-Israeli cries were raised, but also cries of hate. The crowd was whipped up, which was wrong," said Gilbert Roos, honorary Israeli consul in the city.
Muslim groups had organised a march through Strasbourg yesterday in support of the Palestinian intifada and to protest at Israel's armed attack on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah.
In other incidents, around 15 masked assailants smashed two cars into a synagogue in the southeastern French city of Lyon early yesterday, and last evening a man fired two shots from a shotgun at the front of a kosher butcher's in the southern city of Toulouse.
In Lyon, the leader of the local Muslim community, Kamel Kabtane, visited the La Duchere synagogue today in a gesture of solidarity.
"I am always available to do what is needed to send out a signal to those who want to sow hatred," he said.
Israeli leaders -- including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon -- have said French anti-Semitism is on the rise, but the government in Paris argues that the attacks are mainly the work of Muslims of North African origin and must be seen in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Can you look at a photo of a Hassid and mistake him for a Reform ACLU member? The photos definitely aroused my sympathies. If they didn't affect you other than to arouse you suspicion that the men are acting aggrieved in order to advance some liberal agenda, then thanks for sharing.
Obviously the Christians didn't have freedom. Maybe the Moors didn't pick on the Jews because they were picking on Christians instead there ---the Muslims seem to have trouble with Hindus and every other group.
In fact, they did also. The Moorish occupation happened at the height of--and all during--the flowering of Islamic civilization, with enlightened thought and government the watchword.
Islam traditionally preaches religious tolerance for "the people of the book (i.e. the Bible)" including Jews and Christians.
What you and others are choosing to believe is the "normal" face of Islam is in fact an aberrant strain of the religion that has far more clout than numbers.
As far as I'm concerned, every jihadist can die for Allah the way his bastardized religious teachings declare.
But every Muslim is not a Jihadist.
Which face of Islam is showing in Indonesia where the beheadings of Christians are taking place? Which face of Islam showed in Sudan where over 2 million Christians and animists were murdered? Which face of Islam is calling for the Death to all Jews? If there really are more than one Islams, then the "good" Muslims should make that official and then join the Christians and Jews against the bad ones.
I know there are some ---Turks and some Persians who are tolerant for the most part --but I think that's not the face of Islam but the face of their previous culture and religion. Zoroasterism is still an influence and that was a tolerant religion.
Have you ever been to Bridgeview, Illinois? When I was in 8th Grade on a Field Trip (public school) we went to a mosque where the sheik preached hatred towards Jews. I was scarred from that experience and fortunately I have moved west into conservative DuPage County. Luckly I was a Christian and had the power of Christ to stand up to these heathens. But there were many ragheads in the crowd applauding the shiek when he attacked Jews. I do agree with you that not all Muslims are jihadists I'd say maybe less than 1% AREN'T jihadists. If you think that Islam is peace than go look at the mainstream islamic websites where they overwhelmingly approve of the suicide bombings targetting Jewish children. I'll stand by Franklin Graham.
another lesson Illbay. The late great John Lennon </ sarcasm> says that the God of Christianity and Judaism is the same God of Islam well. The God of Israel and Christianity is YHWH the god of Islam is allah.
In the islamic prayer they say there is no god but allah and muhammed is his prophet.
Last I checked allah and YHWH are NOT the same.
Illbay for once can you stop attacking Jews?
Lots of reasons to attack Islam without descending to inaccuracies.
Allah is the Arabic word that translates directly into English as God. It's equivalent in Hebrew, a closely related language, is el or elohim. All ancient Semitic languages had essentially the same word, which meant god.
YHWH is the personal name of God in the Old Testament. He is also referred to by the titles God and Lord. These same titles have been translated into a multitude of languages, but all refer to the same God, Creator of the Universe.
You are perfectly free to believe that when Muslims speak of Allah, it's not the same God you worship, but it has nothing to do with the terminology they use, which is probably (I'll have to look it up) the same word for God as is used by Arabic-speaking Christians.
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/allah.html
There are similar sites dealing with the issue from a Catholic perspective.
Except when his fellow communists hang him as they did to Slansky and ten other communists who helped turned Czechoslovakia into a slave labor camp. Then he is a Jew again. Ever see Trial in Prague? It is a sickening movie. Poor, poor Rudolph Slansky, a victim of antisemitism and those nasty commies. The film grates on Czech freedom fighters. They were glad to see Slansky executed. He deserved it.
Those 11 are not the only examples. Perhaps as many as 150,000 Mischlinge served in the Kreigsmarine and Wehrmacht. Some became admirals and generals. Everyone says they were not really Jews because they served the Nazis and might not have been observant (we don't really know if they were or not). But had they been imprisoned or killed by the Nazis, Simon Wiesenthal and others would have considered them Jews if they had practiced the faith or not and they or their families would have been eligible for a part of the $7 billion plus which has been paid in reparations.
Allah is the word used for God in all Christian and Jewish Bibles published in Arabic.
I know there's been a lot of nonsense posted on FR about Allah being an ancient Arab moon god, but that's just what it is, nonsense. Suggest you follow one of the links I posted above, or look up Allah in the Catholic Encyclopedia, which is available online.
We're talking linguistics here, not fantasy. Inaccuracies (hopefully inadverdent) such as your comments only weaken the credibility of any other comments you might make about Islam.
There are lots of negative things about Islam that are factually correct. Why not use them?
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