| Examples of anti-Semitism in the Arab and Muslim world | ||
The Palestinian Authority
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| The anti-Israeli and anti-Zionist rhetoric, which is part and parcel of the ongoing violent Palestinian insurrection against Israel, is anti-Semitic in nature as well. That is particularly true for the radical Islamist Palestinian terrorist organizations , especially Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad . | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Palestinian Authority (PA) takes no effective steps to deter anti-Semitic propaganda. In fact, it helps the various organizations in their efforts to inculcate anti-Semitism into the minds of the Palestinian population mainly the young generation by allowing the dissemination of anti-Semitic propaganda via the media over which the PA has complete control, including Palestinian television . Yasser Arafat himself uses the same Islamist terminology as do the various radical Islamist groups. in reference to the violent Israeli-Palestinian confrontation . |
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In the PA-administered territories, there are centers inciting anti-Semitic propaganda: |
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![]() The picture drawn by a 12-year old girl: The snake, an anti-Semitic symbol for the Jews (sporting a skull-cap and ear-locks!) tries to swallow (or bite) the Dome of the Rock. There is blood running from both the snake's mouth and from the mosque (confiscated in Operation Defensive Shield, April 2002). |
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| In addition, the impact of anti-Jewish influence of the Palestinian teaching staff, religious preachers (particularly those identified with Hamas), terrorist organizations and other radical Islamist groups can be clearly detected on Palestinian youth in all levels of the educational institutions of the PA, from kindergarten through university. The various Palestinian bodies mentioned above also exploit the student organizations (for example, the Hamas student movement controls most of the important university campuses in the PA-administered territories); at the same time, they provide books, research materials, audio-visual aids, etc., free of charge to children and youths as well. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In addition, anti-Semitic propaganda , including The Protocols of the Elders of Zion , is imported into the PA-administered territories from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon and particularly Egypt . On occasion, the PA publishes its own anti-Semitic books, although their technical quality is poor and distribution is limited. On the other hand, anti-Semitic booklets , fliers and posters are regularly distributed by various groups operating among the Palestinians, especially those identified with Hamas (See below for examples). |
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| The mosques in the PA-administered territories serve as a focus
for the dissemination of anti-Semitic propaganda via their radical preachers. |
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| The mosques, which are supposed to serve as centers for spiritual guidance and prayer, nevertheless provide, in the PA-administered territories, a place for formulating radical views contributing to the incitement for the armed insurrection against Israel and are in fact hotbeds for training terrorists . Moreover, they are also centers for Islamic-based anti-Semitic indoctrination . Accordingly, anti-Semitic views are often broadcast live directly from the mosques by the Palestinian television station, which is under the total control of the PA headed by Yasser Arafat. A few examples follow.
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Anti-Semitic propaganda
at the inauguration of the Center for Qur'anic Studies in Tulkarm
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| During an IDF operation in the Tulkarm [in the northern Samaria region of the West Bank] refugee camp in January 2004, Israeli soldiers found a video cassette of the inauguration ceremony of the Center for Qur'anic Studies which took place in July 1997 . The ceremony was attended by the governor of Tulkarm, Izz al-Din al-Sharif , and the chairman of the Wakf [Moslem religious endowments], Sheikh Mustafa Eid . Al-Sharif said that the Old and New Testaments were not authentic because over the years changes had been made in them. He said it was well known that the Jews had done evil things to the prophets and attacked them . Eid noted that the Muslims are the strongest nation because they expelled the Crusaders and would in turn expel the Jews as well , would liberate Jerusalem and take over the whole world [sic] . | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pictures, posters, leaflets and fliers |
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| Anti-Semitic
booklet in Al-‘Ayn mosque in Al-Bireh |
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| In September 2003, at al-‘Ayn mosque (controlled by Hamas ) in al-Bireh (in the PA-administered territories near Ramallah), a particularly offensive anti-Semitic, anti-American poster was found on the bulletin board. Under a picture of the crucified Jesus appears a rhetoric question addressed to current American President George W. Bush: “Was Jesus a terrorist when the Jews crucified him? [For they are] the Sharon's ancestors…” [The obvious answer is that Jesus was not a terrorist, but nevertheless the Jews did crucify him as they are currently, crucifying the Palestinians, despite the fact that they are not terrorists in the opinion of the person responsible for the poster]. “ The truth of the matter is that [president] Bush is one of the descendents of the anti-Christ [ al-Dajal , the false Messiah of the Christians] … In fact, [president] Bush sworn oath to [current Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel] Sharon makes it clear that he [[Bush] was indeed a descendent of the anti-Christ .” | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leaflet entitled “Jewish hatred for all
humanity” found in the offices of the Charity Committee in Tulkarm ![]() Anti-Semitic leaflet found in the offices of the Charity Committee (identified with Hamas) in Tulkarm |
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| During Operation Defensive Shield (April 2003) Israeli forces found an anti-Semitic leaflet entitled “Jewish hatred for all humanity,” based on the Qur'an. The Jews are described as the enemies of Islam and its values, murderers of the prophets and as hating all humanity in general. Following are excerpts from the text: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Anti-Semitic booklet of a Palestinian organization
operated by the Iraqi regime |
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The Internal Organizational Newsletter of the Palestinian Liberation Front (March 1, 2002) is a monthly publication distributed in the PA-administered territories by a terrorist organization operating under the aegis of Saddam Hussein's regime. The “newsletter” is based on classic Christian-European anti-Semitism. It contains quotations from the book by Alfred Rosenberg (the Nazi racial theorist) and from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion . The Protocols are the “source” for the author's assertion that terrorism is a strategic weapon serving the “ elders of Zion,” who seek to take over the whole world . |
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Books |
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| Sheikh Dr. Ikrimah Sa'eed ‘Abdallah Sabri has been the mufti of Jerusalem since 1994, is the senior preacher at Al-Aqsa mosque (in Jerusalem) and for all practical purposes is the highest Islamic religious authority in the PA-administered territories. He is famous for being a talented speaker and extremist in his views. In the past his sermons have expressed support for a jihad (holy war) against non-Muslims and for violent Palestinian activity ( including suicide bombing attacks) as a means of “liberating” Jerusalem and “all” Palestine, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea . In recent years his Friday public sermons, which are heard by large numbers of Muslim worshipers on the Temple Mount and are broadcast live on Palestinian radio and television, have included anti-Semitic propaganda as well as frequent attacks on the United States and its Arab (and non-Arab, mainly Britain) allies. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Palestine – Man and Land was published in Egypt in August 2002 as part of the Arabic Information Center's series called “ Jerusalem Treatises .” The Center is an Islamist-oriented publishing house which often issues books, journals etc, which are anti-Israeli and also incite terrorism, including the ongoing use of suicide bombing attacks. The books are exported not only to the Arab and Muslim world (including the PA-administered territories and Israeli Arabs) but to the West as well. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The following quote is from the chapter “The Jewish aspirations in Palestine,” from Palestine – Man and Land : “It is obvious that the Jews have coveted Palestine for centuries. They held several secret conventions to plot the strategy which would enable them to realize their goals . That was made most evident at the [ First Zionist] Congress [held in Basel in 1897] where they adopted resolutions known as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which explicitly state that a Jewish state is to be established in Palestine, and that it had to be done [to create] Jewish superiority and rule over the rest of the world and to conquer [the nations of the world] by corrupting [them] and causing artificial disputes between them ” (p. 9). |
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| Zionazism – Fight It Before It Kills You is a 500-pages long anti-Semitic book of fabrications and distortions and was found in the so-called Arafat's palace in Bethlehem during Operation Defensive Shield (April 2002). It is dedicated to the “martyrs of the Palestinian revolution,” and on the first page it is inscribed by hand to Dr. Yussuf al-‘Abdallah , who is one of Arafat's intimates and head of the elite unit which forms his personal bodyguard [known as "Force 17"]. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A synopsis of the book appears on the rear cover. Some of its highlights follow: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Qur'anic
Truths about the Palestinian Problem
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Qur'anic Truths about the Palestinian Problem attempts to prove that all Palestine is Muslim according to the Qur'an, and that the Jews inhabiting it are faced with certain extinction. The following are excerpts from the introduction: |
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| Terrorism and anti-Semitism: A poster produced in 2001 by the Hamas movement in Tulkarm, dedicated to the memory of 10 martyrs ( shahids ). The illustration in the center of the poster depicts a Star of David-shaped snake coiled around the map of Palestine. The snake is a classic anti-Semitic symbol whose association with the Jewish people can be traced back to 19th-century Europe. Nowadays, the snake (along with the octopus) appears on numerous anti-Semitic caricatures and illustrations across the Arab and Muslim world. The map of Palestine features a verse from the Quran [Surah 2 (Al-Baqarah) part of verse 191] heavily used by Islamic extremists (prominent among whom are the Palestinians) for purposes of incitement against the Jews: “And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out…” A caption popular in posters produced by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad appears below: “Indeed, this is jihad (holy war) [leading to either] victory or martyrdom for the sake of Allah ( istishhad )”.
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Anti-Semitic indoctrination
instigated by the Palestinian security forces: a recycling of an Egyptian edition of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion |
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| Chapters from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion , based on the al-Tunisi edition of 1976, were printed in Al-Shuhada' ["The Martyrs"], a monthly publication issued by the Political Indoctrination Apparatus of the Palestinian Border Patrol in the Gaza Strip. The Political Indoctrination Apparatus, led by Colonel ‘Uthmann abu Gharbiyyah, is an independent body operating within the Palestinian Authority under the direct control on Yasser Arafat. It deals with the political and ideological indoctrination of the Palestinian security forces. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The snake: an original Palestinian addition to the illustration of the Magen David (Star of David) and octopus appearing on the 1976 Egyptian (al-Tunesei) edition of The Protocols.
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The translation of an excerpt from issue No. 44 follows: “… The Jew [is committed] to use every ugly trick at his disposal while dealing with other peoples: theft, fraud, oppression, deceit and usury. Not only that, [he is also] permitted to kill - as did Moses, according to descriptions in the Torah and the Talmud - when he killed the Egyptian having carefully weighed the matter and pre-meditated the killing. Indeed, the killing of a non-Jew, a “goy” as the [Jewish] rabbis say, is considered a sacrifice to the God whom Moses worshipped and who rewarded the sacrificier. That was because the “goyeem” [i.e., the non-Jews] are the enemies of God and the Jews, they are dumb animals whose killing is not prohibited in any way, regardless of the means. ” |
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| An anti-Semitic article with religious
Islamic justification for perpetrating violence against the Jews and their allies |
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An excerpt from the Hamas weekly Al-Risalah, written by Younis al-Astal, the dean of the Islamic Law department (the Shari'ah) at the Islamic University in Gaza [a Palestinian branch of the Egyptian Al-Azhar University], and a high-ranking Hamas member. The article deals with the ceremonies surrounding a Muslim pilgrimage [ hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca which devout Muslims are supposed to perform at least once in their lifetimes] and the “good things” that can be derived from them: “Casting stones symbolizes the hatred for devils , since the casting of stones expresses the deep hatred the thrower feels for the person at whom the stone is cast. However, Casting stones at the human devils who are the Jews, those who help them, the Crusaders and their brothers , is done with bullets, rockets and other forms of missiles ” (Al-Risalah, January 29, 2004). |
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| Cartoons The use of the snake as a negative Jewish symbol |
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| Dr. ‘Abd al-Aziz al-Rantisi, the former leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, was the most notorious anti-Semitic propagandist in the PA-administered territories. Time and again he called for the perpetration of violent attacks against Israel and the United States, preaches jihad and ishtihhad (suicide bombing attacks) against Israel and the United States and the expulsion of the Jews from “the last millimeter in Palestine.” | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Rantisi customarily vilified the Jews with no clear distinction between anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism . His themes were familiar to his audience and taken from both classic Christian-European and Islamic anti-Semitism . For example, in speeches made during 2003 he accused the Jews of killing the prophets 3; he stated that Israel and Zionism commit atrocities against the Palestinians “worse than those committed by Hitler and the Nazis” (while attributing to Israel “atrocities” which never occurred); he denied the Holocaust; and he accused the Zionist movement of collaborating with the Nazis during the Holocaust. The accusations made by Dr. Rantisi (and other Hamas spokespersons) were (and continue to be) spread throughout the Arab and Muslim world by means of interviews given to the Arabic media, especially satellite television stations. 3 Accusing the Jews of having killed the prophets is common in Islamic anti-Semitism based on the Qur'an. Its intention is in some way to make political capital out of long-standing (though now widely-refuted) Christian accusations that the Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus. |
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