| |
The Arab
Information Center: An
independent publishing house operating in Egypt, on
behalf of Palestinian radical Islamists and in which members
of the Egyptian political opposition are also involved, openly
conducts an extensive, ongoing, anti-Israeli, pro-Palestinian
propaganda campaign. The Center's crudely anti-Semitic publications,
preaching hatred and inciting terrorist acts against Israel,
the Jews and the Zionist movement (as well as the United States
and Britain). They are written by various (sometimes distinguished)
Arab scholars and distributed (usually to subscribers) throughout
the Arab and Muslim world, to Muslim communities in the West,
to the Palestine Authority (PA)-administered territories and
even to Israeli Arabs. |
|
| |
Postcard (also appearing as a sticker) distributed to Arab Information Center
subscribers. It shows pictures of shaheeds, all of whom belonged to Hamas, some
of them well-known perpetrators of suicide bombing attacks which left scores
of Israelis dead (i.e., the attack on the Park Hotel in Netanya on March 27,
2002; the attack on the Maza restaurant in Haifa on March 31, 2002; and the
attack at a bus stop on the French Hill in Jerusalem on June 20, 2002).
|
| |
| The Arab Information Center – Overview |
Appendix A
Fruits of the
Intifada : The book preaches the continuation of
the violent Palestinian insurrection and forcefully presents suicide
bombing attacks as the only and most effective option for Palestinian
victory over Israel. |
Appendix B
The Palestinian
Problem: Unassailable Facts and Fundamental Principles :
The book calls for the destruction of the Zionist enterprise in
Palestine through a jihad waged by the entire
Arab and Islamic world. |
| Appendix C
Suicide
Bombs [i.e., the suicide bombers] : the Balance of
Deterrence and the First Signs of Victory : The
book glorifies the suicide bombing
attacks and preaches their continuance, regarding them
as “a trump card.” |
Appendix D
The Jewish
Plan: Between Kindling Conflicts and Destroying Civilization :
An overtly anti-Semitic book calling upon the
Islamic world to prepare itself for a confrontation with Jews and
Zionists, who present, it claims, a threat to the existence of
Islam and other civilizations. |
Appendix E
Jerusalem,
the al-Aqsa Intifada and the War of Globalization :
The book examines the current intifada in the context of the confrontation between Islam and
the United States . It extols the current armed
Palestinian insurrection, especially the suicide bombing
attacks against Israel, as the path to “the liberation
of Palestine” from the river Jordan to the Mediterranean sea. |
Appendix F
Palestine,
Man and Land : An anti-Semitic booklet written by Sheikh
‘Ikrimah Sa'id Sabri , the Mufti of Jerusalem and the
PA's highest religious authority. The booklet transmits the message
that the Jews have no right to Eretz Israel (the land of Israel)
and completely delegitimizes the State of Israel . |
Appendix G
Postcards and stickers
used as propaganda : Examples of postcards and stickers
distributed to subscribers with the magazines. Some of the postcards
and stickers, which seem harmless and intended to raise Islamic religious
awareness, are actually distributed by the AIC as part of its incitement
to perpetrating acts of terrorism against Israel , encouragement
of greater devotion to the mosques on the Temple Mount in the context
of the current violent Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the preaching
of radical fundamentalist Islamic religious values. |
Appendix H
Recommendations
for anti-Israeli propaganda strategy . An article from the
February 2003 issue of the AIC's monthly Hasad ul-Fikr. Its main
messages are the refusal to recognize the State of Israel and the
encouragement of its complete destruction , conclusions
based on a working seminar held to discuss the topic of “The role
of all Arab information [i.e., propaganda] in supporting the steadfastness
of the Palestinians.” |
|
| |
 |
The Arab Information Center (AIC) is an independent publishing house in business
since 1991, operating exclusively in Arabic and with only an Arabic Website.
It is also a quasi-research institute which monitors social and political issues
and publishes its findings. In addition, it is particularly active in the field
of propaganda . It initiates seminars on various political
issues and publishes a large number of books (including series),
periodicals and postcards – including pro-terrorism propaganda – of unusually
high technical quality . 1
1 Judging
by the material quality of the publications, which boast advanced technology
and are printed on glossy paper,
the Center would appear to enjoy very generous
financial backing. |
| |
|
The AIC would seem to be
backed by Islamically-oriented Palestinian intellectuals with
connections to Islamist and Nasserist (i.e., radical pan-Arab
nationalist) writers in Egypt. The Center often tries to appear
academically and scientifically objective; however in practice,
many of its publications are biased and deliberately
oriented toward radical (or “fundamentalist”) Islam;
they are crudely anti-Semitic and venomous with hatred for Israel,
the Jewish people and the Western countries. Many of the above
deal with the current violent Israeli-Palestinian confrontation
and call for the liberation of Jerusalem and the whole of Palestine,
preaching the continued use of violence and terrorism against
Israel, especially suicide bombing attacks . |
| |
|
The target audience for the propaganda
campaign is, according to the Center, those who form
public opinion, propagandists, intellectuals and politicians
both in Egypt and the rest of the Arab and Muslim world. Some
of their publications are only sent to subscribers, which include
public figures and bodies in the PA-administered territories
as well as Israel Arabs. On the whole, however, the publications
are distributed throughout the Arab and Muslim world, including
Arab communities in Western countries. |
| |
|
Besides books, the AIC publishes the following periodicals : |
| |
|
|
Al-Quds (Jerusalem), a monthly
journal for subscribers only. It surveys and analyzes local,
regional and international reactions to occurrences in the
Palestinian arena. |
| |
|
 |
Hassad el- Fikr (Fruit
of Thoughts), a monthly magazine aimed at the Arab world. It
contains synopses of books written in Arabic (and other languages)
about religion, politics, economics, social issues, culture,
literature, business and science, as well as articles
on various topics of current events. (For an article on anti-Israel) |
| |
|
|
Al-Risalah (The
Mission, or The Message), an intellectual quarterly. It deals with social issues and the da'wah (political-religious Islamic indoctrination, preaching and propaganda). It makes a point of the Islamic nature of the “Palestinian problem” and often preaches jihad (holy war) in the spirit of the
radical Islamic terrorist organizations. Its self-described target audience is Islamic preachers, intellectuals and public opinion makers. The Center claims the magazine serves as a forum for academic and other groups prominent in the Islamic world. |
| |
l-Zuhur |
|
Al-Zuhur (The Flowers) and Al-Fursan (The
Cavalry), magazines for the whole family. Al-Zuhur is aimed
at women, Al-Fursan at youngsters
Al-Fursan
|
|
| |
|
|
Following are examples of books and other
publications preaching hatred and inciting terrorist acts against
Israel issued by the AIC between 2002-2003 and distributed, among
others, to the PA-administered territories and Israeli Arabs: |
| |
| |
|
Appendix A , Fruits of
the Intifada : The book preaches the continuation
of the violent Palestinian insurrection and forcefully
presents suicide bombing attacks as the only and
most effective option for Palestinian victory over Israel. |
| |
| |
|
Appendix B , The Palestinian
Problem: Unassailable Facts and Fundamental Principles :
The book calls for the destruction of the Zionist enterprise
in Palestine through a jihad waged by the
entire Arab and Islamic world. |
| |
| |
|
Appendix C , Suicide
Bombs [i.e., the suicide bombers] : the Balance of
Deterrence and the First Signs of Victory : The
book glorifies the suicide bombing
attacks and preaches their continuance, regarding
them as “a trump card.” |
| |
| |
|
Appendix D , The Jewish
Plan: Between Kindling Conflicts and Destroying Civilization :
An overtly anti-Semitic book calling upon
the Islamic world to prepare itself for a confrontation with
Jews and Zionists, who present, it claims, a threat to the
existence of Islam and other civilizations. |
| |
| |
|
Appendix E , Jerusalem,
the al-Aqsa Intifada and the War of Globalization :
The book examines the current intifada in the context of the confrontation between Islam and
the United States . It extols the current
armed Palestinian insurrection, especially the suicide
bombing attacks against Israel, as the path to “the
liberation of Palestine” from the river Jordan to the Mediterranean
sea. |
| |
| |
|
Appendix F , Palestine,
Man and Land : An anti-Semitic booklet written
by Sheikh ‘Ikrimah Sa'id Sabri , the Mufti
of Jerusalem and the PA's highest religious authority. The
booklet transmits the message that the Jews have no right to
Eretz Israel (the land of Israel) and completely delegitimizes
the State of Israel . |
| |
| |
|
Appendix G , Postcards and
stickers used as propaganda : Examples of postcards
and stickers distributed to subscribers with the magazines. Some
of the postcards and stickers, which seem harmless and intended
to raise Islamic religious awareness, are actually distributed
by the AIC as part of its incitement to perpetrating
acts of terrorism against Israel , encouragement of
greater devotion to the mosques on the Temple Mount in the context
of the current violent Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the
preaching of radical fundamentalist Islamic religious values. |
| |
| |
|
Appendix H , Recommendations
for anti-Israeli propaganda strategy . An article from
the February 2003 issue of the AIC's monthly Hasad ul-Fikr. Its
main messages are the refusal to recognize the State of Israel
and the encouragement of its complete destruction ,
conclusions based on a working seminar held to discuss the topic
of “The role of all Arab information [i.e., propaganda] in supporting
the steadfastness of the Palestinians.” |
|
