Arab commentator writes: "This new anti-Semitism must be clearly denounced without any 'ifs' and 'buts'." But he then goes on to say "Harvard is quasi-occupied due to the presence of Jews... who [by] hundreds of times [outnumber] the Americans themselves."
I read several Arab newspapers and websites each day. Unfortunately, it is still common to find anti-Semitic articles too obscene to send out on this list.
Instead, in response to several people on this list asking me to send out more from the Arab media, I attach an article I came across recently from the English language website of the leading Egyptian newspaper "Al-Hayat". I attach it because:
(1) Even though the article contains several anti-Semitic statements (starting with the opening paragraph: "Israeli practices against the Palestinians reach the level of Nazism"), the writer, Jihad Al Khazen, also makes a vigorous denunciation of "The New Anti-Semitism" of a kind rarely found in the Arab media. He acknowledges that anti-Semitism is on the rise. He writes, for example, that "anti-Semitic incidents have increased six-fold" in France, and informs his readers about the recent revelation concerning the anti-Semitic diary entries of former US President Harry Truman.
(2) It illustrates the muddle so many contemporary anti-Semitic commentators in the Arab and European leftist press are in. On the one hand he denounces anti-Semitism ("this new anti-Semitism must be clearly denounced without any "ifs" and "buts." ... "we are strictly against all aspects of anti-Semitism, no matter what the reason is." ... "neo-Nazis, radical rightists and fools of every kind who attack Jews in a terrible way."). But in the very next breath he then makes anti-Semitic statements such as: "Harvard is quasi-occupied due to the presence of Jews in its administration, academic body and students, who are hundreds of times more than the Americans themselves."
In the article, Al Khazen also mentions several episodes which were first brought to the attention of many international journalists and editors through this email list - including the Andrew Wilkie controversy at Oxford University, and the acceptance by Harvard University of a multi-million dollar donation by the Zayed center (a pseudo intellectual think-tank that promotes Holocaust-revisionism and other anti-Semitic attitudes).
Since Al Khazen defends the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leader Sheikh Zayed (founder of the Zayed Center), for "fostering peace in his region and taking his country on a path to development jump starting from the 19th century to the 21st century," I also attach two reports from last month (from the "Gulf Daily News," of Abu Dhabi) about the UAE Supreme court's ruling that a 15-year-old expatriate (i.e. non-Arab) girl be sentenced to 90 lashes for adultery, followed by deportation from the UAE -- which has apparently been "jump started into the 21st century" according to Al Khazen.
-- Tom Gross
FULL ARTICLES
THE NEW ANTI-SEMITISM
Ayoon wa Azan (The New Anti-Semitism)
By Jihad Al Khazen
Al-Hayat
October 8, 2003
Jews around the world complain about the rise of a new wave of anti-Semitism. While many attribute this campaign to what is going on in the Middle East, seldom do I ever read any Jewish person denouncing Israeli practices against the Palestinians - practices that reach the level of Nazism.
Ariel Sharon government's crimes, radicalism and racism do not justify this new anti-Semitism, which must be clearly denounced without any "ifs" and "buts." A government comprised of war criminals in Israel explains the rise of anti-Semitism in every country.
In France for example, which hosts six million Muslims and 600,000 Jews, the highest number of Muslims and Jews in any European country, anti-Semitic attacks have significantly increased since the second Intifada end of September 2000, thus confirming a relation.
According to Jewish sources, anti-Semitic incidents have increased six-fold between 2001 and 2002, and reached over 550 incidents since the second Intifada. French Jews claim that young North African people are responsible for the majority of these attacks, which also target Jews of North African origin.
The Arab Muslim immigrant from Algeria or Morocco knows what Israel is doing to the Palestinians and is trying to take revenge. At least, he has a reason, even though we are strictly against all aspects of anti-Semitism, no matter what the reason is. However, there are neo-Nazis, radical rightists and fools of every kind who attack Jews in a terrible way. They form the majority that stands behind such attacks, which have undermined the peace process in the Middle East. The war criminal Ariel Sharon came to kill, destroy and harm the reputation of Jews in all countries, in addition to exposing them to dangers they could have very well done without.
In parallel to the escalation of the wave of anti-Semitism, the memoirs of President Harry Truman, dated 1947, about the Jews, was published and raised a new controversy. The Arabs know Truman as an American president who facilitated the establishment of Israel and quickly recognized it. They suppose he supported Jews and admires them a lot. However, his sayings that were discovered after more than half a century give a totally different image of his opinion about them. He literally said that Jews are very selfish, and do not care about people from Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Poland, Yugoslavia and Greece who are being killed, mistreated and expatriated, as long as the Jews are being treated in a special manner. When they enjoy physical, financial or political strength, Hitler and Stalin don't come close to them in mistreating the weakest party. If the weak person becomes strong, it will not matter then if he is Russian, Jewish, black, a manager, a worker or a Baptist. Power will give him delusions, and rare are those who remember their past when their situation improves.
I wrote several times in this column that Israel is practicing on the Palestinians what the Nazis used to practice against the Jews. It seems that this was also the opinion of Harry Truman, kept secret since 1947, and that he expected Israel to treat the Palestinians the way they are doing, before anything happened.
Truman recounts how Henry Morgenthau, the former Secretary of Treasury, asked him to facilitate the entry of Jews into Palestine. Truman says Morgenthau had absolutely no right to call him. Truman says that the Jews do not know their limits and do not know how to assess international developments. Henry brought 1,000 Jews to New York in order to remain there temporarily, but all of them remained.
Every day, I find examples about selfishness and misevaluation. I was reading Truman and reading about Rachel Fisch, who graduated from Harvard and presented a research, accompanied with a petition to the university requesting it to return a 5.2-million-dollar donation by the Zayed International Institute, claiming that the center promotes advertisements hostile to the U.S. and the Jews.
This issue translates a double arrogance, for the Jews are trying to convince others that the U.S. and Jews are one, although Israel harmed U.S. interests as no other country in the world did, and turned 2.1 Muslims and Arabs into its enemies. Sheikh Zayed, which institute carries the name, is the president of UAE. He built a unit to foster peace in his region and took his country on a path to development jump starting from the 19th century to the 21st century. I refuse to compare him to the leaders of Israel, but I say that the Jewish researcher should examine Israel's crimes and reasons for anti-Jewish hatred in the world. Harvard is quasi-occupied due to the presence of Jews in its administration, academic body and students, who are hundreds of times more than the Americans themselves. However, Europeans are more free and far from this "occupation." I was reading that a professor at Oxford University rejected the application of an Israeli student because of his nationality. Professor Andrew Wilkie told the Israeli PhD student Amit Duvshani that he couldn't teach an Israeli student because of the "huge human rights abuses" Israel is inflicting on Palestinians.
Israel is a shame to the Jews everywhere. Everyone who supports it is a partner in the crime, for it has been transformed from a country for the survivors of the Nazism to a new Nazi state that is practicing what Truman predicted over half of century ago.
Anti-Semitism is refused for any reason whatsoever, even if the reason is Israel. However, it did not come out of a vacuum, but out of Israel's practices. Fighting it does not begin with denying the reason but in fighting the violations of the government of the war criminals in Israel, for most Jews in the world are liberal and moderate. Hence, Sharon's government does not represent them. If the Palestinians and Israelis were able to reach a peaceful compromise, despite Ariel Sharon and not thanks to him, the main reason for the return of anti-Semitism would disappear. Only the known radical organizations, from neo-Nazis and others would remain, and they would have no respect or credibility, just like university professors who boycotted Israel before Professor Wilkie, and denounced its behavior in a way that was never adopted before.
GIRL, 15, FACES LASHES
Girl, 15, faces lashes
Gulf Daily News
August 18, 2003
The UAE supreme federal court has rejected a 15-year-old expatriate girl's plea to reverse a Muslim court sentence of 90 lashes for adultery, reports said yesterday. The court also sentenced the man she had "illicit relations" with, but the reports gave no details. The court in Abu Dhabi said the girl, who also faces deportation, was not classified as a juvenile because, under Sharia law, a girl is deemed an adult when she reaches puberty.
TEENAGE GIRL TO GET 90 LASHES, TO BE DEPORTED
Teenage girl to get 90 lashes, to be deported
By Shireena Al Nowais, Staff Reporter
Abu Dhabi
August 18, 2003
www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=95354
A 15-year-old expatriate girl living in Abu Dhabi will be flogged 90 times before being deported from the UAE for committing adultery.
The sentence was handed down by the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court and supported by the Supreme Federal Court. The girl was charged by the criminal court with committing adultery at the age of 15.
The Prosecution claimed the girl was involved in an illicit relationship with a man and said she should be punished according to the Shariah Law. The court also sentenced the man involved with her.
The girl went to the Appeal Court which reconfirmed her sentence. She also appealed before the Supreme Federal Court on the grounds it was against the law to convict her since she is a teenager.
She said she was well below the legal permissible age of 18 when she committed the crime, implying the court should consider her case as a juvenile.
Her appeal was turned down by the federal court which supported the sentence and said the Shariah courts are solely responsible for applying Shariah laws for punitive crimes, blood money, drugs, juvenile delinquencies and others.
The court said according to the Shariah law, in contrast to the Civil Law, the girl has already reached adulthood by reaching puberty as confirmed by a medical doctor at Corniche Hospital.
Therefore she should be punished for adultery under the Shariah law which views that the girl deserves the punishment and should not be regarded a juvenile.