Call to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to condemn new blood libel claims

A letter from David G. Littman – Representative of the World Union of Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) to the United Nations Office in Geneva – to Ms. Asma Jahangir, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief and Mr. Doudou Diène, UN Special Rappporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and copied to High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour at the Palais Wilson in Geneva:

Dear Ms. Jahangir, Dear Mr. Doudou Diène,
Revival: 1840 “Damascus Affair” Blood Libel Accusation aired TeleLiban TV / 30 Jan. 2007

Yesterday afternoon I left with Ms. Gloria Carrera and Mr. Michael Wiener for each of you (cc. the High Commissioner) the following documentation and a handwritten covering letter:

– MEMRI Special Dispatch Series – No 1453 (6 February 2007), entitled: ‘Lebanese Poet Marwan Chamoun: Jews Slaughtered Christian Priest in Damascus in 1840 and used his Blood for Matzos’
– View this Memri TV clip: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1374
Read Dispatch No 1453: http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD145307
– WUPJ, “Human Rights and Human Wrongs” No 10 (1991). WUPJ Statements at UNCHR & Supplementary Document Section: 1991 Revival at UN: 1840 ‘Damascus Affair’ Blood-Libel Accusation
– Articles in La Tribune de Genève, Le Monde, AFP on that UN scandal (Feb. / July 1991)

To complete this documentation of the 1991 “Damascus Affair’ at the UNCHR (I was then main representative of the WUPJ to the UN), I am copying to you the letter of 3 July 1991, addressed to the late U.S. Ambassador Morris Abram by Sr. Enrique Bernales Ballesteros, Chairman of CHR’s 47th session (from “Human Rights and Human Wrongs” No 11, pp. 2-3).

The “Blood-Libel Accusation” – based on the “Damascus Affair” of 1840 – is still rampant in the Middle East and North Africa, alongside The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion.

During the interview on TelLiban TV a week ago, Lebanese poet Marwan Chamoun referred to the infamous book Fatîr Sahyün (The Matzah of Zion) by Syrian Defence Minister Mustafa Tlass , which I denounced (for WUPJ) at the UNCHR on 8 Feb. 1991, quoting his own words: “The Jew can…kill you and take your blood in order to make his Zionist bread…I hope that I have done my duty in presenting the practices of the enemy of our historic nation. Allah aid this project.”

Marwan Chamoun refers to this and other books, when stating: “As I have said, these books can be found in the streets of Beirut. There are approximately 20 to 30 such books. I must have bought about 2,000 copies since they were published, maybe more. I’d like to say 20,000, but I don’t know.”

I am writing to you as representative of WUPJ – and on behalf of the main representative to the UN, Rabbi François Garaï – with a request that this recent matter be addressed urgently by you in your capacities as Special Rapporteurs on matters of religion and racism, which overlap here. We are also appealing to the High Commissioner for a strong condemnation of the shameful propagation of this hateful Judeophobia in the Arab – and in the Iranian – media and schoolbooks (especially the subsidised Palestinian Authority TV), which excludes any hope for a serene “dialogue” between faiths (“Alliance of Civilizations”) and for a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Preaching a culture of hate excludes peace.

David G. Littman is a historian. Since 1997 he has been a representative to the UN in Geneva of the Association for World Education, and of the World Union for Progressive Judaism since 2001 (previously, from 1986-1991). Many of his articles on UN themes were reprinted in the section, “Human Rights and Human Wrongs at the United Nations,” being Part 5 (pp. 305-472) in The Myth of Islamic Tolerance: How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims, Edited by Robert Spencer (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2005).

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8 Comments

ISLAMSFORLOSERS | February 9, 2007 2:07 PM

This letter will most likely be ignored. After all, we have the peaceful ones throwing rocks in Jerusalem (again) so that always means Israel provoked them. Time to consider some more anti-Israel resolutions as usual, blood libels be damned.

Dave fromSB | February 9, 2007 2:25 PM

Excellent ! A similar letter should be written to anyone in western governments that are currently seeking to renew aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Clive | February 9, 2007 5:16 PM

Somehow, I suspect that any document containing the word "Judeophobia" will be summarily ignored by the mainstream media, now matter how true and relevant it may be.

hierophant | February 9, 2007 6:47 PM

not for the squeamish I grant you, but don't knock it until you've tried it! This Zionist matzo bread is delicious I've just had some with a Chianti shhhhluuurupp...hic .. beautiful...think black pudding, but without the pork, just blood and a bit of flour.... yummy.
You don't know what your missing!

"Judeophobia" ? sounds slightly kinky count me in!

poetcomic1 | February 9, 2007 7:33 PM

Hillary herself actually spoke out sharply against Palestinain hate filled school textbooks yesterday and was pretty specific about it along with making the usual Israel campaign pitch of vague fealty.

It made me realize what tremendous opportunity those in the liberal media and liberals in government have to speak out if they would against Islamic intolerance, Supremacism, racism and the degradation of women etc.

Gabrielle Goldwater | February 10, 2007 8:16 AM

David Gerald Littman is a British historian and has served as a representative for the World Union for Progressive Judaism and other NGOs to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva since 1986. He is married to Bat Ye'or.

They both reside near Geneva, as I myself live in Geneva.
Both their work is priceless and has opened the eyes of many

Bat Ye'or (Hebrew: בת יאור) (meaning "daughter of the Nile" in Hebrew; a pseudonym of Gisèle Littman, née Orebi) is a British writer specializing in the history of non-Muslims in the Middle East, Islam, and in particular the history of Christian and Jewish dhimmis living under Islamic governments

Born to a Jewish family in Egypt, she personally experienced living as a member of a religious minority in a predominantly Muslim country.

She is the author of eight books, including Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis (2005), Islam and Dhimmitude: Where Civilizations Collide (2001), The Decline of Eastern Christianity: From Jihad to Dhimmitude (1996), and The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians Under Islam (1985).

She has provided briefings to the U.S. Congress and has given talks at major universities such as Georgetown, Brown, Yale, Brandeis, and Columbia.

Crows&Cows | February 11, 2007 5:11 AM

Oh, that Asma Jehangir is suchhh a DDDEvil. That one specimen is enough to know not to go all mush for women but tread extremely carefully.

waterdragon52 | February 12, 2007 8:52 AM

Gabrielle:

I didn't realize that Littman was Bat Ye'or's spouse.

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