There is an inconsistency at the heart of this report: Erlich asserts that "until about 10-15 years ago, anti-Semitism was imported into the Muslim Arab world from Europe," but we're also told that the Muslim antisemites are "using well-known Koranic texts" in order to map out "the Jews' 'innate negative attributes.'"
Now, the Qur'an has been in the Islamic world since the seventh century, and its canonical interpretation essentially fixed by the most influential Sunni tafasir (commentaries on the Qur'an): those by Ibn Kathir, the two Jalals, Qurtubi, Tabari, the Tanwir al-Miqbas, etc. While there is some disagreement over some aspects of the Qur'anic teaching on the Jews, it is peripheral -- it has to do with questions such as, Did the Jews whom Allah transformed into apes and pigs (Qur'an 2:62-65, 5:59-60, 7:166) have offspring or not? There is essentially agreement on the fact that the Jews are and will always be the Muslims' worst enemies (5:82) and that they're accursed (2:89, 3:112, 9:30).
In light of all that, which seems to be acknowledged at least in part in this report, it strains credulity that up until only ten or fifteen years ago, antisemitic material was imported into an otherwise non-antisemitic Islamic world. Whatever imports there were found an eager audience, already primed by Qur'anic antisemitism.
"Report analyzes Muslim anti-Semitism," by Haviv Rettig in the Jerusalem Post (thanks to all who sent this in):
Muslim anti-Semitism is growing in scope and extremism, to the point that it has become a credible strategic threat for Israel, according to a 180-page report produced for Israeli policymakers by the semi-official Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) and obtained exclusively by The Jerusalem Post ahead of its Tuesday release.According to the report, by educating generations of Muslims with a deep animus toward Israel and Jews, this anti-Semitism, actively promulgated by many states in the region, holds back the peace process and normalization efforts between Israel and Muslim countries. It also forms the intellectual justification for an eliminationist political program.
"This isn't ordinary prejudice," explained ITIC director Col. (res.) Dr. Reuven Erlich, formerly of the IDF's Intelligence Directorate, who heads the team of researchers that produced the report. "This prejudice is evil because it isn't theoretical. It is ideological incitement by states and organizations with the practical means of translating it into action."
Following on a similar study produced in 2004, the report is a comprehensive examination of anti-Semitism in the Muslim world, with emphasis on Iran and Arab states.
It is also an insight into the perception of the threat within the Israeli intelligence establishment. The ITIC operates under the aegis of the Israel Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center (IICC), the official commemoration agency for the fallen of Israel's intelligence services. The IICC is chaired by former Mossad head Efraim Halevy and maintains close contact with Israel's intelligence community. The ITIC's reports are widely read among Israeli policymakers.
Among the report's most worrying findings is the growth over the past three decades of uniquely Muslim roots to older European versions of anti-Semitism. Without discounting classical Christian Europe's canards regarding secret Jewish conspiracies, the ritual slaughter of non-Jewish children and other allegations of Jewish evil, anti-Semitism in the Muslim world increasingly finds its own, Islamic reasons for anti-Jewish hatred through new interpretations of Islamic history and scripture.
From the Koranic story of a Jewess who poisoned Muhammad, to the troubled relations between Muhammad and the Jewish tribes of Arabia, radical Islamist groups and thinkers have been using extreme anti-Semitic rhetoric that has grown increasingly popular with the Muslim public, particularly in Iran and the Arab states. Using well-known Koranic texts, these groups have been mapping out the Jews' "innate negative attributes" and teaching a paradigm of permanent struggle between Muslims and Jews.
The goal of this "Islamified" anti-Semitism, according to the report, is to transform the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a national territorial contest which could be resolved through compromise to a "historic, cultural and existential struggle for the supremacy of Islam."
The study examined books, newspapers, television and radio broadcasts and Internet sites, along with studies of groups following anti-Jewish discourse in the Muslim world, such as MEMRI and the ADL.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, rising anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe was injected into Muslim lands through commercial and diplomatic ties. Spurred by opposition to Zionism and ideologically strengthened by Nazi rhetoric and support, Muslim anti-Semitism grew in the 20th century into a phenomenon so widespread that blatantly anti-Semitic texts can be purchased on street corners of Arab cities, even in countries where almost no Jews remain.
The research team did not deal with "anti-Israel incitement," according to Erlich, "only with anti-Semitism. But when you read an article or listen to a speech, the terminology is confused and intertwined. You can't distinguish the anti-Zionism from the anti-Semitism."
According to the report, the past decade has seen a veritable explosion of anti-Semitic literature in the Muslim world which intentionally confuses Israel and the Jewish people and is broadcast worldwide through books, radio, television, newspapers, caricatures and Internet forums. This discourse reaches outside Muslim lands to a large Muslim audience in the West.
"Until about 10-15 years ago, anti-Semitism was imported into the Muslim Arab world from Europe," says Erlich. "They translated The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Mein Kampf into Arabic. Over the past 10-15 years, there's been a deep change. Today it isn't an import, but an export. This needs more research, since we don't have access to European mosques, but we're convinced that the export of anti-Semitic myths and politics to Europe is having an effect on European Muslim communities."
The hundred-year-old Czarist forgery The Protocols, which accuses the Jews, among other "crimes," of fomenting liberalism by masterminding the American and French revolutions, is being published in new editions in Egypt, Syria, Iran and other countries.
The report finds little government action either in the Muslim world or in the West to curb this phenomenon, citing restrictions on viewing Hizbullah's Al-Manar television station as an exception that proves the rule....
"Until about 10-15 years ago, anti-Semitism was imported into the Muslim Arab world from Europe"
Yep, once again, it's all the fault of the evil white Europeans.
Has Erlich ever actually read the bits about Jews in the koran?
Is there a mistake in the article? In the middle it says, "In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, rising anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe was injected into Muslim lands through commercial and diplomatic ties." and then later, "Until about 10-15 years ago, anti-Semitism was imported into the Muslim Arab world from Europe,"
Shouldn't the second part be 100-115 years ago? Perhaps someone has their centuries mixed up?
The only reason anti-Semitism wasn't at the top of their priority before 1948 was that they were too busy hating Christians. Also, with no oil, they didn't have all that cash that enabled them to lie around doing nothing but promoting Jihad.
The only reason anti-Semitism wasn't at the top of their priority before 1948 was that they were too busy hating Christians. Also, with no oil, they didn't have all that cash that enabled them to lie around.
This is a LIE. Twenty five years ago I went into an Islamic bookstore off Tompkins Square in New York and there on the shelf was a Pakistani Protocals in English, and a dozen other pure hate pamphlets about Jews that were ORIGINAL Islamic productions. In my travels in the seventies I encountered widespread hatred of Jews as Jews. "Please why you let Jews run your country? Veddy veddy bad people. " (Not knowing I was Jewish).
This is a LIE. Twenty five years ago I went into an Islamic bookstore off Tompkins Square in New York and there on the shelf was a Pakistani Protocals in English, and a dozen other pure hate pamphlets about Jews that were ORIGINAL Islamic productions. In my travels in the seventies I encountered widespread hatred of Jews as Jews. "Please why you let Jews run your country? Veddy veddy bad people. "
Anti antisemitism and anti Christian and anti Hindu and Anti Buddhism and anti other beliefs has always been in the Islamic ideology since the time of its beginning with the lunatic MoHamtheMED. It is clearly outlined in the Koran. What more proof does one need. It is evil let the west get that through their heads and stop thinking with the PC mind and through your own rose colored glasses.
This is crap.
How was Nasser able to motivate the core of the mohammedan cultures to "drive the Jews into the sea" without being able to count on a real reservoir of Jew-hatred in the mohammedan population?
Certainly he wasn't offering them any personal material benefits.
That was well before 15 years ago.
The British intelligence services sent back report after report that they had difficulties recruiting in the middle east in part because the mohammedans were fundamentally sympathetic toward Hitler and his Jew killing programs.
And that was back in the 1940's.
This joker is a propagandist who figures he can peddle his lies better if he peppers them with a few facts.
Up to WWII there was wide spread anti-semitism in Europe. Obviously many myths of the evil Jew is the same that have been deep rooted in the European Christian history. At least the Catholic Church got it act together declared in the Second Vatican Council and explicit declared that the anti-Jewish passages in the New Testament shall be interpreted as stories in a historical context about individuals not Jews as a people.
Isn’t anti-Semitism alive and well in fringe left/right conspiracy groups, the Jewish world conspiracy, running the federal reserve, US Gov and so on. One of the latest videos claimed to be from bin Laden was mostly from fringe left/right groups on the web about nutty conspiracy theories. It does still happen that jews can be bashed as Jesus killers by Christian zealots even if it’s rare.
Of course the Muslims obviously also have their own tradition deep rooted in the Islamic rolls.
He [Benny Morris] quotes King Ibn Sa'ud of Saudi Arabia telling US president Franklin Roosevelt, in a letter five years later, that Palestine "has been an Arab country since the dawn of history and... was never inhabited by Jews for more than a period of time, during which their history in the land was full of murder and cruelty... [There is] religious hostility... between the Muslims and the Jews from the beginning of Islam... which arose from the treacherous conduct of the Jews towards Islam and the Muslims and their prophet."
It was always a jihad
Scientific Annihilation of Jews, on Arab TV.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, rising anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe was injected into Muslim lands through commercial and diplomatic ties. Spurred by opposition to Zionism and ideologically strengthened by Nazi rhetoric and support, …
Isn’t a historic fact that there was anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe in this time witch culminated with Nazism. Jews who wanted to leave Germany in those days didn’t have many options in Europe.
"Until about 10-15 years ago, anti-Semitism was imported into the Muslim Arab world from Europe," says Erlich. "They translated The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Mein Kampf into Arabic. …
Cant read this as anything else than the arab world until 10-15 years ago imported old European anti-Semitism, not the other way around that Europe was exporting absolutely fresh novel produced anti-Semitism.
This is basically the same thesis which Bernard Lewis promotes in his book "Semites and Anti-Semites". Muslim antisemitism was a European export according to Lewis.
What seems right about this report is that Muslim antisemitism is a growing export. There is a ready audience for it among the Left in both Europe and the US and especially among the media and much of the mainline Protestant Churches.
Erlich asserts that "until about 10-15 years ago, anti-Semitism was imported into the Muslim Arab world from Europe,"
--
I'd say it's exactly the other way aound. And we are presently re-importing anti-Semitism into Europe as part of showing our "tolerance" and "solidarity" with these poor poor "victims"..
This anti-Semitism has loong been institutionalized in virtaully every branch of government in the EU countries and the EU itslef even more virulently so.
Then we have anti-Semitism in the MSM and in education.
Just one example: the movie "paradise now", which is being shown in German classrooms and got a special award from "shamnesty international".
And look at hos they treat the Natives who dare speak out.. the cartoonists in Denmark, Geert Wilders, anti-mosk-building citizen's coalitions being branded as "rightwing extremists" and as "Nazis" in Europe.
The shameful events at the anti-islamization protest in Brussels last year on September 11... the tolerance of allowing the car burnings to go on unopposed in France.. Cars don't grow on trees..
Our own are standing against us. They are the ones who have internalized and keep perpetrating and inculcation anti-Semitism cloaked as "anti-Zionism" all over Europe.
Then we have the "traditional" European Ultra-right wing, which though widely marginal by now, retains their anti-Semitism which leads to strange coalitions at times. Like German Neo-nazis going to Iran for the anti-Holocaust "conference".
European Patriots must embrace Israel, which is a Freedom-loving Nation that has European roots.
They have way more in common with us than any islamic land anywhere in the world.
I can Ehrlich has no concept of history nor in fact, an education. His accusations are so filled with no sequitar it should be studied by students of logic. On the other hand we should consign him to the trash can.
"non sequiters" sorry for the typo
Posted by Engelbrekt:
Scientific Annihilation of Jews, on Arab TV.
While the use he has in mind for it is demented, I particularly enjoyed the Santa Claus turban guy's dissertation on the future of communication technology. Watch out Silicon Valley, they're hot on your heels. Damn, those Islamic scientists are good.
Well of course, if it's not the fault of the US it must be the fault of Europe.
It could never be the fault of a Black person, and Arab, or an Asian. That goes without saying, doesn't it.
It's more of the same self loathing junk, how can we twist the facts to our internal version of reality.
Things must be getting bad if you actually have to aknowledge Islam and Asian/Arab societies are not perfect, and there may be a problem. Even if you do try and blame the west.
"Until about 10-15 years ago, anti-Semitism was imported into the Muslim Arab world from Europe," says Erlich.
--
Pure Blasphemy!! This infidel is saying we Europeans wrote the KKKorag!!!
Quick, tell the ayaholas!! Where is Rage Boy!!
The Infidel Erlich is saying the Europeans wrote the KKKorag!!
'Among the report's most worrying findings is the growth over the past three decades of uniquely Muslim roots to older European versions of anti-Semitism. Without discounting classical Christian Europe's canards regarding secret Jewish conspiracies, the ritual slaughter of non-Jewish children and other allegations of Jewish evil, anti-Semitism in the Muslim world increasingly finds its own, Islamic reasons for anti-Jewish hatred through new interpretations of Islamic history and scripture.
-- from the article above
Muslim antisemitism did not grow "uniquely Muslim roots" over the past three decades. It was always there. It was not virulent, because the Jews were weak, despised, and unlike the Christians, had no possible strong outside powers to pressure Muslims in order to protect their co-religionists within Dar al-Islam. But when the Jews re-established their ancient Jewish commonwealth, despite Arab terrorism that started early against Jews settling on land they had bought (Joseph Trumpldor at Tel Hai), continued throughout the 1920s (a decade that begins with murderous mobs killing Jews in Jerusalem in 1920, and then massacring every last Jew Hebron in 1929)and then through the 1930s, especially during the so-called Arab Revolt (during which Captain Orde Wingate was expelled by the Mandatory Authority officials in Jerusalem for the crime of having taught Jewish settlers how to defend themselves), continued with the attack on the nascent state of Israel by seven Arab armies, and through the period of terrorism by Egyptian fedayin (and by Jordanians too, until terrorism from Jordan was ended by a retaliatory raid led by Colonel Ariel Sharon and his Unit 101).
It is the refusal of the Jews of Israel to surrender, to relapse into the status that they deserve -- according to the Shari'a -- of dhimmis, living on Muslim sufferance, according to Muslim dictates, in a state of permanent humiliation and degradation and physical insecurity, that in the twisted world-view of Muslims becomes a constant, gnawing source of anguish for them, of their humiliation, their degradation, their physical insecurity.
And because of this, the texts pertaining to Jews, and the anti-Jewish animus that always was to be found in Islam, and that resulted in the mistreatment of Jews that has been so well-documented, the texts and tenets that explain the 1350-year mistreatment of Jews, an antisemitism different in its promptings from that found in Western Christendom, was revived with special fervor. That mistreatment of Jews was not unique; Christians, too, were mistreated as dhimmis (unless one takes the view that the dhimmi condition was benign, that as "protected peoples" dhimmis had a good thing going), but there was a special animus, with textual authority in support, toward Jews.
They were always regarded, however, as weak, and no threat, and indeed had their uses, for example as doctors (the Padishahlar or Ottoman Sultans, for example, always relied on Jewish doctors). But this should not be confused with the condition of the Jewish community, one which the scholar S. E. Goitein described as far worse than he had realized, over many decades of close study, until he finally spent years studying the contents of the Cairo Geniza, which led him to reconsider his underestimate of the burden on the Jews of, for example, the Jizyah.
Of course the mistreatment of non-People of the Book, such as Hindus and Buddhists, was more atrocious than that endured by Jews. Possibly some may find consolation in that fact. But then, all kinds of people try to make all kinds of mental salti mortali to convince themselves that antisemitism in the Islamic world is an import, and not native. That view, of course, requires that one ignore a mountain of evidence, of the kind collected by Georges Vajda -- whose work Bernard Lewis includes in his bibliography but, one can only assume from his misleading treatment of Jews under Islam, did not read, or did not comprehend, or did not wish to comprehend.
The latest MEMRI TV clip shows the Hamas Culture Minister, Atallah Abu Al-Subh, presenting with approval excerpts from the introduction by the current Mufti of Egypt to an edition of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion he is holding before the camera.
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1745.htm
"I'd like to read just one paragraph, before the producer tells me that our time is up. 'It is well known that Ahad Ha'am was the spiritual mentor of [Chaim] Weizmann. It is not surprising that Weizmann admitted in his 1948 memoirs Trial and Error [...] he admitted that Ahad Ha'am was his mentor, and he also admitted that The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is nothing but a wicked Jewish conspiracy to control the world. Weizmann unequivocally described this conspiracy as wicked."
While Weizmann does indeed give much credit to Achad Ha-am (i.e. Asher Ginzburg) throughout, the very last paragraph of Chapter 7 of Trial and Error states the Weizmann position on the Protocols unequivocally:
"I never understood why this self-effacing individual [Ha-am] was singled out by the anti-Semites as the leader of that mysterious and melodramatic conspiracy which goes under the name of 'The Elders of Zion'. They were for ever alluding to 'Usher Ginsburg', the man behind the sinister Jewish plot for world domination. Perhaps it was because the famous 'Protocols' started somewhere in south Russia, and Achad Ha-am was the secretary of the old Odessa Committee for Palestine in the days of the Chibath Zion. Whatever the reason, a more absurd juxtaposition surely never existed than the one between the arch-plotter against Western civilization who was supposed to head 'The Elders of Zion', and the academic and rather prim little man whose mind was filled with philosophic concepts, and who never meddled in non-Jewish affairs. But then, it may be rather absurd on my part to look for rhyme or reason in the weird workings of the anti-Semitic mind."
The Hamas Culture minister is surely engaged in a deliberate misreading of Weizmann, knowing there are many thousands of copies of the Protocols in the Muslim world for every one of Trial and Error, thus making fact checking virtually impossible.
Alas, white shirt and tie and natty Western suit do not a gentleman nor a scholar make.
Come on everyone - comments/ talkback to this particular article are still open, over at JPost. Or, for greater impact, one might fire off a Letter to the Editor.
Hugh has given us every point we need to make in order to correct and clarify what Erlich has 'discovered' on the topic of Muslim hatred of Jews (though I admit it IS a challenge to boil down a classic 'Hugh Fitzgerald' paragraph, into the narrow compass of the '600 characters or less' permitted by the JPost in a talkback comment.)
Have at it, ladies and gentlemen! The JPost by publishing that article, by raising the topic at all, has given you the opportunity to educate.