Misunderstanders of Islam active on Facebook! “Police launch investigation into anti-Semitic Facebook group,” by Chloe Markowicz for TotallyJewish.com, February 4 (thanks to Philip):
Police have launched an urgent investigation into a horrific Facebook group that gave graphic details of anti-Semitic incidents perpetrated by its members against Ilford’s Jewish community.
The group, created by a student at Loxford School of Science and Technology, attracted more than 500 members in two weeks following its launch last month and featured teenagers boasting about engaging in anti-Semitic behaviour.
It featured messages from youths using language rife with spelling errors,
profanities and teenage colloquialisms.One girl wrote: “Jews are the ones that killed prophets in the past. Dirty filthy scum-bags. No wonder they have the curse of Allah upon them. Burn Jew burn.”
Another stated: “OMG! ii Saw a Jew Todaii ii Swearr downn Weariingg Dahh Hatt He Lookedd At Me Liike Man Knowsz Me [sic].”
She went on to describe screaming obscenities at the man and rudely telling him to go away.
In a further disturbing post, a girl bragged about aggressively confronting
a Jewish woman in Argos after she was “looking at me”. She wrote: “Looool i Had a Fight Wif 1 Urgh in Argos [sic].”The Jewish News was informed about the group, created by a student at Loxford School, by a private investigator in Australia. It has since been removed from the popular social networking site….
Several comments on the vile Facebook site include misguided references to Islam and the Koran as justification for targeting Jews.
“Misguided,” says Chloe Markowicz, who is no doubt a Qur’anic scholar, and is certain, certain!, that there is no antisemitism in the Qur’an or Islam in general!
One female youth wrote: “We hate Jews for the sake of Allah as he has told us to do in the Koran.”
The group page included offensive jokes invoking pejorative stereotypes about Jews and money as well as an anti-Semitic cartoon. There was also a link to a YouTube video entitled “Kill All Christians and Jews“.
In addition several members expressed anti-Israeli sentiment. There was a photograph of graffiti saying “Jihad 4 Israel” and a link to another YouTube video of “a brave Palestinian girl standing up to Israeli soldiers”.
Mike Gardner, director of communications at the CST, said he was left “utterly chilled” by the casual way that the youths displayed their anti-Semitism.
He said: “It shows how new media is now facilitating the most shocking anti-Semitism among groups of youngsters, as if hatred and violence and gross ignorance were all just a part of their normal lives.
Mike, it’s what they’re taught in their mosques and schools. It has nothing to do with Facebook or “new media” per se, or “gross ignorance” of anything except the idea that the Qur’an and Islam should be open to questioning rather than blind obedience.