It is well known that the assault on Lara Logan was no isolated incident where sexual harassment and abuse are concerned; nor was it an isolated incident with respect to antisemitic paranoia and hatred directed against foreigners, as Logan herself was assaulted to cries of "Jew! Jew!" Many in the West and in the mainstream media may blame Egyptian antipathy toward the modern State of Israel, disregarding the fact that the roots of that hatred and of Islamic antisemitism trace back 14 centuries to the Qur'an and the words and example of Muhammad himself. Among others:
"Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews..." -- Qur'an 5:82
"Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. "O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him." -- Sahih Bukhari 4.52.177
"How I was the subject of anti-Semitic abuse in Cairo," by Thomas Dinham for BBC News, September 15:
Relations between Israel and Egypt have become increasingly strained in recent weeks, and in the Egyptian capital there is a mounting sense of tension, including incidents of anti-Semitism.
Suspicion is a feature of everyday life in Egypt, and a fondness for conspiracy theories is as much a part of the landscape here as the constant traffic jams and their accompanying symphony of blaring car horns.
With the democratic certainties that greeted the immediate aftermath of January's revolution having faded, however, the climate of mistrust and unease about the hard-won gains of the revolution is becoming increasingly palpable.
As disquiet sets in, so does the fear of foul play, backroom deals and, increasingly, malign foreign influences.
I noticed this tendency towards cynicism while enjoying some of the incredible food on offer in Cairo.
The streets here are dotted with makeshift, roadside restaurants where in the mornings you can pick up a veritable feast of quintessential Egyptian dishes that, thanks to a weak Egyptian pound, will only cost you around $0.80 (50p).
As dishes of seasoned aubergine, heavily spiced beans, salad, fermented cheese, chips, tamea [falafel] and gorgeous wholegrain Egyptian bread were laid out before me, I realised I was beginning to attract attention, and not just because of my appetite.
A group of old men slurping tea mixed with incredible quantities of sugar was studying me.
Eventually one of the men struck up a conversation, revolving primarily around what exactly I was doing in Egypt at a time when most foreigners had left.
This atmosphere also helps to explain the detention of various foreigners as "spies" since the revolution.
My answers met with furrowed brows and clearly dissatisfied shakes of the head, when suddenly, raising his hand in front of his mouth in a conspiratorial gesture one man shot, "I bet he's from Israel" into the ear of his friend so quickly as to be barely discernable.
I was shocked. In nearly six months of living in Syria, where orchestrated hysteria about Israel is integral to the very identity of the state, I had never heard the accusation surreptitiously levelled against me.
Neither am I from Israel, nor am I Jewish, but as someone of unmistakably European appearance, I have found myself constantly associated with Israel in Egyptian eyes.
'Conspiracy theorists'
A few days later, while sitting with the same group of men in the cafe, a bridge in a nearby neighbourhood collapsed with an incredible "boom".
State media reported five people killed. My new friends exchanged knowing glances, apparently linking my appearance in the neighbourhood a few days earlier to an otherwise inexplicable calamity nearby.
Israel is just one of a panoply of worries that exercise the conspiracy theorists that frequent Egypt's cafes.
The standard fare of political gossip tends to revolve around the trial of [former President Hosni] Mubarak, internal corruption, and the causes behind the dire economic woes Egypt is currently experiencing.
A prosecuting lawyer at Mr Mubarak's trial even introduced the novel idea that the ex-president had died years ago, and that the man on trial was none other than an impostor. [...]
While walking in the street someone pushed me from behind with such force that I nearly fell over.
Turning around, I found myself surrounded by five men, one of whom tried to punch me in the face. I stopped the attack by pointing out how shameful it was for a Muslim to assault a guest in his country, especially during Ramadan.
Relieved that a seemingly random assault was over, I was appalled by the apology offered by one of my assailants. "Sorry," he said contritely, offering his hand, "we thought you were a Jew."
Shaking his head in disbelief on hearing the news, an Egyptian friend sympathised: "That's stupid, you are obviously not a Jew."
The chilling implication I was left with was that, had I been Jewish, the assault would have apparently been justified.
OT
Israel should hold fast and let Muslims vent their rage
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/richardlandes/100105285/israel-should-hold-fast-and-let-muslims-vent-their-rage/#dsq-content
These people are talking apes! That's why they are living in the stone age. That's why they will never get out of their caves.
The most amazing thing about this article is that the BBC allowed it to be published at all. In the past, the BBC has been virulently anti-Semitic and anti-Israel, while broadcasting the most blatant pro-Islamic propaganda and banning and censoring all criticism of Islam. Are they finally beginning to see the light? http://crombouke.blogspot.com/2010/01/bbc-appeasement-self-loathing.html
And another thing I forgot to add. The BBC itself should take a serious and profound look at itself for the lies, distortions, defamation and basically antisemitic propaganda they've been spewing daily against Israel for the past 20 years. They've contributed plenty to this.
Since the beginning of this so-called "Arab spring" (which is actually a prologue to an Islamic winter, maybe even a nuclear winter, considering the present state of affairs with Iran, to name just one of great many looming threats), I have tried to dissuade anyone I know from spending their holidays in Egypt. I haven't had much success in that, though. That made me think, what chances do we have to change the course of events in this world? Maybe (watch Jesus Christ Superstar-rock opera movie) "everything is fixed, and we can't change it"? What significance does our so-called "free will, free choice etc" have, then? Maybe it's like in "Minority report" movie - you can't change the future of the world as such, but you can change the future of your soul's existence in the next world (more perfect one, I hope). The more I learn about how the events are unfolding, the more it seems to me that WWIII is simply unavoidable - can we really make a difference in this? What do you think?
"..and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say.."
Indeed, in islam, stones can talk!
O nation whose ignorance makes the nations of the world laugh!
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2011/09/stoned-by-monkeys.html
Nina, maybe you haven't changed any minds about tourism to Egypt but the big picture is that tourism to Egypt (and Syria and Tounisia) is non existent. They've all lost billions of $.
As for the rest, that's a philosophical and theological issue. Believing we can change nothing makes life void and meaningless.
No, you are wrong. Just last week the two acquaintances of mine went off to Sharm-el-Sheikh. And that in spite of my long speech given to them about how visiting Egypt nowadays can be considered like travelling to Nazi Germany in 1930's.
People nowadays are amazingly indifferent to political, ethical, moral issues (or maybe it has always - throughout the history - been the case with an average person, I don't know).
My personal opinion is, the tourism to Egypt must stop. For great many reasons. Personal safety is just one of them.
Let's boycott (islamo)fascists - that's what I think.
But I'm afraid most people simply don't care about such things...
Nina: egypt and pakistan are welfare states. our federal tax $$ sustains them. these people are pathetic. their are losing one of their biggest source of income. Tourism. as former muslim I can tell you this that jew hatred are taught to kids at an early age. if they only woke and see thr raw swage they call their country. but this is not going to happen anytime soon.
m
And another thing I forgot to add: I used to watch BBC for several years. Some time last year their bias became utterly unbearable for even a mediocre, absoltely ignorant about politics, person like me. Considering their general trend, I don't have any hope about them ever repenting all the lies they have spread. I think people working for BBC are traitors of our culture - our civilization - whatever their British ancestors worked and fought for. Just like the British police, who stood by and protected these Muslim orks while they burned US flag during 9/11 anniversary last Sunday. How it could happen in Britain, the country which had courage to fight Nazis absolutely alone for two years, is beyond me.
Yep, people have forgotten atrocities like Sharm el-Sheikh in 2005, which killed about 100, and Luxor in 1997 where another 62 were murdered in cold blood then mutilated by Muslim terrorists. I value my life too much to go to a barbaric fleapit like Egypt.
Nina, I used to think that the new liberal, open-minded, so called tolerant mentality in Europe was the outcome of the Holocaust and realizing what it brought on the world. It's ironic that those who claim to be all that are using vile antisemitism against the children and grandchildren of those Holocaust survivors, whether it's because old habits die hard or as an appeasement offering to the new Islamo-Nazis. Thing is, this time it's going to swallow Europe and backfire in a huge way. It already does.
"...but the big picture is that tourism to Egypt (and Syria and Tounisia) is non existent. They've all lost billions of $"
Good. Support yourselves, Mohammedans, parasites on the West.
The same paranoia and hatred of the others exists in Turkey, only they accuse you of being "CIA."
And on being called out it's the same attitude: "Oh so sorry, we thought you were an American spy." As if that makes their behaviour a okay.
islam is based on lies based on mo's paranoias.
That any free people give this mad cult and its adherants any respect is beyond all reason.
http://youtu.be/xnOdD46WI0M
if you want a big dose of "out of context", "apes and pigs","it's in Arabic, you'll never understand it", etc. This one's a must see, if someone hasn't already noted it.
____________________________________________________
The question everyone in the Anti-Jihad camp keeps failing to ask, however, is:
________________
"Ms./Mr. Muslim. You keep insisting that verses and hadith are taken OUT OF CONTEXT".
From which context have they been removed, exactly?"
I had some good experiences in Egypt during two trips there from Israel back in the late 1980s. I met some decent, warm Egyptian people; I also met some anti-Semitic Egyptians and some of their loud-mouthed knee-jerk leftist enablers from New Zealand and Great Britain. I also met Egyptian Christians, one then visiting from exile in Australia, who told me plainly of their fear of living as Christians in a Muslim land.
I wouldn't even think of going anywhere near Egypt today.
As one traveling companion put it, "If it weren't for the ruins, this place would just be another dessicated hell hole." That about said it.
The so-called 'Arab Spring' is, indeed, recreating Nazi Germany. Islam will finish the job Hitler left incomplete. Wherever you find muslims, you find a replica of 1930s Germany. The BBC, now known only for its censorship,immigrant workforce, political correctness and highly selective and biased portrayal of 'news', is at the forefront of anti-semitism, as is the Condem un-elected cabal that is failing to run Britain - they are so anti heritage Britons and they see no wrong in the invading islamic militant immigrants, caving in to them at every challenge, whilst steadily eroding British standards, ethics, morals and heritage. If they were consistent, we would know how to deal with them but at one turn they support islam against Christianity and at the next they promote weddings for queers and the advancement of the teaching of un-natural acts in schools. Even the muslims must get confused by this. I guess that they vaccilate between left/right/centre, in the hope that they will please some of the people some of the time - a scatter-gun approach - what a way to run a country! Mind you, they do not actually run Britain now - it is the EU who control all our legislation and have relegated our Courts and judicial system to that of a puppet placebo!
I have listened to BBC for years and found it increasingly antisemitic, Jew-biting propaganda machine for radical Islam, which they defend. The British had done this in Palestine after they took over from Turkey and allowed murder of Jews while protecting Muslim terrorists led by Amin al Hussyni, the Mufti of Jerusalem spread his Jew-hatred and murder of his opponents and stealing his people money.; This same guy spent WWI in Berlin egging Hitler on to murder Jewish children whom Hitler wanted to sell for cash. Mufti also organized Muslim Nazi brigades made up from poor Bosnian Muslims mostly. In 1946 he was arrested but was never tried as a Nazi war crimial which he was, but was allowed to go to Cairo and there he started his Jew-hating campaign which prevented Arabs from accepting second partition of Palestine.
The Brits and French are doing it again, allowing Jew-hating Jihadists reign in their own midst and taking over their democracy. It IS the ISLAM, stupid and anybody who caters to this medieval evil misogynist religion is going to pay a price of being a dhimmi in their Caliphate. If 1,500 millions of Muslims want to be accepted as any other religion in the West they need to reform their nasty suras inciting hatred of the Jews, Christians and "infidels" and misogyny, while admiring a pedophile and murderer. Mohamed married Aisha when she was 6 and had sex with her when she was 9 and he was 56). He also ordered gruesome (by beheading) death of 900 Jews of Medina because they would not cater to his megalomania of thinking that God is speaking to him, but stuck their their own beliefs. Nice guy indeed ;-)!
The "Saturday people" are no longer close at hand, so "Sunday people" will do ... .
Egypt's Hate & Rabidity Revolution.
Ruslan Tokhchukov, EnragedSince1999.
Hi, Nina—glad to see you posting again.
You wrote:
I have tried to dissuade anyone I know from spending their holidays in Egypt. I haven't had much success in that, though....
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I'm sure what you say is true, but Sylvia and other posters here are also correct. Tourism has fallen *way off* since the "Arab Spring" has begun, and shows no signs of recovering any time soon.
If—as was touted early on—this was primarily a revolution about economic opportunity rather than fundamentalist Islam, then it is a *very stupid revolution*. Not only is tourism way down—so is foreign investment.
As for "foreign aid" from the West—that is still up in the air. If they take the same road as Iran did in 1979, though, that will dry up as well.
All they'll be left with is Islam—not much of a bargain.
More:
That made me think, what chances do we have to change the course of events in this world? Maybe (watch Jesus Christ Superstar-rock opera movie) "everything is fixed, and we can't change it"? What significance does our so-called "free will, free choice etc" have, then? Maybe it's like in "Minority report" movie - you can't change the future of the world as such, but you can change the future of your soul's existence in the next world (more perfect one, I hope)...
.................................
I get frustrated too, Nina—but I don't believe things are hopeless. I do believe we have free will—but so do your friends, who choose to remain in denial about Egypt—and so do the violent Jihadists, as well.
I believe people *are* slowly waking up to the threat. The more hard work we put in, the greater the chances that we will act in time. But no—*nothing* is guaranteed. That's why we must be indefatigable in our efforts, because we can be sure that the bloody-minded Jihadists will be, as well.