Here is yet another story illustrating why we see so few genuine Muslim reformers, or Muslims who are willing to break the lockstep on any issue.
“Death threats for refusing to hate Israel,” by Sue-Ann Levy, Toronto Sun, October 22, 2017:
Just a few years ago, Yahya Mohamid was living in a northern Israeli town controlled by the Islamic movement and like everyone else in Umm el-Fahm, had been indoctrinated to hate Israel.
Today, the 20-year-old, calling himself a Muslim Zionist, has made his home in Jerusalem and is dedicated to getting the truth out about his life as an Arab Israeli and giving back to his country.
He hopes to join the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in March and get into one of the elite combat units — a precedent for an Arab Israeli.
But Mohamid’s pro-Israel activism has come at a huge price.
The brave, articulate, handsome man — who seems wise beyond his years — has been subject to assaults, more death threats than he can count and has been forced to break ties with his mother and sister, both of whom still live in Umm el-Fahm.
“They live in a constant situation of fear,” he says….
On TV, in the streets and at school, he was fed a steady diet of anti-Israeli rhetoric — so much so that it became like “white noise.” He says there is graffiti containing swastikas, Hamas and ISIS signs near to or on government buildings in town, which is never removed.
“Demonization (of Israel) is a big thing … we get little to no lessons about the Jewish connection to the land (we’re on) or what the Nazis did (during the Holocaust),” he recalls.
He adds that all of classes were taught in Arabic — done deliberately to help keep the community isolated and ignorant — and he learned all of his impeccable English from TV.
His whole word “flipped upside down” when he got a job at age 17 as a busboy in a hotel in Tel Aviv, about a one-hour drive from his town, he says.
Although he’d been taught to be “afraid of Jews,” when he started interacting with Jewish people at the hotel, he soon realized he’d been “misled.”
“I realized there were two sides to this … it’s not black and white,” he said. “It was an eye-opener.”
It was only a matter of months before he became an activist.
In June 2014, when three Israeli teens were abducted (and before they were found dead under a pile of rocks in the West Bank), Mohamid joined the campaign to bring them back, posing with an Israeli flag on Facebook.
Even though, as he puts it, “all hell broke loose” in his town and he was subjected to numerous death threats, he still insisted on staying in the town because he realized “another voice was needed.”…
But he was forced to leave his town permanently six months ago when he did a video for StandWithUs indicating his desire to serve with the IDF.
The video was posted online at 1 p.m., and by 5 p.m., he got a call from the police telling him to pack some clothes and leave for good because the situation had become too explosive.
“They (people in the town) planted bombs close to my vehicle,” he said. “It’s not your everyday campus activism … it’s putting your life on the line activism.”
Speaking of the rise of anti-Semitism and pro-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movements on campuses around North America, he believes BDS activists are mostly under 25, and have joined the cause — with no idea of what they’re doing — because it’s just “a cool thing to do on campus.” (His speaking engagement at Ryerson was cancelled last week due to lack of security.)
Asked what he says to anti-Israel activists screaming and shouting about the Palestinian plight, Mohamid responds: “I say first of all come visit Israel and be open to dialogue.
“I guarantee these people have absolutely no idea what’s going on in the West Bank, little or no connections with Palestinians and no idea about the reality of the situation.”…
gravenimage says
Muslims threaten to murder pro-Israel Muslim for refusing to hate Israel
…………………….
Grimly, this should not surprise. He is a brave man to speak the truth.
Emilie Green says
Always the reversion to the mean. A reformed Islam is not Islam.
t. says
Yahya is a real brave and intelligent man!
Charles says
Do not forget to read the book by former Lebanonite Brigitte Gabriel, “Why They Hate”.
PaulM says
I noticed that CNN and MSNBC and every major media outlet in the west carried this story….NOT!!!!!!
roger woodhouse says
The’ selective news’ which mainstream media carries is all part of the mind numbing propaganda which we face here in Britain.Never before in my 60 years of political interest have I known such blatant manipulation of events .The way we have been coerced into accepting Islam into our country and accommodating its wicked anti democratic theology is little more than treasonous.
We do know however that the time is fast approaching when action will be taken to have it removed.The tradgedy is so many lives will be lost in doing so .Our ‘leaders’know this also but refuse to take preventative action.
Voytek Gagalka says
That is what tribalism means. Once somebody is born in that family, it is very difficult to cut ties with other members of the tribe and its ideology (religion) and become individualist. Very difficult but not impossible. I say NOT possible as long as he still considers himself to be connected by any means to Islam. One cannot be individualist and remain Muslim (member of Ummah). To cut ties completely will require for him to change his name, kiss his family good-bye and become truly independent in mind and body, i.e., to stand on his own feet.
Linde Barrera says
God bless this brave Muslim man for knowing and speaking the truth about Israel.
Proud Anti-Islam says
May God bless his heart for knowing the truth, by having love towards the Jews and Israel. May God protect him against evil Muslims. Please pray for Yahya Mohamid that God of Heaven will protect him against evil Muslims and that God will bless him, because of his love towards the Jews and Israel.
jewdog says
The West is obsessed with Islamophobia, but Infidelophobia is much more dangerous and prevalent. It is the main obstacle to reconciliation in the Middle East, even among Muslims, who often accuse each other of apostasy and accuse their rivals of heresy or takfir (ex. the Sunni-Shia conflict).
This young man is like one of those brave white southerners who championed civil rights in the days of segregation It’s often risky to befriend infidels, especially Jews. Many moderate Arabs were murdered in pre-state days, in Haj Amin Al Husseini’s time. Even today, it’s punishable by death to sell land to a Jew.
Incidentally, notice how many derisive terms for infidels exist, like Kafir or Infidel, or the use of animal names, like monkey, pig or dog. I don’t know of any comparable terms in English for Muslims. That says something.
roger woodhouse says
We used to call THEM infidels for the same reason they use it against us.’Non believers’Because we no longer consider ourselves as ‘believers’we can no longer use the term.
Lydia says
What? He refused to hate?! How un-muslim of him! No wonder they want him dead!
More ‘love and marshmallows, kittens and roses, babies and snowflakes’ brought to you by…..
(drumroll please…)….. the religion of: peace!
PEACE?!?!?!?!?!?!
Uh, no, hate and bloodshed!
James Davis says
I personally, don’t care for many of the “Left-Wing”, radicle JEW’S, whom seem to just adore,
Communism & Egalitarian, Miscegenation; The mainly Liberal, Democratic Variety, but I DO Admire, Respect, & Support, The ISRAELI RIGHT-WING PATRIOT’S!! The Israeli’s must NEVER EVER, let down their Guard, or become complacent & allow anyone or anything, into ISRAEL, posing as friendly Immigrant’s, like The
“AMERICAN PRETENDER’S”, Do Here In AMERICA. “OPEN BORDER’S”, are just another name, for “NATIONAL SUICIDE”!!! Trust , But VERIFY!!!
religionofpeace says
The religion of peace is not so peaceful if you don’t hate Jews and infidels.
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
This is a mistake on the part of Israel.
Mike says
An amazing man. A trailblazer. Hopefully others follow in his footsteps.
MFritz says
“True” islam is all about conformity. That’s one of the reasons why our politicians like it so much. Because the muslim communities stick together very strongly and they don’t integrate or solidarise with others. You get them in the country as cheap labour and if you need a scape goat during election time they’re perfect too! (Just consider the German CDU or Austrian OeVP who will go xenophobic any time during elections but NEVER do anything once they remain in power.)
The toxidicity of islam towards other cultures – on the other hand – is widely ignored as NO POLITICIAN OR PARLAMENTARY BUILDING has ever been threatened by a wave of islamic terrorism – yet. It mostly seems to target public places, shopping malls, concerts, masses of people etc. Not individual politicians.
And our politics are still “cuddling” with the Saudi feudalists, Emir of Qatar, Erdogan and the likes who mostly finance islamic expansionism and terrorism. They obviously consider themselves to be “excluded” from those issues as a protected, privileged class.
roger woodhouse says
The’ selective news’ which mainstream media carries is all part of the mind numbing propaganda which we face here in Britain.Never before in my 60 years of political interest have I known such blatant manipulation of events .The way we have been coerced into accepting Islam into our country and accommodating its wicked anti democratic theology is little more than treasonous.
We do know however that the time is fast approaching when action will be taken to have it removed.The tradgedy is so many lives will be lost in doing so .Our ‘leaders’know this also but refuse to take preventative action.
MFritz says
On the one hand our politicians are heavily involved with those governments who finance islamic terrorism. So from this side the problem cannot be solved. We have to get rid of our corrupt and greedy governments first. And the same is true for MOST TO ALL of the European countries – AND the USA. As long as you make deals with and take money from those who finance islamic terrorism IT WILL NOT END.
On the other hand domestic issues are getting out of hand. Because nobody DARES to demand them integrating. Which actually isn’t their fault (or islam’s) alone!
Integration was never demanded from them as long as cheap labour was gained. That was the main interest of our politicians – mostly center and right (Germany: CDU, Austria: OeVP). Not any lefty idealism (i.e. multiculturalism). This came only later as a lame excuse when more “left” governments (in Germany the SPD) came into power. And they didn’t want to change anything.
Anyway, the migrants were considered to “go home” once they weren’t needed anymore. Which, of course, never happened. Still, up until the late 1980s a clear majority of them tried to integrate to a certain extent – the better educated ones and the next generations growing up here. They didn’t want to “go home”, they wanted to stay. I remember people from this generation who were more or less “like us”. Though they spoke Turkish or Arabic with their friends and families they also spoke – good – German. They would make friends with you, marry and have children Germans, drink beer etc.
Then, in the 1990s, a lot of “social” initiative came from the outside. Imams and organisations (i.e. the Muslim Brotherhood) who would “take care” of the communities. Mostly financed by Turkey’s government, but also Saudi Arabia or even the Iran. Since no politician here really cared about them preaching in Arabic or doing “good work” they were mostly ignored.
What they did was radicalise a HUGE amount of frustrated, young people* who “returned” to practising islam! From now on you would see the hijab more and more often. During my school days the hijab (or “head scarf”) was considered “backwards” and school mates excused it with “conservative grand parents” and were even (almost) ashamed of it. Not anymore. Now many claim it is “part of their heritage” and “ethnical”. And the rest keep their mouths shut since they are pressured by their communities.
What also changed since that is a falling level of socialising with other cultures, accepting Western customs (i.e. swimming and PE during school) and a GROWING LEVEL OF HOSTILITY. Even looking at them for “too long” will be considered offensive. Especially if it’s a family and she’s wearing a hijab. They KNOW what’s going on. They’ve been brought to this level of hostility and now it’s “jihad”! By having four children, by abusing the social state, by keeping away from non-muslim neighbours and the Western culture. They KNOW.
And the more our politicians become aware of this social dynamite, they less want to do something against it. Some of them may be afraid, others hope they use it for political gain.
The end results can already be seen in Sweden, Canada, France and the UK – no-go-zones, terrorism etc.
No, I’m afraid this situation will go VERY bad VERY soon.
* The very same happened in Algeria btw, when the government there ignored the high levels of unemployment at the end of the 1980s. And then islamic radicals “took care” of the young people. You know what happened next.
Aton says
Unfortunately, a Muslim who no longer hates Israel is no longer a Muslim. So the headline is incorrect – they are threatening an ex-Muslim.
This is the problem with Islam, for there is no such thing as a moderate Muslim. If you have become moderate, you have drifted so far from Islam that you are no longer a Muslim. And In Saudi and Pakistan, you are liable for the death penalty for apostasy.
Aton
Kiki says
This is a very brave man, to speak out against the hatred he was taught. I pray he’ll stay safe.
I also keep thinking about the children living there–both Israelis and Palestinians.
Israeli children are at risk of being killed in attacks and war because such hatred is taught. And the Palestinian children are being brainwashed, deprived of a normal life because of the indoctrination they’re taught.
Children deserve better, on both sides. And this 20 year old man is an inspiration to any Palestinian/Israeli Arab kids who question the hate they grew up with.
Henner720 says
even this is bad enough, its still small potatoes. the revolutionary jihad movement want to kill 6000 mio ppl, and have gangstas of allah creates a Better World, now here is a monumental task. maybe a former cnn employee is up for it ?
Henner720 says
it is as textbook islam as it gets. the odacity to hold civil israel earthy stelth higher than the equality for god, the insult here being degrading the most important after cola and french Fries, the social prestige of the unbroken unitedness in pius equality for the top gangstas allah and muhammed.