Islam's Embedded Anti-Semitism
by Dr. Joseph Lerner , Co-director IMRA 8 November 2005

The calling by Iran's president for Israel's destruction prompted Walid
Salem's Daily Star (Lebanon) Commentary "Address the 'Jewish question'
without resorting to propaganda" (Nov.8 '05)
which follows on these observations..

Salem is blind to the overwhelming negative attitude of Islamic
populations towards Jews as measured in polls and published in the Pew
Global Attitudes Report Spring, '05 . The polls related to Jews, not
Israel. and thus negates the frequent assertion that anti-Israel attitudes
are mistakenly regarded as anti-Semitic. The report shows unfavorable
attitudes in selected Moslem countries towards Jews in Spring, 2005 to be:
Jordan-100%; Lebanon- 98%;Morocco-88%; Indonesia-76%;Pakistan-74%;
Turkey -60%. Some significant Islamic states were not included in the polls.
Results for the remaining 11 countries polled are: China-49%; Poland-27%;
Russia-26%; Germany-21%; Spain-20%; India-17%; France-16%; Netherlands-11%;
Canada-11%; US-7%; Britain-6%.

Jordan never had a Jewish population. Lebanon had 5,200 Jews in 1948
which increased to 6,961 in 1951 as some Jews went there instead of to
Israel. Today there are not even 20 Jews in Lebanon, And in Indonesia?
Ant-Semitism without Jews!

The fundamentalist Islamic credo is that Jews and Christians received
God's word but officially distorted it in their favor. Only Islam presents
the true text, thus implanting the devastating tendency to see evil
conspiracy everywhere. One such was the early charge that some Jewish
scholars accepted Islam in order to fracture its unity...This addiction to
conspiracy theory was grossly enhanced by European anti-Semitism as featured
in "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion"..Essentially rejected in the
Christian world,the "Protocols" virus persists in Islam with re-publishing ,
wide readership and incorporation in dogma --without identifying source --
as in the Hamas charter. Both secular and religious populations are so
entangled. Cure is not easy.Until achieved, symptoms can only be
ameliorated.

===================================================================.
====================================================================

THE DAILY STAR 8 Nov.'05:"Address the 'Jewish question' without resorting to
propaganda"

Commentary by Walid Salem

QUOTES FROM TEXT:
"How do we deal with the 'Jewish question' in the Israeli-Palestinian
and also in the Israeli-Arab and Islamic
contexts?

"Will we accept the challenge of integrating Israel into the area?"

"Is this the tolerant Islam that all average citizens know ... the Islam
that promotes equal rights for all people
whatever their religion...?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------
EXCERPTS:
. . . How do we deal with the "Jewish question" in the Israeli-Palestinian
and also in the Israeli-Arab and Islamic contexts?
The first point is the Jewish question itself: Do we in the Middle East ask
ourselves about this question? With the exception of a book written a few
years ago by the Lebanese journalist Joseph Samaha, I have not seen other
Arabic writings that recognize the Jewish question as not only a European
question, but also as an Arabic-Islamic one.
The second point ... : if the Jewish question is recognized, then its
phenomena should be discussed. ...frank questions need to be asked: Were
the rights of the Jews throughout the ages guaranteed in Arabic and Islamic
countries? If the answer to this question is yes, then why did the Jews of
these countries emigrate to Israel? ... If it was only Zionist propaganda
that led to their emigration, then why does a large portion of those who
came to Israel from the Arabic and Islamic countries adopt right-wing
positions toward the Palestinians and Arabs? Moreover, what have Arabs and
Islamic countries done in order to maintain good relations with those Jews
once they migrated to Israel? ... .
My third point centers on the strategy toward Israel. Do Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others of his ilk think that their propaganda helps
Palestinians? Do they ... , help Israel integrate into the Middle East? Or
does their attitude just help to increase those trends that call for Israel
to be part of the West and to disconnect itself from Eastern culture and
ties - except those ties of hegemony and dominance?
Do such statements help bring peace to the Middle East or more hatred ...
and the proliferation of nuclear weapons? Does Ahmadinejad hope to use these
weapons to eliminate Israel? Moreover, does he realize that an Israeli
response might bring about the elimination of Iran and probably other Middle
Eastern countries? ... .
The fourth point regards our roles in resolving the Jewish question. Of
course the greater part of this problem was created in Europe, but as Israel
was established in the Middle East, it falls upon us to answer the question:
Will we accept the challenge of integrating Israel into the area? Or do we
want to create new problems just because we do not bear the responsibility
of creating the original problem? ... it is still our overall humanitarian
responsibility to find a common solution to the Jewish question rather than
to react to the suffering emanating from the establishment of Israel by
causing anguish for the Jewish people. These are issues that Ahmadinejad did
not think of because his very blind strategy can't see the humanity of the
opposing side.
The fifth point ponders whether these actions reflect Islam. Is this the
tolerant Islam that all average citizens know ... the Islam that promotes
equal rights for all people whatever their religion, color, sex, etc? These
blind ideologies have nothing to do with Islam. They only create the
opposite of what Islam stands for: they create hatred out of religious
differences, thereby generating religious wars.
On all of the above points, moderate Muslims are called upon to raise their
voices. Moderate Muslims must be vociferous against blind strategies, and
instead should call for a real and intensive discussion about the Jewish
question and about Israel's position in the Middle East. Without such
fruitful discussion, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not be resolved.
Walid Salem is the director of the East Jerusalem office of Panorama, the
Center for the Dissemination of Democracy and Community Development. He is
also the author of books and articles on democracy, citizenship, youth
rights, civil society development, Israeli-Palestinian peace-building and
the right of return. ... .