This week has seen the start of a new campaign on the San Francisco bus system (as well as Washington DC and Chicago). The Campaign was produced by the American Freedom Defense Initiative under the leadership of anti-sharia activist Pamela Geller.
This campaign is the second one produced by Ms. Geller to expose radical Islam and jihad. It comes less than a year after she raised more than a few eyebrows comparing jihadist Muslims to “savages” and encouraging people to support Israel. The response that some of her previous ads garnered in the New York subway included some counter ads placed by the United Methodist Women, a Christian denomination known for its open criticism of Israel and supersessionist approach to the Bible ( the erroneous belief that the Christian Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan also known as Replacement Theology).
Ms. Geller’s rightful concern in placing the ads was due to the danger posed by the ongoing brainwashing of the American people regarding the real meaning of the word Jihad. The watering down of the definition of the word should cause us great concern. As bold, unsettling and politically incorrect as the ads are, they address a very serious issue. I wish I could say that such public displays were not necessary to convey her message, but lately it appears that nobody is listening to reason anymore.
The ad campaign features some very famous faces or organizations in Islam that are all quoted on their respective billboards, making a statement related to what Islamic Jihad is. Osama Bin Laden, Hamas, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, the Fort Hood terrorist and several others. This campaign is a response to an earlier CAIR campaign titled “myjihad” an attempt to redefine the word jihad into a word that carries the meaning of ” struggle for peace, diversity, tolerance and coexistence”, in other words nothing violent or lethal. IF THIS IS NOT A CASE OF BLATANT FALSE ADVERTISING, I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS!
Originally, the word Holocaust used to carry the definition of “burnt offering by fire”. It has obviously suffered an etymological mutation at the hands of Nazi Germany to the point where it absolutely cannot be used any other way than to describe the systematic attempt at the destruction of European Jewry by Nazis.
I believe that the same can be said about the word jihad. There is very little positive meaning if any left in the word since radical Islam has taken ownership of it and used it to claim their barbaric murders of innocent people around the world. That is too bad for the Muslims who want to use the word in a more conservative way, I don’t think that they are promoting Islam in any positive light by claiming any kind of “jihad” or “struggle.
But I was also shocked when I heard San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon say that:
” San Francisco won’t tolerate Islamophobic bigotry” and then go on to quote Edmund Burke and say that: “The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”, apparently calling the San Francisco community to respond against this terrible display of Islamophobia, and implying that the evil was done by Ms. Geller and her organization when they simply are trying to expose the virulent enemy of Israel. Yet another case of role reversal!
Looking deeper at the issue of the differences and similarities if any, between Islamophobia and Judeophobia, one can honestly come to the conclusion that we are not comparing apples to apples.
For as long as anti-Semitism has existed man has tried to re-define it. Re-defining or fine tuning our definition of anti-Semitism is not necessarily a bad thing as we have come to the realization that even though it is based on a basic illogical hatred of the Jewish people, anti-Semitism has evolved. But then again, evolution always has a connotation of progress and improvement so it would be better to say that anti-Semitism has morphed.
Even though the “oldest hatred” has been repackaged, it continues to target the Jews as a people. The bag of tricks used by anti-Semites the world around contains stereotypes and libelous accusations that go back centuries to pretty much the closing of the biblical record. From “Christ Killers” to “Well Poisoners” and from “stingy” to “bloodsucking”, the Jewish people are the perennial recipients of the ills of mankind, making them the perfect candidates for the title of “scapegoats of humanity.”
If a Jew is a good business person he/she could be accused of being “stingy” or “rapacious”, if they are struggling financially, they could be seen as being a burden to society. If a Jewish politician is successful, he or she might be accused of trying to take over the world, if they fail, their party’s shortcomings become their responsibility.
In today’s postmodern era where the New Anti-Semitism reigns, IF YOU ARE JEWISH AND MAKE ANY MOVE, DAMNED IF YOU DO AND DAMNED IF YOU DON’T!
This attitude from most of the world where no matter where the Jew stands, he is in the way, is the epitome of real anti-Semitism. It is a hatred of the people individually and/or corporately, unfortunately unaffected by the value of their actions. THAT IS JUDEOPHOBIA!
Trying to define islamophobia in contradistinction to Judeophobia is most likely the safest approach since both displays of hatred are very different. Judeophobia aims at the Jews whoever, whenever and wherever they are, simply because they are part of the Jewish people as a whole and all this in complete defiance of any logic or truth.
On the other hand, Islamophobia is the fear and often hatred of not a religion and even less a people but an ideology. If some people end up hating Muslim people simply because they belong to Islam and since radicals have given them [Muslims] such a bad rep that now they feel that “all Muslim should be hated”, then I say: “shame on you!”
Muslims are people first and I believe that they actually are the first victims of radical Islam. Political correctness would have you believe otherwise of course.
Islamophobia, like the word jihad, suffers from a false definition that forces people to believe that Islamophobes are all racists. I couldn’t disagree more, yet I fear radical Islam and I can even say I hate it, but not the people. THAT IS GENUINE ISLAMOPHOBIA!
But as a human being in general and a follower of Yeshua of Nazareth in particular, I want nothing else for all Muslims than to experience the love of the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world, Yeshua (Jesus). You might say that I am a big dreamer but I will tell you that I quit dreaming long time ago and I started praying, because after all, our God loves all people and He is big enough to change all hearts.
Holocaust Deniers Beware!
Statements like: “I am not so sure that the French Revolution really took place” or “I often wonder if Hiroshima wasn’t an invention to get the attention of the world community”would never be taken seriously by bona fide historians. These are as ludicrous as saying that the Holocaust never happened or that it was hugely exaggerated. Unfortunately, the past seventy years have seen their share of pseudo-historians and Holocaust revisionists as well as deniers. The effort they had to put into erasing such an event from the chronicles of modern history should discourage them but they kept going with their revisionism coupled with various conspiracy theories about the Jews controlling the world banks, governments, media outlets and of course Hollywood.
When we line up the infamous culprits in Holocaust denial, it takes no time to realize that their common denominator is the delegitimization of Israel and complete eradication of worldwide Jewry, a lethal by-product of anti-Semitism.
Take Louis Farrakhan, the leader of Nation of Islam for instance. While he is not much of a role model to the vast majority of Americans, he was recently quoted saying:
1. Holy Day of Atonement Keynote Address, Part 2, Mosque Maryam, Chicago, Illinois 10/21/12
The Sting of Antisemitism: What We Can Learn from Europe
I left Paris 28 years ago and decided to make America my home. Back then; the dream of being successful, respected and appreciated in the “Land of Opportunity” was a major reason why I left my “Old Europe” behind.
All these crimes were committed by “devout” Muslims, and while it must be re-iterated that NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE JEW KILLERS, the last 9 deaths of Jewish people in France were all at the hands of radical Muslims.
So, what can the United-States learn from the state of Antisemitism in Europe? As I see it, there are only three options: Ignore, move-out, or fight back!
1. Can we IGNORE Antisemitism?
This question obviously begs for only one kind of answer: NO! Yet when we look around and witness the reactions of the media, government agencies and political figures, one is to wonder how much the world really cares about the monster of Judeophobia.
French President Jacques Chirac in an interview with the New York Times in 2002 said:
“To imagine that France, the very first country to recognize the rights of Jews, could be Antisemitic, is propaganda, not reality”
What color was the sky in your world Mr. Chirac? Well, to be fair, I must also mention that Mr. Chirac within a year after that statement, felt like adding that: “Attacking a Jew in France is an attack on all of France”. Wow, quite a different statement from someone who one year prior declared that Antisemitism didn’t exist in his country!
Nicolas Sarkozy has done very little to combat “La Nouvelle Judeophobie” as French author Pierre-André Taguieff calls it. His relations with Netanyahu took a turn for the worse when he was recorded calling him a liar in a conversation he had with President Obama.
As for François Hollande, he has the remainder of his 5 year mandate to “put his money where his mouth is”, so to speak. As Europe continues to ostracize Jews in Denmark, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy, Hungary and Spain to list just a few European countries, France, far from being immune to the “oldest hatred” is going to have to realize that antisemitism CANNOT BE IGNORED.
As for us in the United-States, it is time we stop pointing the finger across the ocean to denigrate “those antisemites” on the other side, because we have plenty of work to do in our own backyard.
Campus antisemitism is on the rise all across the country and remains basically unchallenged if not encouraged in some cases by school officials and the media.
Muslim enclaves such as the Dearborn, Michigan are promoting hate and violence against Jews (and Christians for that matter). It has now become dangerous to walk some areas of Dearborn if you are Jewish, Christian or even slightly pro-Israel.
As much as we try to define and re-define the commonalities and differences between Antisemitism, anti-Israelism and anti-Zionism, we need to accept that they are all rooted in a hatred for the worldwide Jew whoever he/she might be, wherever he/she might live, and whatever he/she might have done. The Boycott Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement is a perfect symptom of that chronic disease. SIMPLY PUT, WE CANNOT IGNORE ANTISEMITISM.
2. Should Natives MOVE OUT Because of Antisemitism?
Great Britain has one of the most virulent Muslim communities in Western Europe. Muslim leaders such as Anjem Choudary who was behind the organization known as “sharia4UK”are very vocal proponents of Sharia implementation. Choudary has publicly proclaimed that sharia in the UK and the US is inevitable, but only a matter of time:
“I am 100 percent certain that the sharia will be implemented in America and in Britain one day. The question is, ‘when?’ and how it will come to fruition.”2
3. Should We Fight Against Antisemitism?
I have come to the very sad realization that most people don’t bother fighting against Antisemitism. It is too often ignored for lack of understanding or even worse, because of of a chronically apathetic condition of our postmodern society.
While I frankly believe that the last 2000 years should serve as our teacher, if antisemitism still need to be defined, it is our responsibility to do so. But defining is only the first step, because once we have identified the problem and its source(s), it is incumbent on us to develop the tools and platforms to fight Antisemitism.
Various organizations have sprung up in the last few decades in Europe to keep track, report and fight Antisemitism. Their work is tedious and emotionally draining, yet critical. They keep us all abreast of what is happening.
We should also be aware of the history of the Jewish people through the lens of Antisemitism and I could recommend the reading of one book to start, and that is the superb work by Catholic priest Edward Flannery dated back to 1965 “The Anguish of the Jews”. 3
Additionally, we should speak up when we witness either words or deeds against the Jewish people. It should concern us as much as it concerns them. Reporting to the authorities is also necessary even if we feel that little might be done. IF WE DON’T SPEAK UP, WHO WILL?
Europe should serve as a barometer for Antisemitism. We Americans can no longer ignore the gravity of the situation or try to convince themselves that it is Europe’s problem not ours. We cannot ignore or move-out, and we must fight back!
In a few days on the 14th of Adar (Feb 24, 2013), Jewish people around the world will celebrate the Feast of Purim and remember how a loving and just God protected the children of Israel against the enemy Persian Empire. The Book of Esther will be read in synagogues and we will be reminded that Esther was brave enough to speak up on behalf of her people.
It doesn’t matter if you are Jewish or not, but as you realize that the welfare of Israel and the Jewish people is at stake, you must do your part and speak up. After all it isn’t just the welfare of the Jewish people that is in danger but also the welfare of western civilization as a whole. I would like to believe that in preserving western civilization, we also carve a place of respect for those of Muslim upbringing who want to live with us in harmony. Anything less would be unbiblical.
2. Anjem Choudary on CBN News World: UK Islamist Leader:Islam will dominate America (Aug. 2012) http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2012/August/UK-Islamist-Leader-Islam-Will-Dominate-America/.
3. Flannery, Edward: The Anguish of the Jews: 23 Centuries of Christian Antisemitism (Quest Books, 1965)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Anguish-Jews-Edward-Flannery/dp/B000WBCBFY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1361401310&sr=8-3&keywords=anguish+of+the+jews+flannery
American Campuses: A New Breeding Ground for a New Judeophobia!
Judeophobia is defined as the fear and hatred of Jewish people and is somewhat synonymous with anti-Semitism. The very word used to describe this unique fear of Jewish people contains the suffix phobia (Greek for fear). It is common for people to fear something that they do not understand, and, like in the case of all phobias, Judeophobia is an irrational and abnormal fear never based on facts.
While it is never my intention to diminish the gravity of Judeophobia and of all other kinds of xenophobias for that matter, I must admit that I, along with those of us who witness and fight this kind of hatred, have grown accustomed to its various sources.
We expect it to come from Middle eastern countries or terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah, as it is indoctrinated in the minds of young children at an age when their only dilemma should be about which toy to play with. It starts as a cultural indoctrination that serves as a base for a further, deeper and more hateful ideological and or religious indoctrination. It is almost as if it has become part of the DNA of certain people groups.
We also expect it from numerous European countries such as Hungary, France, Poland, Spain and England amongst others. The roots of that old weed run very deep into a post-Christian soil that has been deprived of any nutrients from biblical Christianity for centuries. There was a stump of anti-Semitism left in the European soil after the Holocaust. Small and apparently insignificant shoots came out at first, but a civilized post World War Two community was determined to nip it in the bud, and so they did, at least originally. In reality, the stump became the base for the sequoia of a revived old-fashioned racial anti-Semitism.
Yet there is a new breeding ground for a new Judeophobia and it is found on university campuses all over the United-States. Cowardly hiding behind the First Amendment of 1791, many public figures borne of the leftist intelligentsia, currently promote anti-Semitism from classroom to classroom across campuses. Beware of your criticism of their vitriol, lest you be accused of hatred and intolerance yourself. It was only days ago that a very disturbing event took place in New York at Brooklyn College. The New York institution includes between 20 and 25% Jewish students who for the most part (along with many Jewish AND non-Jewish supporters of Israel) were stupefied when they heard of the school’s decision to sponsor such an event promoting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement (BDS). Two speakers were featured. Omar Barghouti and Judith Butler.
Mr. Barghouti is a founding member of The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. He is also one of the starters of the 2005 BDS movement. No stranger to American campuses, Mr. Barghouti travels extensively across our nation to promote the BDS ideology, comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and calling for the boycott of many Israeli products and companies.
His message of hate gets placated across American campuses where he can be heard making statements such as this one: Many of the methods of collective and individual”punishment” meted out to Palestinian civilians at the hands of young, racist, often sadistic and ever impervious Israeli soldiers at the hundreds of checkpoints littering the occupied Palestinian territories are reminiscent of common Nazi practices against the Jews.
Just days before his appearance at Brooklyn College, Mr. Barghouti was at Yale, University of Pennsylvania and University of California, Irvine (UCI). But, he was invited to Brooklyn College in the name of “Freedom of Expression”. Political correctness strikes again!
Ironically, this man is currently working on a doctorate in Philosophy at, and I hope you’re ready for this? Tel Aviv University in Israel. Consider some of the Israeli related brands an inventions Mr. Barghouti should ALSO boycott to be ethical and consistent: Intel, Windows software, the USB flash drive, IBM, Cisco, Motorola, the Cell Phone and Instant Messaging, to name just a few. In all honesty, a full boycott would affect Mr. Barghouti’s research and writing quite a bit. Now, isn’t that the epitome of hypocrisy from a man who promotes BDS so passionately?
As for Ms. Judith Butler, “a self-hating Jew” by any standard, her presence was also problematic from the standpoint of any honest intellectual dialogue. Ms. Butler is a professor in the rhetoric and comparative literature department at UC Berkeley. She is also on the advisory board of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Ms. Butler delivered a speech at Brooklyn College that at first glance appeared to be balanced and in favor of peace in the Middle East, but the foundation of her message is so flawed that it makes it impossible to take it seriously.
Ms. Butler was unfortunately not interested in any dialogue (even though it is the message that JVP promo video clearly sends, albeit constructed on a very false premise). She clearly wanted to deliver a monologue of finger pointing and unjustified demonization of Israel. I find it very interesting when she claims that: The state of Israel doesn’t represent all Jews, and not all Jews understand themselves as represented by the state of Israel. In theory, I think she is right, but then we have to honestly ask ourselves why is it then that whenever the Knesset passes a new law or a new settlement is planned or erected, Jews all over the world become the recipients of anti-Semitism by proxy? What should the building of a settlement in Israel have to do with the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in Eastern Europe or the fire bombing of a synagogue in South America?
To be sure, not all critic of Israel should be labeled as anti-Semitic, yet I see the BDS movement attempt at indoctrinating students all over America as nothing else than a catalyst for further acts of deligitimization of Israel. I do not have anything against the very concept of boycotting as long as it is done for the right cause and that it is consistent even if not always convenient.
American campuses have become very conducive to hate speech against Israel in the name of Freedom of Expression. It is almost always a tirade of lies built on a false foundation never checked by a quasi-intellectual leftist audience. Our campuses used to be platforms for education, dialogue and training of the next generation. Today it seems that Judeophobic propaganda has become a common thread across our nation’s university campuses. This doesn’t promise a very glorious future for American Jews unless we fight for the truth!
Stop Insulting Our Intelligence!
On Sunday January 27, the whole world (or at least the ever dwindling remnant of the civilized world) commemorated “International Holocaust Remembrance Day”. This yearly remembrance is based on January 27, 1945 when Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated. It is an international event introduced by the UN in 2005 and is additional to the Jewish Commemoration of the Holocaust known as Yom HaShoah or “The Day of the Catastrophe”. Yom HaShoah typically falls on the 27th of Nissan (April 8, 2013) and coincides with the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Many communities worldwide, Jewish and non-Jewish, remembered the 6,000,000 victims as well as the survivors and their descendants. Statements of support abounded as the heroic struggles against Nazism and the unnecessary death of millions were recalled. Even President Obama issued its own statement in which we can read: The United States, along with the international community, resolves to stand in the way of any tyrant or dictator who commits crimes against humanity, and stay true to the principle of “Never Again.” Sounds good, right? But these are just words and words are cheap and rather hollow if not backed-up by actions. But rather than find fault in the current US administration’s handling of the Middle East crisis –and God knows that it can easily be done– I would like us to consider the newest installment in the most popular reality TV show on the planet known as: “Let’s Insult Their Intelligence”.
This is a show (if it indeed existed) that would focus on demonizing Israel and the Jewish people and then insult their intelligence by claiming that none of the words or deeds perpetrated were even close to being anti-Semitic. I believe that it would be very popular. This week’s episode could have been entitled: “A cartoon for Peace”.
Famous British Sunday Times cartoonist Gerald Scarfe spewed another venomous creation on Sunday, depicting Benyamin Netanyahu building the security fence with bricks interspersed with Palestinian bodies and using Palestinian blood as mortar.
It immediately drew the attention of the Jewish community worldwide, who demanded an immediate apology for the anti-Semitic cartoon. By the way, it is noteworthy to mention that no death threats were made to any British subjects; no British embassy was ransacked because Netanyahu was insulted, and the Sunday Times wasn’t firebombed by “Jewish extremists” either! Was the Jewish community offended? Absolutely YES! Did it react in a barbaric fashion? Absolutely NO!
Yet, was the Jewish reaction another case of oversensitivity or even worse, another example of playing the “victim’s card” and manipulating the media? For this, we need to take a look at Mr. Scarfe’s cartoon and compare it to others published before his time.
In Mr. Scarfe’s cartoon, we see a mean-faced Benyamin Netanyahu with long and sharp trowel in hand, dripping with blood. He is getting ready to apply another brick in the “security wall”. Every other layer of bricks shows the head of a squeezed dead Palestinian with an emphasis on the elderly, women and children to symbolize some sort of “innocent victimhood”. Palestinian blood is used as mortar for the wall. The bottom caption reads: “Israeli Elections: Will Cementing Peace Continue?”
The almost instant response from the Daily Times was one of support for the cartoonist and was a clear statement that in no way was the drawing anti-Semitic, but it was simply a political cartoon connected to the recent Israeli elections.
So, a cartoon is published that is clearly depicting a murderous Netanyahu. Never mind that the wall he is building is in reality for the most part a barbed-wire fence and never mind that it is built to defend Israel from terrorists and bombings. Never mind that Hamas uses their own children, women and elderly as human shields, the message is clear: Israel continues to have blood on their hands as they build an apartheid state.
Nazi propaganda cartoon: Rich Jews drink blood. |
Of course, the fact that the cartoon was published on “International Holocaust Remembrance Day” was a pure coincidence or maybe a busy newsroom oversight, right? Well, I wish I could say that it is true but I am afraid that the day was purposely picked to hurt the Jewish people even more. I think that to deny that “International Holocaust Remembrance Day”was selected as the publish date is simply to insult our intelligence.
Nazi cartoon: Jews draw blood from Christian children to make matzah for Passover. |
Some Nazi propaganda from the 30s and 40s repeatedly depicted Jewish people drawing blood from people. The “world controlling rich Jew” was pictured feasting on the blood of his victims. Of course, many times the victims also represented poor Christian children whose blood was drawn to make “matzah” (unleavened bread) for the celebration of Passover.
This is known as the “Blood Ritual” and originates in the middle Ages. The twelfth century introduced a new charge against the Jews that would be added to the list of reasons why they should be converted, ostracized, abused and even killed. This new charge was fabricated from beginning to end for the sole purpose of stigmatizing Jewish people further into a demonized state. It is still being used today against the Jewish people by anti-Semitic groups and/or people across the globe.
Medieval etching of Jews emptying a Christian Boy of his blood for use in Passover Matzah |
UPDATE: As of Wednesday January 30th, 2013, Martin Ivens, the acting editor for the Times had issued an apology for the cartoon. The apology, according to him is for the poor choice of a release date but NOT for the contents
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