Will the Real Islam Please Stand-Up?
I have been researching, studying, teaching and writing about anti-semitism, Islam, sharia, Israel and the Jewish people for about 15 years. What I am about to say could easily get me pegged as a right-wing-bigoted-racist but I certainly hope that my readers would not give-up until they have read my entire article.
Those verses are real and they mean exactly what they say. Let us also consider the fact that most of the verses in question are normative and not historical. In other words, they are more open-ended than historically linked, and thus still very much apply to the “infidels” to this very day. Consider just a few of those verses below:
Sura 47.4 – “When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield strike off their heads and, when you have latid then low, bind your captives firmly. Then grant them their freedom or take a ransom for them, until the war shall lay down her burdens.”
Eschatological Anti-Semitism: What if Aliyah was not the Answer?
While in France on a ministry trip, I witnessed the convergence of several events confirming the serious state of anti-Semitism in Europe. The vise of what I call eschatological (pertaining to the last days) anti-Semitism is tightening on the Jews. That vise has two jaws, one made of classical anti-Semitism and the other of the new anti-Semitism falsely known as anti-Israelism or anti-Zionism.
I was in Strasbourg in the Alsace region of France near the German border on the week-end when the elections for the European Parliament took place. The shocking results showed that the extreme right parties of Greece, Hungary and France advanced further on the political scene. The European Parliament is made of 751 seats proportionally distributed to all the participating countries based of their population (France has 74 seats). France has about 65 millions people of which only 40% voted this May. This resulted in the extreme-right French party “Front National” (FN) of Marine Le Pen garnering 25% of the votes. France will thus send 23-25 FN seats to the European Parliament for the next five years. Greece’s Golden Dawn party won three seats, Hungary’s Jobbik party won four seats. As it stands, the extreme-right parties all combined will have 36 seats at the European Parliament. This is not enough to tip the scale but is enough to be a voice of change within the whole community. That voice will of course not be in favor of the Jewish community. This represents the first jaw of the vise.
During the same week-end, there was a killing at the Jewish Museum of Brussels in Belgium. resulting in the loss of four lives including two Israeli tourists and two Belgians. The attack was perpetrated by one individual who remains unknown and on the run. While Belgian government officials took a while to label the killing as an anti-Semitic act, other countries have expressed otherwise. Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his outrage when he said: “there are those in Europe that are quick to condemn every building of an apartment in Jerusalem, but do not rush to condemn, or condemn with weak condemnations, the murder of Jews here or in Europe itself.” French President François Hollande also claimed that they was no doubt in his mind that the attack was anti-Semitic. More will be learned once the killer is apprehended, but many around Europe are already drawing parallels between that killing and the Toulouse killings of 2012 known as “l’Affaire Merah” even though it is still unclear if the killer was a Muslim, from the extreme-right or simply a madman. This could turn out to represent either one of the two jaws of the vise of eschatological anti-Semitism.
Additionally,hours later, there was also an attack outside a synagogue in the Paris suburb of Creteil. Two Jewish men wearing their yarmulke (skull caps) were attacked by two men who are believed to be north African most possibly Muslims. The two Jewish men were attacked from behind, minutes before their assailants fled. This was not the first nor will it be the last attack on French Jews attending synagogue services. This one could represent the second jaw of the vise.
Antisemitic incidents occur almost daily all over Europe, and continue to grow not only in numbers but also in intensity. The vise of eschatological anti-Semitism keeps tightening on the Jewish community, so much so that we have seen more French Jews making aliyah to Israel in the first quarter of 2014 than the whole of 2013. But what if aliyah was not the answer?
I do not intend to advise Jews against making aliyah to Eretz Yisrael. Even though it is not for everybody, Israel remains the safest place for worldwide Jews, yet there is an aspect of aliyah that makes me a bit uncomfortable. The idea of leaving France or any other country for Israel is two-sided. On one hand, it can be seen as very justified to flee a country where you are unwanted at best and persecuted or even murdered at worst. On the other hand, there is a sense of surrender in a departure that can also be a cause for rejoicing and/or greater victory on the side of the perpetrators.
It is very much in line with the famous quote by German Pastor Martin Niemöller who said:
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
The Muslim Brotherhood Gets a Facelift!
Corporate identity is a very important component in the survival and thriving of any organization. Advertising agencies have charged millions to create, refine and update the images of big corporations. Following many design drafts, executive meetings and focus groups, a new logo emerges and rebrands a corporation allowing it to better relate to its target audience. It is truly a great synthesis of art and science, and as a marketing strategy, it almost always results in a better exposure and a broader reach!
Occasionally, the culture grabs hold of a new image and for various reasons not always immediately clear to the public, the symbol quickly becomes popular. Within weeks and sometimes days, we see the image on posters, the Internet, T-shirts, cards, bracelets, banners, etc.
In light of all that, I noticed that the Muslim Brotherhood recently decided to rebrand itself. Clearly, they did not go on rooftops to trumpet their rebranding, yet they managed to peek the interest of many. Early adopters of the new symbol are now being joined by thousands worldwide. This “cool’ and “hip” new hand signal known as R4BIA (say: RABIA but replace the first A with the digit 4) is spreading like wildfire.
It is some sort of a salute with four fingers extended out and with the thumb folded back inside the palm. It is believed that it originated with the pro-Morsi protesters in support of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. But it might have also originated from Turkey. Rabia means four or fourth in Arabic.
According to Ms. Dawn Perlmutter who is considered a leading expert in the areas of religious terrorism and ritualistic crimes,
” The design of the symbol has been endowed with characteristics of the sacred in Islam: the color yellow used in the background signifies the golden Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the hand depicted in the color black denotes the black cloth that covers the Kaaba.
… Although the R4BIA symbol may have originally signified solidarity with massacred protesters, the meaning and the imagery has rapidly been radicalized to embody the primary concepts of Islamist propaganda: honor, heroism and martyrdom in the goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate. Images of the R4BIA symbol now include the fingers being depicted as rifles, the hand holding the black flag of jihad and writing on the hand calling for an Islamic Caliphate.” (as quoted by Middle East Forum).
So the R4BIA logo, which by the way is rapidly becoming a movement, is a far cry from a “hip” symbol declaring unity in protest towards freedom. As a matter of fact, if one is to visit their website, it will not take long to discover a hidden–or not so hidden agenda. It even has a song attached to it. It is important to understand that the lyrics of the song were penned by Egyptian professor and activist Sayyid Qutb, a key leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in prison from 1954 to 1966. He also published the virulently antisemitic work Our Struggle Against the Jews in 1950. To many Muslims, Qutb is the epitome of Islamic martyrdom.
If we look at the list under “What is R4BIA”?, buried in a sea of social justice clichés and tag lines are some statements that carry no ambiguity whatsoever. Here are some out of the 39 statements:
• R4BIA is the return of Muslims to world stage
• R4BIA is Egypt, Syria, Palestine and the whole geography of Islam
• R4BIA is the place of people who show the death is a revival
• R4BIA is justice for everyone against rotten Western values
• R4BIA is a pure martyrdom
• R4BIA is the end of Zionists
We ought to exercise caution when we choose to display certain symbols, colors and/or garments. After all, we might not be “what we wear”, but we are at the very least “what we declare”. In the case of R4BIA, and under a thin veneer of social justice, we declare our solidarity with the Muslim Brotherhood and their agenda. It is our responsibility to let others know about this devious rebranding of a very dangerous organization committed to the destruction of Western values and of Israel.
3 Reasons to Observe Holocaust Remembrance Day!
From the evening of Sunday, April 7th 2013 to the evening of April 8th, Jews worldwide will commemorate Yom HaShoah (the Day of the Catastrophe) also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. Yom HaShoah typically falls on the 27th of Nissan (April 8, 2013) and coincides with the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It was inaugurated in 1953 by first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gourion as a memorial to the 6,000,000 Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
Yet to most people worldwide, Yom HaShoah is either a complete mystery, an irrelevant topic or a thorn in the flesh of their Anti-Semitic bodies. Yom HaShoah is a day that most of the world would rather not have to remember but the unfortunate and heavy truth is that the Shoah left a permanent scar on the Jewish people at best and an open wound at worst. IT CANNOT BE IGNORED!
There are several reasons why not just the worldwide Jewish community should remember the Shoah, but the global community as well:
1. IT REALLY HAPPENED!
This might be seen by some as one of the most obvious truism, but the Holocaust really happened! Unfortunately, alongside of those who clearly know that the Holocaust is one of the worst historical events on record, there are plenty of others who are working hard at telling us that it NEVER DID. The reality of the Holocaust being indelibly stamped in the memory of many people doesn’t seem to stop “Holocaust deniers” from propagating their lies. The physical evidence left behind as well as the copious records kept by the Nazis don’t even persuade or even intimidate those on a mission to eradicate the Shoah from the chronicles of human history.
Yom HaShoah serves to perpetuate the memory of an event that REALLY HAPPENED. It was real enough for my grandfather Maurice Weinzveig who perished in Auschwitz and the family he left behind, and it was real enough for the rest of the 6,000,000. Any attempt at re-writing history devoid of this human tragedy should be a crime, as it is in some European countries such as Germany.
2. IT HAPPENED RECENTLY!
Another factor to consider is the fact that it happened recently. The Second World War ended in 1945, which is only 68 years ago. With Germany’s unconditional surrender, came the liberation of Europe and of all the concentration and death camps of Western and Eastern Europe. While most of the survivors of the Shoah have now passed away, some still remain spread out all around the world. In other words, it is still possible for one to sit down with a Holocaust survivor and get a first hand story of the nightmare they went through and survived. But this window of opportunity is quickly coming to an end.
The world owes it to the remaining survivors of the Shoah to perpetuate the memory of the event and to promote the important message of “NEVER AGAIN” through education and testimonies. One of the few organizations serving that purpose in a most commendable way is Shadows of Shoah, a website built on the foundation of many sobering testimonies from a handful of worldwide Holocaust survivors. As the founder of Shadows of Shoah, Perry Trotter recognizes, it is important to treat the Holocaust in a way that exposes the human nature of the disaster. These are real people with real stories, not just another set of statistics. As the world gets used to hear the tragedy of the 6,000,000, it also builds a certain immunity to the carnage attached to that number. While it is impossible to remember al the victims by name, Shadows of Shoah does a superb job a connecting the site’s visitor to the heart and soul of each survivor as they briefly share their story.
My mother saw her dad taken by the Gestapo while she herself escaped the Holocaust and was sent to the southwest of France to hide on a farm. She is still alive today and it is very offensive and brutally insensitive to try to tell her that the Holocaust was a hoax. 68 years ago was not very long. As a matter of fact, almost prophetically, General Eisenhower , after visiting the Buchenwald sub-camp at Orhdruf and ordering for photographs to document his discovery, was quoted saying: “I visited every nook and cranny…to be in a position from then on to testify about these things in case there ever grew up at home the belief … that the stories of Nazi brutality were just propaganda.”
Little did he know that just a few decades down the road, his greatest fear would become a tragic reality.
Yet my biggest concern is that Holocaust deniers, Holocaust revisionists, and even those who just ignore these events might be the catalysts for history to repeat itself. The signs are all here!
3. IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN!
It is ironic that the very people in the Middle East like Iranian President Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud Abbas the leader of Fatah or even Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi who to different degrees all deny the Holocaust; also threaten Israel with their own version of a new Holocaust. Sometimes they even accuse Israel of committing “another Holocaust” against poor defenseless Palestinian victims. What “other” Holocaust are they talking about if the first one was indeed a myth, or even worse, a result of some “Jewish Propaganda” to make the whole world feel sorry and vote for the partition of Palestine in 1947.
The level of Anti-Semitism that is currently plaguing the Jews worldwide is second only to the pre-World War Two era. Many scholars and experts on Anti-Semitism believe that we are experiencing a time of history very similar to the 1930s in Europe as it pertains to the rise of this new hatred of the Jewish people. My own research leads me to have to agree with them
This renewed hatred for my people doesn’t just come from the Middle East and/or radical Muslims; it is also fueled by the liberal left’s agenda of tolerance and multiculturalism. We unfortunately also see some Anti-Semitism within the Evangelical Church, not to mention the Roman Catholic Church that has a long and deeply rooted history of Jew hatred.
A few of us disciples of Yeshua of Nazareth are ready to defend Israel and the Jewish people at any cost, as we serve our Messiah who cares so much about the chosen people (Zechariah 2:8). God loves all people including the Muslims but biblically speaking, God is a Zionist.
While many around the world increasingly speak of the Holocaust with words such as NEVER BEFORE, Followers of Yeshua have a biblical obligation to join in with the Jewish people in declaring NEVER AGAIN!