Information Bulletin No. 2
March 2002
Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S.)
Incitement and Propaganda against Israel, the Jewish People and the Western World, conducted in the Palestinian Authority, the Arab World and Iran
Antisemitic caricature in an Iranian magazine: the Jews and the United States stabbing a knife in the back of Arafat. (Source: Ya-Lesarat al-Hosein , journal published by “Ansar-e Hezbollah”, a hard-line zealot organization supporting the religious leader Khamenei).
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The Editor: Reuven Ehrlich, Ph.D. Table of Contents CHAPTER 1
SUBJECT Letter to the Reader, Foreword
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The Palestinian Authority
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MANIFESTATIONS OF INCITEMENT AND PROPAGANDA AT THE BASIC LEVEL
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2 3
Antisemitic indoctrination
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Incitement in the educational system
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MANIFESTATIONS OF INCITEMENT AND PROPAGANDA AT THE CURRENT LEVEL
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5 6
Press and electronic media
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Religious sermonizing
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8 9
Propaganda songs
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Caricatures in the press
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Incitement and Propaganda against Israel, the Jews and the Western World throughout Arab Countries 10
Syria
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11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Lebanon
36 44 51 55 56 60 62 67
Egypt Jordan Iraq Saudi Arabia Gulf Emirates The Arab World
Iran 18
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
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MANIFESTATIONS OF INCITEMENT AND PROPAGANDA AT THE BASIC LEVEL
20 21
68 70
MANIFESTATIONS OF INCITEMENT AND PROPAGANDA AT THE CURRENT LEVEL
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EXCEPTIONAL VOICES
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Letter to the Reader !
The Center for Special Studies (C.S.S.): this institution, located at the official memorial site of the Israeli intelligence community, serves as active and interactive educational and informational center. Its purposes are to honor those involved in secret warfare, and transmit to future generations the legacy of the intelligence community.
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This Information Bulletin is yet another publication issued by the Information Center on the topics of intelligence, terrorism and counter-terrorism. Its objectives are to follow up on publications throughout the Palestinian Authority, the Arab world and Iran, and identify occurrences of incitement and propaganda against Israel, the Jewish people and the Western world. This Information Bulletin strives to bring about increased awareness to the occurrences of activity aimed at encouraging violence and undermining the peace process, and provide the necessary tools to those engaged in counteracting these phenomena.
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The Information Bulletins are planned for bimonthly publication. They include a summary of articles and statements throughout the press and the electronic media, and report occurrences of incitement in books, school textbooks and religious sermons in mosques. These Information Bulletins are available both in Hebrew and English, with accompanying visual material in CD-ROM format.
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The raw material, written as well as visual, which served for the preparation of each of the Information Bulletins, will be made available to visitors and users of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.
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We welcome any remarks and suggestions by the readers, for improving future issues of this Information Bulletin series.For additional details concerning the services offered by the Information Center, and requests for complementary information on incitement and propaganda, please contact Ms. Fela Schterzer, our chief information officer, at:
[email protected] Tel: 972-3-5482254 Fax: 972-3-5497731 Yours faithfully, Reuven Ehrlich, Ph.D. Head of the Intelligence Information Center
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Terrorism
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Foreword 1. The present Information Bulletin provides the reader with extensive evidence of the existence of a systematic apparatus of incitement and propaganda directed against the State of Israel, its leaders, the Zionist movement and the Jewish people in its entirety, in the spirit of Nazi horror propaganda. Incitement activities, albeit on a smaller scale, are also conducted against the Western world, and in particular the United States. This phenomenon prevails both in the overtly hostile countries, which proclaim that their aim is to annihilate Israel (e.g. Iran), and in countries that have signed peace agreements with Israel (Egypt and Jordan) or publicly acknowledged their involvement in the peace process (Syria and the Palestinian Authority). 2. Incitement is to be found on two levels: the current level of propaganda and the basic, longterm level. It finds its expression throughout the media (the press, radio and television), in books, school textbooks, computer games, the Internet, religious sermons in mosques, in a variety of cultural and artistic expressions (e.g. theater plays and even songs!) and even in public statements made by leaders. During recent months, Iran and Syria have stepped up their support of terrorism and their activities of incitement and propaganda against Israel and the Western world, with statements made by Iranian leaders containing outright antisemitic expressions. 3. Messages transmitted throughout the Arab world, of hatred cultivated from within, receive special significance in the light of contradicting attempts made by Arab leaders towards conveying a more “moderate” image to the United States and other outsiders. Examples of the latter are the initiative of Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah, and Yasser Arafat’s letter to the New York Times. 4. The unrestrained incitement against Israel, the Jews and the Western world has two main implications: • It encourages terrorism and violence: the distance between incitement and propaganda on the one hand, and actual violence (such as the terrorist attacks against Israel, the United States and the Western world) on the other, may indeed be very short. This is evidenced by the large number of Palestinian youths who are willing to perform suicide attacks against Israeli population centers, after being indoctrinated by religious sermonizers and exposed for many years to a systematic process of incitement. • It reflects the unwillingness to grant true recognition to the State of Israel: the harsh statements against Israel and the Jews, whether approved or ignored by the various regimes, strongly contradict the official views expressed by Arab leaders as to their commitment to the peace process. Such statements undermine the peace process and result in entire generations of youngsters growing up brainwashed by an apparatus of ruthless incitement against Israel and the Jewish people. They prove that the true and deep meaning of peace is, unfortunately, still far from being assimilated by large segments of the Arab and the Islamic world, and that very little is being done to change this situation. 5. This publication of the Information Bulletin was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of a great many people, dedicated to constantly following up on events in the Palestinian Authority, the Arab world and Iran. This publication is not intended to serve political tendencies of any kind, its sole purpose being to depict the reality as is, even though at times it may be hard to digest, and may stir up gloomy thoughts about the eagerness of our nearby and remote neighbors to reach a viable peace and abandon the use of violence and terrorism. 4
The Palestinian Authority Incitement slogans used by Arafat
“Jihad, jihad, jihad!!!”
“If only Allah, Master of the World, would let me be one of the shahids on behalf of Jerusalem”
“Millions of shahids are marching towards Jerusalem”
Islamic terminology and its current meaning Jihad – the holy war of Islam. In its contemporary meaning, in connection with the Palestinian Intifada, the term “jihad” refers to acts of violence and terrorism against Israel. Shahid (pl.: Shuhada) – a martyr who sacrificed his life for the sanctification of Allah and Islam. Istishhad – the act of sacrificing one’s own life for the sanctification of Allah and Islam. In its contemporary meaning, in connection with the Palestinian Intifada, it refers to dying while carrying out a terrorist attack, and in particular a suicide attack, against Israel.
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Manifestations of Incitement and Propaganda at the Basic Level Antisemitic indoctrination Instilling feelings of hatred against the Jewish people Antisemitic indoctrination of the Palestinian Security Forces: re-use of an old edition of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, published in Egypt back in 1976. " The source: a monthly publication entitled al-Shuhada, issued by the Political Indoctrination apparatus of the Palestinian Border Guard that operates in the Gaza Strip. " The Political Indoctrination apparatus, headed by General Othman Abu Gharbiyah, operates as an independent organ within the Palestinian Authority and reports directly to Chairman Arafat. " Its main activity is to provide political and ideological indoctrination to the Palestinian Security Forces. It is in fact an apparatus of “politruks” (political instructors) that constitutes the link between the ideology of the “Fatah” movement and the Palestinian armed forces.
Chapters of the book “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” are published as serial episodes in alShuhada. (The above page was taken from issue No. 44 of al-Shuhada, November-December 2001.)
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Translation of a passage from al-Shuhada “Because of all these, the Jew has no choice but to indulge, in his relations with others, in using any vile means such as theft, deceit, exploitation, fraud and usury. They also authorize him to kill, like Moses did, as described in the Bible and the Talmud, when he killed the Egyptian in a calculated and premeditated act and did not spare his life. Killing a non-Jew, a “Goy” [gentile], according to the Rabbis, is an offering to God, which appeases God and earns the offerer a reward. This is because the non-Jews are enemies of God and the Jews, and they are beasts which one is entitled to kill by whatever means available.”
The Egyptian source on which the Palestinian publication al-Shuhada bases itself is the 1976 edition of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, published in Cairo by the “Dar al-Turab” publishing house. The text of the excerpt that appeared in al-Shuhada is identical to the preface to the “Protocols”, page 77 of the Egyptian edition. The “Magen David” symbol and the octopus that illustrate the al-Shuhada version were copied from the cover of the Egyptian book; in the Palestinian version, however, one of the octopus’s tentacles (on the right hand side of the picture) was replaced by a snake.
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Incitement in the Educational System – General Characteristics •
During the seven years since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian educational system has used school textbooks published in Jordan and Egypt. It is only during the recent school year (2000-2001) that new textbooks appeared, written by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and intended for 1st and 6th grades (elementary school) only. During the current school year (2001-2002), the Ministry issued additional textbooks, for students of the 2nd and 7th grades. (These books are currently being researched, and the findings will be published in one of the forthcoming bulletins.)
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The Jordanian school textbooks that serve all the high school students and the majority of the elementary school grades, abound with expressions of incitement and hatred, reintroduced into the books when the educational system was passed on from Israeli responsibility to the Palestinian Authority. These textbooks are a manifest expression of a philosophy of an “all-out war” against Israel, Zionism and all that they stand for.
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Below are examples of expressions of incitement and hatred directed against Israel and the Jewish people, listed according to topics: #
The Jewish people – the books are full of antisemitic expressions of enmity and hatred towards the Jewish people, interspersed with verses from the Quran that describe the nature of the Jews as corrupt, deceitful and hostile to Islam. The Talmud is referred to as a doctrine advocating that the human beast was meant to serve the Jewish people, and that Jews have the right to cheat non-Jews, whose souls are merely satanic.
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Zionism – Zionism is depicted as a threat to the Arab world and every single Arab must fight against it. The Zionist germ must be eradicated from within the Arab nation. Instruction handbooks intended for 10th and 12th grade teachers explain that Zionism is a racist movement aiming at Jewifying Palestine by evicting its Arab inhabitants, and Zionist ideology is more discriminatory, right-wing and aggressive than any other ideology of modern times.
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Jihad – from 2nd grade onward, Palestinian children are taught that Jordanian youths are eager to sacrifice their lives and wage jihad in order to protect the Arab character of Palestine. One schoolbook states that the Arabs and Muslims will fight against the Jews who forced them out of their homes. 8th grade students are taught that the exploiters have crossed all borders, and that time is therefore ripe for jihad, for pulling the sharp sword out of its sheath.
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Israel – the name “Israel” does not appear on maps, and Jewish cities of modern era are not mentioned. Tel Aviv is referred to as “Jaffa”. 5th grade handbooks dedicate a discussion on the question “why must we fight against the Jews and expel them from our country?” 7th grade students are taught that 1948 is the year of the great crime, in which a state of bandits was established by appropriating their towns and villages, and abusing their inhabitants.
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Jerusalem – Jerusalem is the culminating point of the greed of the Israelis, who back in 1969 burnt down the al-Aqsa mosque as part of the Zionist scheme to gain control over the entire Temple Mount and destroy Islamic structures, for the purpose of building their temple. It is therefore the duty of the Arab armed forces to free the mosques on the Temple Mount from the hands of the exploiting oppressor.
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The “right of return” – 8th grade students learn a poem containing a promise to return to Jaffa from the Palestinian diaspora and Israeli prisons. 8
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Despite a tendency to somewhat mitigate the belligerent wordings in school textbooks for the 1st and 6th grades published by the Palestinian Authority, these books do not reflect any recognition of the State of Israel. Anti-Zionist and antisemitic expressions are still to be found in them, albeit in a more concealed manner.
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The following are examples of expressions of incitement and hatred appearing in the new school textbooks issued by the Palestinian Authority (2000-2001): #
Non-recognition of Israel – Israel is not mentioned as a state, unless in connection with topics such as the settlements and the exploitation of natural resources, or fighting and interrogations. No mention is made of the borders of Israel and its name does not appear on geographical maps, which mention only “Palestine”. Some maps mention names of towns that existed before the founding of the State of Israel, other ones only show Jewish settlements in the territories, but they do not present the true geographical picture of Israel.
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The pursuit of control over the land of Israel in its entirety - a photograph of Jaffa refers to it as a town in Palestine, and the heading above a photograph of the al-Jazzar mosque in Acre reads “Our homeland Palestine”. Students are called upon to strive to Palestinian unification, and to comprehend that the Palestinians, who are referred to as the descendants of the ancient Canaanites, hold priority claims on the land.
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The struggle against Israel: the “right of return” – schoolbooks mention that the dwelling of refugees in the camps is temporary, until their return to the places that they were forced to abandon. Jihad is referred to as a superior value reserved for civilians who wish to protect their homeland. Protecting one’s homeland by every available means is a religious precept, and whoever sacrifices his life for the protection of his homeland is shahid – all these appear in a 6th grade schoolbook. The Oslo agreements – these agreements are described as a move that enabled the entrance of the Palestinian liberation forces into the territories. Values such as normalization or co-existence are not mentioned at all.
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Press release by the Education and Culture Committee of the Knesset The above characteristics, which are based on the findings of an in-depth review of the Palestinian school textbooks, are basically identical to the findings of another survey carried out by the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP). This survey relates to some 60 new school textbooks written for the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th grades as well as one book for the 11th grade, all published by the Palestinian Authority. Below are excerpts from a press release issued on 11 February 2002 by the Education and Culture Committee of the Knesset, following a discussion on the findings of the CMIP survey: •
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In the light of these findings, the Committee voices its deep concern that the school textbooks of the Palestinian Authority do not educate towards peace and reconciliation with Israel, and instead they foster many-sided rejection of its very existence. Palestinian schoolbooks do not advocate the recognition of the State of Israel, and instead of repressing hideous stereotypes they instill them into the minds of the young generation of Palestinians. The Committee states that, since school textbooks are the direct link to the hearts and the minds of Palestinians, and as such reveal the true intentions of the Palestinian Authority, the findings are in outright contradiction with the commitment of the Palestinians under the Oslo agreements to discontinue incitement activity and recognize the existence of the State of Israel, and they constitute a blatant and fundamental violation of the peace process. The Committee calls upon the fellow Education and Culture Committees in the Parliaments of democratic countries of the world, as well as UNESCO and UNICEF, and particularly the countries that support these organizations, to condition the granting of budgetary educational assistance to Palestinian Authority upon banning the school textbooks that may impair the peace process, Israel and the Jewish people, and to induce the Palestinian Authority to thoroughly revise the educational system and the schoolbooks, in order to educate the students towards living in peace with Israel. The Committee urges the Government to see to it that, upon renewing the peace negotiations following the discontinuation of terrorism and violence by the Palestinian Authority, first priority be given to the issue of revising the school textbooks of the Palestinian Authority, based on the knowledge that no peace process can be feasible if there is no underlying educational process aimed at achieving peace. geography: The CommitteePalestinian-type calls upon the Palestinian Authority to fulfill its commitments, and educate its students in the spirit of co-existence Where is Israel? Where is Tel Aviv? with Israel.
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Syria
Jaffa (Where is Tel Aviv?)
Jordan
Egypt
A geographical map featuring in "Palestine in Figures 1999”, a publication by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (page 4 of the publication). " The name “Israel” does not appear on the map. Names mentioned are Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. " The map only mentions towns whose population until 1948 was Palestinian (Jaffa, Lod, Ramla, Beersheba, Acre, Bet She’an) or mixed (Haifa, Tiberias, Safed). " Jewish towns established before 1948 such as Tel Aviv, Hadera, Netanya, Holon, Bat-Yam, etc., are not mentioned at all.
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Opinions voiced by religious scholars concerning the Islamic legitimacy of female suicide bombers (Excerpts from a survey by MEMRI – the Middle East Media Research Institute) •
On 27 January 2002, Wafa Idris, a Palestinian woman from the al-Am’ari refugee camp near Ramallah, carried out a suicide bombing on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem, killing one Israeli citizen and wounding approximately 140 others. Ever since, the Palestinian and Arab media have been conducting a debate on the question of Islamic legitimacy of women carrying out suicide bombings (even though it is completely unclear whether Wafa Idris indeed intended to commit suicide).
Wafa Idris (Reuters, 6 February 2002) • Since this is the first occurrence of a Palestinian woman carrying out a suicide attack, Palestinian and Arab Islamic scholars were called upon by the media to voice their religious opinion as to the phenomenon. Below are some of the opinions, as quoted in the MEMRI survey: • Isma’il Abu Shanab, a Hamas leader in Gaza: “Jihad against the enemy is an obligation that applies not only to men but also to women…” • Sheikh Hassan Yussef, a Hamas leader in the West Bank: “A Muslim woman is permitted to wage jihad and struggle against occupation… The Prophet always emphasized the woman’s right to wage jihad.” • Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, who is regarded as the Hamas spiritual leader: “Islam sets some restrictions for her [the woman], and if she goes out to wage jihad and fight, she must be accompanied by a male chaperon.” A few days later, Sheikh Yassin amended his position, saying that a woman going out to wage jihad must be accompanied by a male chaperon “only if she is to be gone for a day and a night; but if her absence is shorter, she does not need a chaperon.” However, Sheikh Yassin further expressed his reservation regarding this principle, as according to him “at the present stage we do not need women to bear this burden of jihad and martyrdom.” • Sheikh Ali Abu al-Hassan, Chairman of the Religious Ruling Committee at Egypt’s al-Azhar University: “If the enemy has conquered and plundered even a single inch of Muslim land, jihad becomes a personal duty of man, woman, slave and master. [In such a case] the woman wages [jihad] without her husband’s permission.” These religious leaders did not refer to the question of Islamic legitimacy of indiscriminately killing innocent citizens.
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Manifestations of Incitement and Propaganda at the Current Level $ Press and electronic media – general characteristics •
During recent weeks, Yasser Arafat delivered a large number of speeches before delegations arriving “on pilgrimage” to his “besieged” headquarters in Ramallah in order to demonstrate their support. During these meetings, Arafat adopted an extremist and emotionally charged line, advocating the continued struggle of the Palestinian people against Israel, while making use of Islamic phraseology such as: emphasis on the importance of Jerusalem as part of the struggle “millions of shahids are marching towards Jerusalem” - a slogan repeatedly used by Arafat), or mention of his own wish to become shahid (martyr), or even explicit calls to wage jihad (Islamic holy war).
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This rhetorical display is worth noting especially in the light of the temporary slowdown recently noted in propaganda broadcastings by the Palestinian media (which lasted a few weeks only, until the middle of March, when poisonous incitement and propaganda broadcastings returned to previous levels). Of special interest is the article signed by Arafat (New York Times, 3 February), in which he exposes the “Palestinian vision of peace”: according to Arafat, the goal of the Palestinians is to establish an independent state on the territories occupied by the Israelis in 1967. In the article he also expresses the hope to renew peace negotiations, he voices understanding to “Israel’s demographic concerns” (by which he draws a linkage between the “right of return” and the demographic considerations of Israel) and he condemns the terrorist attacks perpetrated against civilians. •
What we are witnessing is in fact a phenomenon of two-sided and contradicting messages: when addressing the public opinion in the Western world (and in particular the United States) and Israel, Yasser Arafat uses moderate language, with the purpose of improving his image, whereas when he addresses the Palestinian people, he embraces hard-line propaganda, saturated with zealot Islamic terminology.
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Among these two-sided messages, the more significant ones are those addressed to recipients inside the Palestinian Authority, calling for non-surrender and steadfast resistance to the pressures exerted by Israel. These messages support the escalation of Palestinian terrorism and violence; they contribute to the “spirit of struggle” and are interpreted as encouragement towards violent acts of terrorism, and as such they provide the ideological background for the continued struggle and further escalation.
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% Propaganda and incitement conveyed by Arafat •
The ambition of becoming shahid: #
“I have already asked Allah on several occasions to die a martyr’s death, and I do not fear death.” (Arafat, during a telephonic interview granted to the Saudi newspaper Okaz, 28 January 2002.)
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“If only Allah, Master of the World, would let me be one of the shahids on behalf of Jerusalem!” (Arafat, in a speech delivered to thousands of civilians and officials, broadcast by the Voice of Palestine radio, 26 January 2002.)
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“I shall see it [the Palestinian state] in my future life after I die a martyr’s death. I pray to Allah that he may grant me shahada (martyr’s death). (Arafat, during a speech delivered to demonstrating intellectuals, writers and journalists, broadcast by the Voice of Palestine radio, 21 January 2002.
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The struggle from an Islamic-zealot point of view - the use of religious propaganda terminology:
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“Jihad, jihad, jihad!!!” (Arafat, during a meeting with a delegation from the Hebron region, broadcast by the Palestinian Television, 26 January 2002.)
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“This is the road before us, and the jihad that we are waging” (from a speech delivered by Arafat to marching intellectuals, writers and journalists, broadcast by the Voice of Palestine radio, 21 January 2002.)
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“We, on this land, protect the holy places and we are willing to sacrifice our lives for them and for the sanctification of the name of Allah.” (Arafat, during a meeting with a delegation from the Jericho region, Palestine News Agency, 22 January 2002.)
Emphasizing the violent struggle as a means to restore Palestinian control over Jerusalem: #
“We shall take this stand, and if it is our fate to die a martyr’s death, then so be it, but with Allah’s will, we shall take this stand in the holy city of Jerusalem, and with Allah’s will, it will be the capital of Palestine. We therefore state: towards Jerusalem we shall march, with millions of our martyrs” [i.e.: our suicide fighters]. (Arafat, in front of a popular delegation, Palestine News Agency, 1 February 2001.)
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“If only Allah, master of the world, would let me be shahid among other shahids on behalf of Jerusalem!” The speech was accompanied by chanting of slogans, led by Arafat: “the gate to al-Aqsa [Mosque] is made of iron, nobody but the shahid will enter through it”, “Allah Akbar” [Allah is the Great One], “Towards Jerusalem shahids will march in millions”. (Palestinian satellite television channel, 1 February 2002.)
Spreading lies throughout the Arab world: #
During an interview granted to the television, Arafat accused Israel of plundering children’s corpses: “Bring me the pictures of the six children that were massacred, six children, not only did they abuse their corpses but they also 14
took parts of their bodies to serve as spare parts. This is how low they have sunk.” (al-Jazeera Television channel, 13 January 2002.) •
Propaganda voiced by other Palestinian public figures: #
During a speech delivered to a foreign delegation visiting him in Ramallah: “We, and they [the Zionists], are already 104 years past the Zionist Convention in Basle. Have they succeeded in changing history? We [the Palestinians] have yet to settle accounts with them. This is why we have to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open, to be able to defend ourselves against these Zionist plots, and those who stand behind the Zionists and give them financial support and weapons. I can assure you that [in return for] the air raids, the torpedo missiles and the tanks that they used beforehand against us in Beirut, and in the years 1936, 1947, 1948 and 1967. For all these, the day is yet to come on which they will pay their debt to us.” (Palestinian satellite television channel, 12 February 2002.)
$ Propaganda voiced by other Palestinian public figures •
Imad al-Faluji, the Minister of Communications of the Palestinian Authority: “…We say that there are in fact no civilians in Israel. All the Israeli people are enrolled… It is the full right of our Palestinian people to strike in any place.” This statement was pronounced during a television program broadcast in Tehran, titled “Hot Issue”. Faluji further explained that the backing granted by the Palestinian Authority to the terrorist attacks against Israelis is intended for “propaganda purposes only”, because the Palestinian Authority needs the world’s support. (Sahar Television, Iran, 5 March 2002.)
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One of the speakers at the celebration of the anniversary of Fatah, in the presence of Arafat: “There will be no peace nor security, stability or life for anyone, until we shall achieve our national and legitimate right in an independent state, cleansed from the cancerous tumor and from the settlements, and with full return of the Palestinian refugees.” (Palestinian satellite television channel, 1 January 2002.)
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Hani al-Hassan, member of the of Fatah Central Committee and Arafat’s advisor on strategic affairs: “…The goal of the Intifada is to convince the world and in particular the United States, Europe and Israel as well, to establish new foundations for the solution – foundations that are not based on understandings and concepts from the past and from today. This is how things work, according to this principle: forever the armed struggle plants the seeds, and the political struggle reaps the harvest, and whoever does not plant any seeds, he shall not reap any harvest. (Palestinian satellite television channel, 13 January 2002.)
$ Religious sermonizing Islamic scholars are pursuing their incitement and propaganda activity, with the emphasis being laid on praising shahada, martyrdom for the sanctification of Allah: • The following is a quotation from the program “Our debate”, broadcast by the Palestinian satellite television channel: “In the struggle against Israel, we [are] the group of people who carry the banner of jihad, the group of people who carry the banner of war, the group of people who carry the banner of ribat (defensive dispositions for entering jihad), the group of people who carry the banner. Our istishhad (martyr’s death for the sanctification of Allah) is now in Jerusalem, in the area surrounding Jerusalem… [we] refuse to surrender, to bow our heads, and we oppose normalization… Intifada will continue to be, it will burn like a fire and consume all the weaklings and all the traitors… There is no choice but brandishing the banner of jihad, there is no choice but embracing the call for jihad. … we yearn to see shahids in all places, in order to free our land and restore the dignity of our nation.” (Palestinian satellite television channel, 21 January 2002.) 15
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The Islamic preacher Muhammad Mustafa Najm, in a Friday sermon delivered in Gaza: “The Jews repeatedly attempted to kill the Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdallah, peace and blessing be upon him… by poisoning through witchcraft, stoning, or any other type of political murder. We have issued most severe warnings against the Jews, their views and their schemes. The Prophet fought against them, and expelled them from the Arabian Peninsula. He said that there is no room for two religions in the Arabian Peninsula. He instructed us on Quran and the Sunna. He discredited the Jews, in order that we beware of them and know how to relate to them. He fulfilled his duty on behalf of Allah in keeping jihad, he fulfilled his duty in fighting on behalf of Allah … We too are telling the Jews: do whatever you do, as we too are doing… Look forward, as we too are looking forward, look forward to your graves. (Palestinian satellite television channel, 8 February 2002.)
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Dr. Isma’il Radwan, Islamic University in Gaza: It is not surprising nor in vain that the Quran recounts the episode of the Prophet’s journey and ascent to heaven, and at the same time tells the story of the sons of Israel. As you can note, at that time there were no Jews in Palestine… And yet Allah, may He be blessed, recounted the episode of the Prophet’s journey and ascent to heaven, and immediately continued with the story of the sons of Israel, and He even went further and mentioned the acts of corruption of the sons of Israel, the first act of corruption and the second act of corruption which they again performed, and He demonstrated the results to whoever walks on the path of the righteous. Allah, may He be blessed, was concerned about the Islamic nation, and therefore He allowed many Jews to arrive to this land, as if calling towards the Muslims: Oh Muslims! Oh Muhammad! Oh Muslims! Prepare yourselves for the matter of struggle against world Jewry, in order for you to win in this matter. [It seems] as if the wisdom of Allah, may He be blessed, was to show that the winning side in the matter of the struggle against the Jews are the Muslims, and its forerunners will be the Palestinian people.” (Palestinian satellite television channel, 11 February 2002.)
$ Propaganda songs During the past two months, the Palestinian media continued broadcasting propaganda songs, although on a limited scale. These songs were usually transmitted in reaction to events, and most often only as background music, without video clips accompanying them. The following are some examples: •
The song “Revenge Jerusalem”, from a program titled “Message of love”, was broadcast as background music to pictures showing Jerusalem, children and wounded doves, funerals and demolished houses: “They have killed the doves and desecrated the sacred. There is no use in peace, if peace is smeared with blood. There is no use in peace, which is fake from the start. Oh shahids, your blood will never be shed in vain. Oh wonderful precious stones, my supreme Intifada, My supreme Intifada…” (Palestinian satellite television channel, 28 January 2002.)
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A song sung by children, dressed in uniform, with pictures of Jerusalem shown at the background. The lyrics are based on phrases from Arafat’s speeches: “Jerusalem our Capital and our Holy Places [are] Arab, If they like it or not, Intifada [continues] until our victory. And whoever does not like it, let him drink the sea water, Long live Abu Amar [Yasser Arafat], whose words are sweeter than honey.” (Palestinian satellite television channel, 29 January 2002.)
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“The voice of stone”, a song performed by Palestinian girls and broadcast during a program dedicated to Palestinians detained in Israeli prison: “The voice of stone is heard above the voice of the robbers, and hearts bleed with rage, and eyes cry with yearning, and small hands on the stone, defy the oppressor.” (Palestinian satellite television channel, 14 January 2002.)
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“Jerusalem weeps”, a song broadcast as soundtrack to pictures documenting Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers on the Temple Mount, wounded and killed Palestinians, children at funerals, weeping mothers, stone throwing youths: “Jerusalem weeps, Jerusalem weeps over shahids that have gone, Generation after generation our blood is being shed, Our shahids are marching, To their land they are devoted, Generation after generation, Giant people. (Palestinian satellite television channel, 9 February 2002)
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Caricatures in the press I’m back
al-Ayyam, 11 February 2002
operation room
Terrorism of TERRORI states SM OF
Terrorism of Terrorism of individuals
al-Hayat2002 al-Jadida, February 2002 פברואר5 5 ,"דידה 'אלחיאת אלג "
2002 al-Jadida, פברואר27 ,"דידה 'אלחאית אלג2002 " al-Hayat 27 February
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Incitement and Propaganda against Israel, the Jews and the Western World throughout Arab Countries
*The Jewish archetype, shown as one who swallows the economies of the Arab countries – an antisemitic illustration featuring on the cover of the book “Normalization, Resistance against Zionist invasion” by Hussein Abdel Razek (Cairo: Sutur, 2000)
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Syria Manifestations of Incitement and Propaganda at the Basic Level Incitement in the educational system – general characteristics •
Syrian school textbooks published during the last years by the Syrian Ministry of Education typically abound with expressions of incitement against Israel, the Jews and the Western world. They also feature antisemitic motives borrowed from European tradition, combined with examples originating from Islamic history. Throughout the schoolbooks one can find, as ideological references, quotations from the philosophy and speeches of Hafez Assad, the former president of Syria.
•
The peace process, which Syria officially declared to have chosen as a strategic alternative, is hardly mentioned in the schoolbooks. The few occurrences that do appear on this subject are meant to serve as a weapon against Israel and not as a means of educating the young towards peace and co-existence. Generations of young Syrians who grew up during the 1990s at the time when peace talks between Syria and Israel were taking place, have absorbed and are still absorbing large doses of hostile propaganda against Israel, the Zionist movement and the Jewish people, and explicit calls for the annihilation of the State of Israel. In other words, current school textbooks look very much like their predecessors of the decades prior to the Madrid talks.
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A number of similarities can be found in a survey published in Jerusalem in December 1967 by the Israeli Ministry of Education and Culture, titled “Hostile terminology in school textbooks used by the educational system in the Golan Heights during school year 1966”. The following are some examples of expressions of incitement and propaganda that appeared in Syrian school textbooks used during school years 1998/1999 and 1999/2000 (the books were made available to us courtesy of the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP), and reviewed and translated for us by Avraham Robinson).
$ “The Geography of Greater Syria” (Bilad al-Sham), a geography textbook for the 5th grade (school year 1999/2000):
#
The circumstances in which the State of Israel was established: “Because of a state of disintegration that prevailed throughout the Arab countries, and their ensuing weakness, the Zionists succeeded in 1948, with the assistance of the imperialist countries, to establish what they called the state of “Israel” on part of the territory of Arab Palestine…” (p. 36). 20
#
The expansion of “Zionist imperialism” in Palestine: “The imperialist countries, led by the United States, are still extending all kinds of support to the “Israeli gangs”, who pursue their expansion, gather the Jews from around the world and eradicate the Arab villages that they had occupied…” (p. 37).
Example of anti-Zionist and anti-Israeli indoctrination by means of school tasks (p. 39)
# # # #
Write down in your exercise book an act performed by Great Britain, which evidences its assistance to the Zionists in their endeavors to establish a presence in Palestine. Write down an example that proves that there is cooperation between imperialism and Zionism, and state the reasons of this cooperation. What is the purpose of the expansion of the Zionist imperialists in the Arab territories? Collect photographs on acts perpetrated by the Zionist enemy against the Arabs.
A map of “Greater Syria” (p. 42). Similar to the Palestinian school textbooks, the above map as well as other maps in this geography textbook do not mention Israel, and instead of it refer to Palestine. Exercises attached to the map mention Palestine instead of Israel. On all the maps in which “Palestine” features, the towns specified are only those that were Arab in the past, whereas Israeli towns, such as Tel Aviv, are not mentioned at all (some maps mention Jaffa.)
$ “Islamic Education”, a textbook for 10th grades (school year 1998/1999): 21
#
The treacherous nature of the Jews and the obligation to eradicate them: “It is a known fact that the Jews have contrived to kill, plunder and exterminate the Muslims. They yearned to do so because the Messenger of Allah had mercy upon them in the past. They saw in this forgiveness a way to betray the Muslims. This is the nature of the treacherous ones, always and everywhere, they take advantage of another’s clemency, and turn it into the basis on which they found their crimes and evil acts. If anything, this reflects the violent and wicked tendency that is inherent to the Jewish character, and it proves that living together with them or having them as neighbors is highly dangerous, as it threatens to destroy and annihilate the Islamic and Arab existence. Therefore, the logic of bringing about true justice leads to only one conclusion, which we have no choice but to carry out, and that is that we must react to their criminal intentions by eradicating them from the root.” (pp. 115 - 116).
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The Jewish people sinned against the Prophets and therefore deserve Allah’s punishment: “The Jewish people did not honor the Prophets and killed some of them. Against other [prophets] they were full of accusations, similar to how they behaved towards Moses, blessed be his memory, whom they accused of murdering Aaron, and of committing adultery, and of having a physical disability. Moses was above all this. Therefore, they deserved Allah’s punishment. The Muslims should beware of following the steps of the Jewish people in this respect…” (pp. 171 - 172).
Find the differences
Islamic education prior to the peace process: From a textbook on Islamic education for 6th grades, used by the educational system in the Golan Heights during school year 1966: “The Jews, Allah’s enemies, wish to remain in Palestine in order to take control of the alAqsa Mosque. Defending the al-Aqsa Mosque is every Muslim’s duty, man or woman, because Allah has purified it and blessed its surroundings, and Allah’s enemies are not allowed to contaminate it. The Muslims in all parts of the world are fighting for the expulsion of the Jews from Palestine, in order to defend the al-Aqsa Mosque. There is no forgiveness for him who refuses to participate in the holy war aimed at cleansing Palestine from the Jews. The Muslims in all the countries around the world are preparing to wage war against the Jews and expel them from Palestine. We are preparing to wage war against the Jews and expel them… how sweet is death on behalf of Allah.” (p. 90). 22
$ National and Socialist Education – a textbook for 8th grades (1999/2000 school year):
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The Arab resistance against Israel’s tendencies of expansion “Israel is planning to expand its territory at the expense of the neighboring Arab countries. This is emphasized by its recurrent aggressions, ever since it was founded. It strives to annex Sinai as well as the West Bank and the East Bank of the Jordan, and a number of Syrian and Lebanese territories adjoining it, as a first stage, after which it intends to reach the Euphrates and the Nile. Territorial expansion is not a mere dream for Israel, it is an economic and demographic necessity, aimed at absorbing the millions of people that it wants to attract. Yet the devotion of the Arabs to defending their rights, and their struggle on behalf of this, are bound to eventually thwart these dreams and prevent any aggression against the Arabs.” (pp. 45 - 46).
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Israel as a breeding ground for imperialism in the Arab homeland: “it [Israel] constitutes a breeding ground for imperialism, because its ambitions are identical to the ambitions [of imperialism], and it performs the task assigned to it by imperialism…” (p. 47).
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Israel as the barrier between the eastern and western parts of the Arab world: “The existence of Israel on the Palestinian territory has been a barrier dividing the eastern and western part of the Arab homeland. It [Israel] has perpetuated the partitioning, preventing Arab unification and impeding relations of the Arabs among themselves. Any rapprochement between one Arab country and another induces Israel to threatening both and planning aggression against them…” (p. 47).
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Israel as the cause of the Arab world’s weakness, and the need to annihilate it: “The presence of Israel in the heart of the Arab homeland has brought about constant tension in the region, and led the Arabs to invest a large part of their resources in warfare, thus causing slowdown in the economic growth and the development of industry, medical facilities and education. This situation generates weakness, and facilitates the continued rule and exploitation by imperialism. However, the Arabs have invested their skills and endeavors, and they are willing to devote all their resources in order to free themselves from the danger that is threatening their existence. In view of this, Syria, following the Baath socialist revolution led by President Hafez al-Assad, is making all efforts to unite all Arab resources, in order to eradicate the imperialist colonialist Zionist presence from the Arab land, and free the occupied Arab territory in its entirety.” (p. 48).
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School tasks (p. 49): # What are the Zionist ambitions in the Arab homeland, and how does Zionism endeavor to achieve them? # What is the function of Zionism, which is represented by the State of Israel acting on behalf of imperialism and its interests? # Describe Israel’s role in the efforts made to let the Arab world remain weak.
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The essence of Zionism: Zionism is “an imperialist, racist, brutal movement with expansionary goals, and with the ambition of gathering all the Jews from worldwide in Palestine”. “Zionism is founded on an ancient religious concept, based on the claim that there is a link between the Jews and Palestine. It should be noted that there is no link whatsoever between world Jewry and Palestine. Yet, Zionism uses this claim as a means of controlling world Jewry.” (p.92).
Students’ indoctrination: Argumentation of the Zionist movement… and how to respond to it: Argumentation: the Jews are one single people with common origins. Response: Judaism is a religion comprised of adepts from all over the world, including Falash Mura from Ethiopia, Tamil in India, Arabs in Yemen, Kuzari, Turkmens, Slavs and Germans in Europe. (pp. 93-94).
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The essence of the Arab-Zionist conflict – excerpt from the instruction program of the Baath Party: “The conflict between the Arab nation and the Zionist movement is a complex, bitter and lasting conflict… This conflict includes liberation wars, which will prevail for more than one generation… until all the occupied land will be freed, and until the colonial Zionist presence will be eliminated from the Arab land.” (pp. 96-97).
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Peace according to the Israeli ideology means Arab surrender: “Israel is attempting to deceive the world’s public opinion by pretending that it is in favor of negotiations with the Arabs, and that it strives to achieve peace. However, peace, according to its understanding, means surrender of the Arabs, without it [Israel] having to fulfill lawful resolutions.” (p. 107).
$ Principles of syntax, orthography and calligraphy – a textbook for 5th grades (school year 1995-1996): #
The Yom Kippur war as a preliminary stage towards expelling the Zionist enemy from all of Palestine “On that day in 1973, the Arab army warded off the Israeli aggression… this was indeed a great victory! However, an even greater victory will be on the day on which the Zionist enemy will be expelled from Palestine and the Arab land will be returned in its entirety. On that day we shall experience great joy.” (p. 21).
Manifestations of Incitement and Propaganda 24
at the Current Level The press and the electronic media - general characteristics
$ During the past two months, Syrian propaganda continued using anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish expressions in blunt and poisonous manifestations, sometimes accompanied by outright antisemitic motives and direct or indirect calls for the annihilation of the State of Israel. Syrian information is interspersed with lies, half-truths and defamatory terms directed against Israeli leaders, bringing it back to the features that characterized the decades before Syria joined the peace process (“the Tel Aviv rulers”; “war criminals”; “the military occupation government”; “the Zionist regime”). These, however, did not prevent the Syrian Minister of Information, in an interview granted to the press, from mentioning the principles of the Madrid convention and referring to “a just and comprehensive peace…” $ Against the background of the escalation in the territories and the wave of terrorist attacks in Israel, the Syrian government continues to make use of the information apparatus under its control as a means of granting full backing to terrorist organizations and terrorist acts perpetrated in Israel and the territories. Syrian information encourages further terrorist activity of Palestinians, criticizes any suggestion of cease-fire, praises suicide bombings against civilians, attacks the Palestinian Authority and acclaims the Hamas and Islamic Jihad. All this is done with the intention of further igniting the fire in Israel and the territories, and bringing about escalation of the Intifada. $ The Syrian attitude towards the United States and its president is one of defiance, with messages of anti-American propaganda, which at times address President Bush in person. Syrian statements tend to minimize the implications of September 11th, and express skepticism about the efficiency of the American counter-terrorism apparatus. It seems that Syria, which is defined by the United States as a terrorism-sponsoring country, is not deterred by American counter-terrorist campaign, and does not feel impaired in any way by its being included in the American list of terrorism-sponsoring countries.
Examples of anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish incitement and propaganda % Demonizing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon •
Ariel Sharon conducts a war of extermination against the Palestinians: “…the terrorist Ariel Sharon is conducting a war of extermination against the Palestinian people, under the pretext of fighting against terrorism and defending Israel’s security”. Statements made by Ariel Sharon on the subject of peace are intended to “appease the international resentment against Israel, which is intensifying in the light of its waging a policy of ethnic cleansing, based on methods as were practiced by the Nazis…” (al-Thawra on the Internet, a commentary article, 24 January 2002).
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Ariel Sharon, with the support of the Americans, is planning the annihilation of the Palestinian people and the beginning of the transfer program: “Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of occupation, has met for the fourth time with US President George W. Bush… Sharon, who has committed murders and killings and perpetrated war crimes, who has declared that he will not hesitate to annihilate the entire Palestinian people, in accordance with his biblical scheme of expansion… Sharon wishes to break the will of resistance of the Palestinian people… in order to start carrying out the transfer program which was approved by Sharon’s Ministers recently”. (Teshreen, through SANA on the Internet, 9 February 2002). 25
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Ariel Sharon is the worst criminal of history: “we should mention one of the barbarians who is addicted to bloodshed, killing and crime and relishes the sight of his victims piled up on the streets, in the alleys and on the roads… is there anyone left wondering who this person is, whose immoral nature overshadows all the great criminals known in history, such as Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, and all the horror stories about the Nazis and the Fascists? I believe that these descriptions relate to one creature… and I use the word creature, because anyone who suits these descriptions cannot be a human being. Has Sharon ever belonged to the human race?” (Radio Damascus, from the program titled “To tell the truth”, 31 December 2001). •
% Israel depicted as a threat to human civilization •
An article in al-Thawra states that “Israel is not only a danger to the Middle East and to Arab existence, but also a catastrophic and huge threat to human civilization…” (The article also refers to the Israeli leaders as the “Tel Aviv rulers” characterized by neo-Nazi tendencies). (al-Thawra on the Internet, editorial of 13 January 2002).
•
Israel has produced [Sharon], out of its essence of discrimination and its “culture” which opposes anything that is humanitarian…” (al-Baath on the Internet, from a commentary article by the chief editor, 24 January 2002).
% Support of terrorism and violence •
Syria extends military assistance to the Palestinians: “The entire world knows that Syria, its political leadership and its Arab people which has been fighting during its entire history, have turned the Arab land of Syria into a training camp, a safe haven and a weapons depot on behalf of the Palestinian revolutionaries.” (Radio Damascus, from a commentary during a program on Palestine on the occasion of the anniversary of “Fatah”, 1 January 2002).
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The Syrian information system (19 January 2002) sympathized with the terrorist attack in Hadera, which was targeted against Israeli civilians. It stated that “mourning and sorrow in Zionist homes would persist for as long as mourning will continue in Arab-Palestinian homes, and as long as the occupation will prevail.” It also boasted that “there is not a single place in the occupied Palestinian homeland that cannot be reached by the suicide fighters.”
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“…Israel woke up yesterday morning… to the [sounds of] assault by two suicide fighters (who sacrificed their lives for the sanctification of Allah’s name) on the cease-fire line denominated “green line” by Israel. These two heroes threw many of the soldiers of Israeli colonialism into hell, while they themselves ascended towards the eternal paradise and joined the righteous martyrs.” (Radio Damascus, a commentary during a program on Palestine following the Hamas attack at Kerem Shalom, 10 January 2002).
% Anti-American incitement and propaganda From an interview granted by the Syrian Minister of Information Adnan Omran (LBC, the Lebanese television, 17 January 2002): •
The United States does not believe in its “most wanted terrorists list”: “It is my opinion that the United States, as a responsible leader, does not really believe in the list it has published. I learnt this from a large number of renowned researchers that entertain close relations with the White House and the State Department. The list in question is a political 26
list.” Omran also states that “the list includes the name of Syria because this was Israel’s request.” •
Syria, a member of the UN Security Council, has no faith in the Security Council resolution 1373 (anti-terrorism resolution): when asked “don’t you have faith in resolution 1373?”, Adnan Omran replied: “No, we have no faith in those who suggested the steps to combat terrorism, and we have been ahead of others regarding this idea…”
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Comparing the September 11th terrorist attacks against the United States with the demolition of houses by the Israel Defense Forces in Rafah: the Syrian delegate to the UN, during the Security Council debate on the steps to combat terrorism, drew a comparison between the September 11th terrorist attacks against the United States and the operation of the Israel Defense Forces in the Rafah refugee camp. According to the correspondent in Damascus for the newspaper of “Hezbollah”, the comments voiced by the Syrian delegate were “intended to clarify to the Americans the implication of terror, based on their own experience of the bombing of the World Trade Center twin towers” (al-Intiqad, 25 January 2002). Senior American officials (quoted by Reuters) strongly criticized the statement made by the Syrian delegate and referred to it as “outrageous” and “most unfortunate”.
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The United States is responsible for the situation in the occupied territories: Mohamed Khair al-Jamali, in an article published in al-Thawra titled “the American responsibility”, condemns the United States for refraining from putting pressure on Israel, and states: “because of this wrong and unjustified policy, the United States is responsible for the deterioration of the situation in the occupied territories…” (al-Thawra on the Internet, 9 February 2002).
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The American administration is acting according to Israeli directives and is ruled by a person who took control by force: the Syrian Ambassador to Tehran Turki Muhammad Saqer: “the American administration, headed by George Bush, is acting in accordance with the Israeli policy and not the American… the American president repeats like a parrot the words of the leader of the Zionist regime, and attempts to coordinate together with Sharon the policy of threatening and intimidating the Islamic countries and Iran… The United States does not have a long-standing ideology and is ruled by a person who took control by force. The American president has faith in the murderous ideology of Sharon”. (IRNA [Islamic Republic News Agency] on the Internet, 6 February 2002).
The Syrian Ambassador to Iran: the US must recognize the fact that annihilating Israel is a religious obligation. The Syrian Ambassador to Tehran, Turki Muhammad Saqer, in a speech delivered to students at the Kashan University: “The American president should know that, according to Imam Khomeini, Israel must be annihilated. ”The United States, which supports the Zionist racist regime and exerts pressure upon Iran, makes every effort to disrupt the Intifada, but this cannot be achieved. ”The relations between Iran and Syria are founded on two common principles: one is Islam and the other is the endeavor to defend Palestine and free Jerusalem.” (IRNA on the Internet, 5 February 2002)
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% CARICATURES IN THE SYRIAN PRESS
The United States, driven by the Jews, is chasing the world. (Teshreen”, 8 January 2002)
The United States is silencing the world as the latter witnesses the aggression of Israel against the Palestinians. At the background: the Israeli Air Force, deceitfully portrayed as bombing civilian homes and mosques. (Teshreen, 23 January 2002)
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Israel depicted as eliminating innocent, peaceful Palestinians with the backing of the United States. (Teshreen, 13 February 2002)
The Arab, who is striving for peace, is shown persecuted by Israeli aggression. (Teshreen, 13 January 2002)
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The Israeli tank, “paving” a way for the Jew through the crowd. (TESHREEN, 12 JANUARY 2002)
% Encouraging the murder of soldiers and settlers by means of the computer game “Under Ash” •
“Under Ash” is a computer game comprising a number of levels. At the start, the hero of the game, Ahmed, must reach the al-Aqsa Mosque while evading the bullets of Israeli settlers; at a further stage he helps victims of the Israeli gunfire to escape from the Temple Mount; he snatches a weapon from one of the Israelis and rids the Temple Mount from the Israeli armed forces; he then penetrates an Israeli settlement and brandishes the Palestinian banner while attacking soldiers and civilian settlers. At the last stage of the game, the hero joins the “resistance” in southern Lebanon (i.e. “Hezbollah”) and takes part in an attack launched against an Israeli military post.
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The computer game, designed by the Syrian publishing house Dar al-Fikr, is referred to as the “first Arab computer game deriving its inspiration from the Palestinian Intifada, with the intention of substituting the American games used by the Arab children, which show American heroes killing Arabs or Muslims”. Hassan Salem, the project manager, explains: “we wanted to offer an alternative to the poisonous concepts to which our children are exposed when playing the American [computer] games”. Developing the game took approximately a year and a half. So far, about ten thousand exemplars have been sold in Syria, at the price of $8 each. The Syrian developers are now planning to market the game in other Arab countries as well. (Sources: www.underash.com, the Web site of the developers of the game; AFP - the French news agency, 21 February 2002, quoting the newspaper alByan published in the United Arab Emirates).
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Ahmed, the hero of the game
THE OUTCOME OF THE FIGHT WITH THE SOLDIERS IN JERUSALEM’S NEIGHBORHOODS
AN ISRAELI SETTLEMENT ON WHICH THE HERO OF THE GAME TAKES CONTROL
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LEBANON % Manifestations of incitement and propaganda at the basic level •
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Beirut, along with Cairo, is an inexhaustible source of hostile propaganda literature directed against Israel, the Jews and the Western world. From Beirut, these books are spread throughout the Arab and the Muslim world, and they find their way, among other destinations, to the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Arabs. Renowned publishing houses stand behind the antisemitic propagandistic literature circulated from Lebanon. One of them is probably related to the “Hezbollah” and draws its inspiration from Iran.
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the Teachings of the Talmud (2000 edition )
• • •
Publishing house: Dar al-Funun, located in the Ayn al-Rumana suburb of Beirut, together with Maktabat al-Sa’eh, Tripoli. The publishing house Dar al-Funun is probably owned by the Butrus family. The translator: Shawki Abd al-Nasser (an Egyptian academic, probably employed at the Cairo University.) Publishing year: 2000
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The book’s back cover
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Apart from the translation of the “Protocols”, the book contains a number of introductory and final chapters with distinct antisemitic features, such as: #
Traits of the Jews, according to the Bible.
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The Talmud and its satanic rules.
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A liberal American president (Benjamin Franklin) warns against the Jewish threat (Remark: the editor’s foreword is full of antisemitic quotations attributed to Benjamin Franklin. For further information on the misrepresentation, attributing false quotations to Benjamin Franklin, we refer the reader to the article published in 2000, at the Web site of the Anti-Defamation League www.adl.org : “Anti-Semitic Myth: The Franklin ‘Prophecy’.”
#
A call to fighting American manhood (a call directed to 200 million free Americans).
Mein Kampf
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“Adolf Hitler is not the exclusive legacy of the German people… he is one of the few who almost stopped the course of history… he is therefore history’s legacy” (form the preface to the book). •
Publishing house: Dar al-Sader, Beirut (probably owned by the Sader family) and Bissan (a Lebanese publishing house owned by Palestinians). The first edition of the book dates from 1963, and the second from 1995. Below are details on the al-Sader publishing house, from their Web site:
The book is sold throughout the Palestinian Authority by al-Shurouq, a Ramallah based distribution agency, and it enjoyed (at least in the past) widespread demand, featuring sixth on the best-seller list of the Palestinian Authority (As reported by AFP, the French news agency, 8 September 1999.) For additional details, the reader is referred to the Special Dispatch No. 48 by MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute) of 1 October 1999.
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The true history of the Jews from the onset of Judaism until today • •
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The author: Najib Zabib, the publishing house: Dar al-Hadi, located in the Ghbeiri suburb of Beirut (a publishing house with links to “Hezbollah”). Publishing year: 2001.
Synopsis of the book, written by Dr. Mukhtar al-Suweidi from Cairo, featuring on the back cover: the book describes the history of the Jews in an objective manner. It relies completely on the Bible, the Talmud and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The following are some examples of items treated in the book: # How the Jews repudiated Moses’ mission, how they forged the Bible, and how they compiled a set of legends and myths and turned them into a religion; # How the struggle between them and the Palestinians developed, from the beginning of ancient history onward; # How they tortured and murdered their prophets, throwing against them vile and provocative accusations; # How one of their priests, Ezra the Scribe, wrote the forged Bible, which differs from the one given to Moses by God; # The vile schemes and treacherous acts of the Jews during the Persian, Greek, Roman and Islamic eras; # The book concludes with a concise survey on Talmud and the racist and loathsome texts contained in it; #
%
The book features a short analysis of the 24 Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which constitute the background of all the wicked means used by the modern Zionists in order to conquer and devour the world together with all its inhabitants with the exception of the Jews.
Manifestations of incitement and propaganda at the current level
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The press and the electronic media - general characteristics • •
•
During January and February 2002, the Lebanese media continued to provide a podium for incitement and propaganda against Israel, the Jews and the Western world. Incitement and propaganda continued to center mostly on statements made by leaders and spokesmen of the “Hezbollah”, joined at times by leading Lebanese figures who are known to support Syria or belong to the Lebanese administration. Especially worth noting were the verbal attacks of “Hezbollah” against the United States, which constituted a kind of “echo” of the virulent Iranian propaganda originating from Tehran. The popular television stations in the Arab world, such as al-Jazeera and the Abu Dhabi television, which interviewed Sheikh Nasrallah and other Lebanese spokesmen, helped spreading hatred from Lebanon throughout the Arab world.
Examples of anti-Israeli and anti-Zionist incitement and propaganda: •
•
Making no distinction between Israeli military and civilian targets: during an interview granted by Sheikh Hussein Ghidrees, the Secretary General of the league of Islamic Ulama (Religions Scholars), on the occasion of the conference held by the league in the beginning of January, the sheikh stated: “It is clear that Zionism in its entirety is a military, fighting society, which has settled on our land in Palestine in order to conquer, eliminate and kill our people. The Israeli people [is] all army and all fighter…” (Radio Nur, 9 January 2002). Legitimizing suicide bombings, de-legitimizing Israel: from the statement pronounced by the Islamic Ulama, at the closing session of its conference on 10 January (AFP, the French news agency from Beirut, 10 January 2002): # Religious legitimization of suicide attacks against Israel: “the martyrdom operations… are legitimate operations, based on the book of Allah [the Quran] and the Sunna [way of life] of His Prophet, and they are the highest form of martyrdom.” # De-legitimizing the State of Israel: “the Israeli presence in all its forms on the land of Palestine is illegitimate… Any negotiations, agreements and settlements signed with that entity are null and void because they are not based on any legitimate or legal foundation.”
The “Islamic Ulama” conference, 10 January 2002 (al-Intiqad, 11 January 2002)
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When the Jews’ faith in Palestine will dwindle, they will leave the land. During a Questions & Answers program, Sheikh Nasrallah explained the difference between Israel’s pullout from southern Lebanon and their renouncing the land of 1948: “… when the Israelis arrived to the region… the states that created it promised them that they would be defended… I understand the Jew who arrives from the Ukraine, or from Russia, or from New York. When he arrives to Palestine, what does he actually want? He wants security and a good investment. If he cannot achieve these two things, then what will he do in Palestine?” The interviewer: “Indeed.” Nasrallah: “This myth of Holy Land or Land of the Fathers is a lie, and they do not believe in it.” (al-Jazeera television, 14 February 2002).
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Praising jihad and the “culture of martyrdom”: #
#
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An excerpt from a speech of Sheikh Nasrallah during a ceremony held at Nabi Shit: “the culture of martyrdom finds its expression in the act of jihad (Islamic holy war). Only the culture of jihad is capable of bringing about victory… If we shall lose the culture of martyrdom, then we shall stand before catastrophe. The leadership must abide by the culture of martyrdom…” (al-Manar television, 16 February 2002). During the “Islamic Ulama” conference, the Secretary General of “Hezbollah” Hassan Nasrallah stated: “…resistance is, above all, these young jihad warriors who carry guns, fight, assault military posts or carry out suicide attacks. The main thing that can be achieved in this conference is keeping up the spirit of resistance… I can tell you in full honesty, that a jihad warrior will never forsake the path of resistance, even not if his family is killed, or he is thrown into jail, or beaten with a whip, or threatened with death. [It is] his deepest wish to encounter Allah…” (al-Manar television, 9 January 2002).
Praising the female terrorist who carried out the suicide bombing on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem: An excerpt from an article by Talal Salman, entitled “The flower of fire in Jerusalem” (Talal Salman, the publisher of the newspaper “As-Safir”, is known to entertain close relations with the Syrian leadership, and often serves as mouthpiece for the Syrian information apparatus): “She was granted all the names of Jerusalem, her body was scattered in it, it penetrated the Palestinian soil, and it will never leave it. She is Mary Magdalena, and Mary the Holy Virgin, she is Hagar and Fatima [Prophet Muhammad’s daughter], or Zeinab [the Prophet’s granddaughter, Fatima’s daughter], or Aisha [the Prophet’s second wife, known as the Mother of the Believers]… She is Nablus and Tulkarm, she is Haifa and Jaffa… On the largest street, the most cherished city, the most sacred land, in the midst of a day swept by January rains, her face was glowing like a pond and like lightning…” (As-Safir on the Internet, 28 January 2002).
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Claiming that Israel may initiate provocations in Europe to induce Jewish immigration to Israel: The Lebanese Information minister was hosted by the television program “Special Interview”, dedicated to the issues of the Arab Summit planned to convene in Lebanon, and the American policy towards Lebanon. The minister voiced his support in favor of the Intifada, and stated that “thorough attention ought to be given to the American-Israeli scheme which is being devised under the name ‘war against terrorism’ “. The minister expressed his fear that “under this scheme [war against terrorism], Israel may initiate incidents against Jews in Europe, in order to induce their immigration to Israel…” (Abu Dhabi television, 23 January 2002).
Examples of anti-American incitement and propaganda: •
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Demonizing the President of the United States: Sheikh Naim Kasem, Deputy Secretary General of “Hezbollah”, stated during the memorial ceremony held for the victims of the Uza’i neighborhood in Beirut, that “the American president is Satan’s closest friend”, and added that “his administration craves for massacre, blood and violence, and his wickedness is not only the fate of our region, but will befall the entire world… these days American behavior reminds of the behavior of a third-world dictatorship.” (Radio Nur, 4 February 2002). The United States is a violent and terrorist state: Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, responsible for “Hezbollah” in southern Lebanon, during a meeting with a delegation of Belgian senators visiting Lebanon: “the United States attempts to upset the stability in the region, and to stir 37
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•
•
up sectarian conflicts in Lebanon, in order to serve the interests of the Israeli occupier… the United States is record holder in terrorist acts… it committed massacres in Afghanistan and killed the Palestinian people with its weapons”. (The Voice of Free Lebanon radio, 20 January 2002). The United States supports anti-democratic regimes of oppression: Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of “Hezbollah”: “The Americans are responsible for the disasters that befell the Afghan people before and after the war, the Americans are the ones who created the Taliban, in cooperation with the Pakistani Intelligence, and they support all anti-democratic regimes of oppression…” (As-Safir, 23 January 2002). The United States strives to destroy the world: Sheikh Naim Kasem, Deputy Secretary General of “Hezbollah”, in an interview granted to al-Diyar newspaper, states that the aim of the United States is “to destroy the world for its own interests, and to eliminate any opponent to its endeavor. Its targets are not only the resistance movements, but also regimes, nations, economies…” (Radio Nur, 28 January 2002). Illegitimacy of the American president as opposed to the legitimacy of the Iranian regime: Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of “Hezbollah”: “I wish to expose evidences of the myths and lies spread by the Americans… the deceitful personality of Bush and of the American administration. During the last presidential elections in the United States, all say that the ratio of voters did not exceed 25% of those having voting rights… Bush became president of the largest democracy in the world, so to speak, by court order”. (Nasrallah further demonstrates that at the elections in Iran, the voting ratio stood at 73% – 78%, and that President Khatami received 60% – 70% of the votes). (alManar television, 9 February 2002). EGYPT
Manifestations of incitement and propaganda at the basic level Antisemitic literature in Egypt Israel – a state created by Intelligence Services By: Tarek Fawzi. Publishing house: Dar al-Ahmadi lil-Nashr, Cairo 2002. The following are some titles of chapters appearing in the book:
Second Chapter: Espionage throughout history – acts of Jews • • • •
Jews throughout history are spies and mercenaries. The Israelites in ancient Egypt – a fifth column. Moses, according to the holy books of the Jews, sends out spies, murders women and children and burns down towns. Joshua ben Nun – advocates spying and ethnic cleansing..
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Third Chapter: Intelligence activity at the origin of the State of Israel Fourth Chapter: Israel’s Intelligence apparatus against the powerful nations Fifth Chapter: Israeli Intelligence and achieving Jewish control over the world • • •
Biological extermination of the Arabs. Israeli spies in the world’s leading financial institutions The “Mossad” in the Vatican.
MANIFESTATIONS OF INCITEMENT AND PROPAGANDA AT THE CURRENT LEVEL $ General characteristics •
•
In the light of the persisting conflict situation between Israel and the Palestinians, and the ensuing hard-line stance that is taking over the Egyptian public opinion on this issue, the Egyptian media have stepped up the use of antisemitic motives and hostile expressions against Israel. The Egyptian regime tolerates this phenomenon, both as a way to express its resentment against Israel, and as a means of diverting the public attention from pressures within, in particular those related to the economic crisis and the worries about its possible repercussions on local stability.
•
THE EGYPTIAN PUBLIC OPINION CONTINUES TO FEED ON A DAILY RATION OF RADICAL ANTI-ISRAELI (AND SOMETIMES EVEN ANTI-JEWISH) PRONOUNCEMENTS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE GAP IS WIDENING BETWEEN THE INCREASINGLY HARD-LINE PUBLIC OPINION NURTURED BY INCITEMENT, AND THE MORE MODERATE STANCE FORMALLY TAKEN BY THE EGYPTIAN ADMINISTRATION, WHICH CONTINUES TO SEE IN PEACE WITH ISRAEL A CRUCIAL FACTOR IN THE PURSUIT OF NATIONAL SECURITY IN EGYPT. AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND, THE MODERATE MESSAGES CONVEYED FROM THE INTERFAITH CONFERENCE HELD IN ALEXANDRIA ARE ALL THE MORE SIGNIFICANT.
•
On 1 January 2002, the Egyptian television inaugurated a new broadcasting in the Hebrew language. “Nile Television” will feature a daily, 30 to 60 minute program in Hebrew. It is worth noting that the Egyptian information system is making increasing use of the Hebrew language as a means of directly addressing the Israeli target population, in an attempt to transmit to the Israeli public Egypt’s relatively moderate official messages. In the same context, one should also mention the interview recently granted by President Mubarak to Oded Granot of Israel TV’s Channel 1.
•
$ ANTISEMITIC MOTIVES IN THE EGYPTIAN MEDIA Antisemitic motives continued to appear throughout the Egyptian media. The following are some examples: • The recurring comparison between the Israeli operations against the Palestinians and the acts of the Nazis (usually consisting in “proving” that the crimes of Israel are even worse than those committed by the Nazis..). For example, the chief editor of the Egyptian government daily al-Ahram claims (19 January 2002) that “the Israelis perpetrate the same tragedies against the Palestinians as the ones which they claim that Hitler committed against them, and they profess in vain the theory of ‘pure race’.” •
Outright antisemitism – several articles expressed antisemitic notions taken from the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, laying the emphasis on “Jewish control over the world 39
economy” and deriving from it the claim of “Jewish control over American policy”. An article reflecting this view, published by the government daily al-Akhbar (3 February 2002), states that “all the disasters that currently befall this world are the works of Zionism. And it is not surprising, as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which were outlined by their sages more than one hundred years ago, are indeed materializing in accordance with a clear-cut program and infallible time schedule, which proves that in spite of their being a minority, their ambition is to conquer the world and the entire humanity.”
AL-AHRAM AL-ARABI, 15 DECEMBER 2001
$ DEMONIZING PRIME MINISTER ARIEL SHARON
Ariel Sharon
The television presenter addresses the audience: “Welcome to our show ‘Who wants to kill a million?’ [evoking the popular television show “Who wants to be a millionaire?”]” al-Wafd, 21 January 2002
40
•
Editorials and commentary articles throughout the Egyptian press designate Sharon as “the biggest butcher of world history, the murderer of innocent children and women”. (alGomhuria, 13 December 2001).
al-Akhbar, 20 January 2002
$ The message conveyed: suicide attacks shatter Israel’ security Israel’s security
Suicide attacks
al-Ahram al-Arabi, 26 January 2002
$ Criticizing the United States on account of its support to Israel • The Egyptian media continued to criticize what they refer to as the impotence of the international community, and in particular of the United States, with regard to the aggressive conduct of Israel. • The United States is portrayed as a state whose only objective is to grant assistance and backing to Israel (“its adoptive daughter”, as designated by al-Akhbar). Expectations are often voiced that the United States should stop behaving like Israel’s “puppet on a string”, and start showing a deeper involvement in the region. The press also recurrently warns that the present policy may cause significant damage to American interests in the region.
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al-Ahram, 20 January
2002 $ Supporting terrorism: the Egyptian press glorifies the suicide bomber Wafa Idris
•
The suicide terrorist attack against civilians, carried out on 27 January 2002 by Wafa Idris on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem, was widely praised by the Egyptian press, the official as well as the oppositional. The following are a few examples of commentaries and observations by the press (based on a survey by MEMRI): # Zakariya Nil, a columnist for al-Ahram refers to her as “the Palestinian Joan of Arc”. # Abd al-Wahab Adas, a columnist for al-Gomhuria: “Wafa Idris has inscribed her name in all pride and honor, in letters of fire that are standing out, on every Muslim Arab’s conscience”. # Ahmed Bahgat, a columnist for al-Ahram: “as a nurse, her work resembled the work of the compassionate angels… and now, she has extended the scope of her work from saving individuals to saving the Palestinian nation”. # Mufid Fawzi, a columnist for the daily al-Alam al-Youm: “…Not only Arafat defends the Palestinian land…, there are one hundred thousand Wafa Idrises who will hurt the Israeli people and break their bones”. # Samiya Sa’ad al-Din, a columnist for al-Akhbar: “All Palestinian women will write the history of the liberation with their blood, and will become time bombs in the face of the Israeli enemy.” # Ahmad Taha al-Naqr, a columnist for al-Akhbar: this same Palestinian shahidah fida’iyah [i.e. a martyr-warrior] has conveyed a number of important messages to all those who care to listen, and in particular to the terrorist Sharon and his master or associate who dwells in the White House”. # Nagwa Tantawi, a columnist for al-Aosboa: “…Bush, who is conducting an abusive offensive aimed at educating the world, is not capable of even educating his own daughters! Look at the differences between Wafa, the daughter of the Arab nation and Islam, and the daughters of Bush…”
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Voices of Moderation $
The Interfaith Conference held in Alexandria
•
In the face of intensifying propaganda against Israel and its prime minister Ariel Sharon, “other voices”, albeit not dominant, could be heard as well during the last weeks, conveying more moderate views. Of special significance was the extensive coverage of the encounter between the Egyptian president Mubarak and the clergymen who attended the Interfaith Conference held in Alexandria. The initiator of the conference was the Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Anglican Church. The conference was attended by 17 prominent representatives of the three monotheistic religions, including: Muhammad Tantawi, the Sheikh of al-Azhar and one of the foremost religious leaders of the Sunni Islam world, and Sheikh Taysir Tamimi, head of the religious courts in the Palestinian Authority. The following are excerpts from the joint declaration issued at the closing session of the conference: # “In the name of God who is Almighty, Merciful and Compassionate, we who have gathered as religious leaders from the Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities, pray for true peace in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and declare our commitment to ending the violence and bloodshed that denies the right of life and dignity.” # “According to our faith, killing innocent people in the name of God is a desecration of His Holy Name, and defames religion in the world. The violence in the Holy Land is an evil which must be opposed by all people of good faith. We seek to live together as neighbors respecting the integrity of each other's historical and religious inheritance. # “We call upon all to oppose incitement, hatred and misrepresentation of the other. We pledge ourselves to continue a joint quest for a just peace that leads to reconciliation in Jerusalem and the Holy Land.”
•
#
“We call on the political leaders of both peoples [Israelis and Palestinians] to work for a just, secure and durable solution in the spirit of the words of the Almighty and the Prophets.”
“As a first step now, we call for a religiously sanctioned cease-fire, … and for the implementation of the Mitchell and Tenet recommendations… We call on all to refrain from incitement and demonization, and to educate our future generations accordingly.”
•
In an atmosphere of mounting religious fanaticism, in which religion is exploited for the purpose of legitimizing terrorist acts aimed at killing innocent civilians, the above declaration no doubt reflects courage and religious inspiration. The fact that the conference was held in Egypt, a country plagued by religious incitement, is in itself symbolic, no less than the fact that Sheikh Tantawi was among the initiators of the conference, and those who signed the Alexandria declaration.
• It should, however, be noted that Sheikh Tantawi, in an interview granted to BBC Radio (20 March 2002), justified the suicide bombings, contrary to his prior statements. In his view, a suicide bomber cannot make a distinction between people, and therefore, as long as suicide attacks are carried out in places that produce “occupying elements”, those performing them are shahids, even though their victims may be innocent people.
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Sheikh Tantawi and Archbishop Carey, who initiated the Conference, together with the Jewish/Israeli delegates.
JORDAN $ The basic level of propaganda •
The Jordanian press continued to feature expressions of anti-Israeli incitement and propaganda, interspersed with antisemitic motives. In the light of the developments in the territories, emphasis was put on the sufferings of the Palestinians due to “war crimes”, ascribed to Prime Minister Sharon, and to a lesser extent to the Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer.
•
Antisemitic manifestations could be found in commentary articles, editorials and caricatures throughout the Jordanian press, official as well as oppositional, for example: “Israel has turned the road to Bethlehem into a ‘Via Dolorosa’, where everyone is made to pass through the blades of the guillotine of those who killed the prophets, and walk in the steps of Judas the traitor, whose hands are smeared with the blood of his people… [Sharon], the assassin of Sabra and Shatilah, will enter the garbage site of history and join Milosevic, Hitler and all the other murderers of Jews and women”. (from an article in al-Dustour, 24 December 2002).
•
In this context, we cannot overlook the opinion voiced by Prince Hassan, which stands out against the usually balanced nature of his statements in connection with Israel: he compared the events in the territories with the holocaust in Europe, and called upon the western countries to end the suffering of the Palestinians, and act as they did during World War II on behalf of the Jews of Europe (Jordan Times, 15 January 2002).
•
It seems that the Jordanian regime allows the opposition as well as the Jordanian press to “let off steam” by publishing harsh articles against Israel, and that no systematic action is taken to avoid recurrence. A possible explanation is the difficulty to maintain a pro-Israeli stance in the face of the empathy felt by the Palestinian minority in Jordan towards the fate of their brethren across the border. It seems, however, that when the government believes that verbal manifestations have crossed a red line, they take the necessary steps in order to keep them under control.
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Prime Minister Sharon and Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer as seen by Jordanian caricaturists
al-Dustour, 9 January 2002
al-Liwa, 9 January 2002
Whoever is not with us, is against us.
Whoever is not with us is against him
al-Dustour, 18 January 2002
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God help you… You really get exhausted when searching for peace!!
Today I demolished 20 houses, I pulled out 1000 trees, I killed and wounded 42 Palestinians, I arrested more than 30, and… and… and !!
al-Dustour, 24 January 2002
Voices of Moderation A Statement by King Abdallah of Jordan King Abdallah of Jordan, in a speech delivered at the World Economic Forum held this year in New York (Jordanian Television, 3 February 2002): “The world should act against terrorism which claims to represent political and religious trends and pretends to be the mouthpiece of the deprived, whereas its main purpose is to achieve power through destruction and violence; Islam is a religion of peace, and the main reasons underlying the development of Islamic extremism are the widespread poverty in the Muslim world and the Arab-Israeli conflict; Islam is a religion based on peace and the sanctification of human life, and it condemns terrorism. It is necessary to reach a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, based on comprehensive and durable peace, which will provide justice and security for both the Palestinians and the Israelis; it is necessary to establish a Palestinian state on the territories occupied in 1967, and to settle the issues of Jerusalem and the refugees. •
The above statement of King Abdallah is in sharp contrast to the expressions of incitement that appear in the Jordanian press and in books published in Jordan.
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Iraq $ Propaganda at the current level •
Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein, during a meeting with Jorg Haider, chairman of the right-wing, nationalist Austrian Freedom Party: “Zionism has implicated the United States in a series of problems, which, in my opinion, will only be resolved by the termination of this alliance, or by the destruction of both the United States and the Zionist entity on Arab soil. In the United States, Zionism has taken advantage of the American policy to serve its own purposes, and pushed it in directions deemed to be useful, whenever American and Zionist interests coincided”. (Iraqi News Agency, 12 February 2002).
•
A Friday preacher in Baghdad delivers a passionate call for war against “Satan’s army”: In a fiery sermon, a Friday preacher in Baghdad called upon the Muslims to wage war against “Satan’s army” (the United States, Great Britain and the Zionists). The preacher criticized the Arab rulers “whose priority was to maintain their ruling positions, and who found relief in the smokes of weakness and evil”, and glorified the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, who unveiled the evil of the United States and the “criminal Zionists”. (Radio Baghdad, 25 January 2002).
The United States, a country without historical or ethical foundations and with no values at all, “is falling apart” and will never regain its position at the top, its status of superpower, because of its unrestrained reaction to the September 11th attacks, a reaction which has stirred up the resentment of the entire world. (Iraqi News Agency, from a speech by Saddam Hussein on 17 January 2002 on the occasion of the 11th anniversary of the Gulf War).
Saddam Hussein (Reuters, 25 February 2002)
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Saudi Arabia $ Manifestations of incitement and propaganda at the basic level $ School Textbooks •
An excerpt from an article by Zvi Bar’el in Ha’aretz (Israeli daily newspaper): “We shall not stop educating towards the expected victory over the Jews”. “… and there is one topic that is popular on the Riyadh scene and has become a source of controversy between the American administration and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has invested millions of dollars in establishing religious schools (madrasah) in Afghanistan, Pakistan and throughout the Muslim countries. According to Hamid Gul, the former chief of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (currently strategic advisor to the radical religious parties in Pakistan), Saudi Arabia allocated USD 10 billion of its budget to sponsoring religious activity in Islamic states, much more than the Iranian contribution to this cause. This budget is the result of a compromise between radical elements in Saudi Arabia and the Saudi regime, the latter having assumed that by making this concession they will achieve peace and quiet in the kingdom. However, Islamic education, especially in Saudi Arabia, is now under growing pressure by the American administration to amend its curriculum, including such changes as removing from school textbooks any occurrences of incitement against the Western world and the Jewish people, and refraining from advocating violence against these two targets in Saudi Arabian schools. Textbooks for the lower grades include commentaries to traditional sayings of the prophet, followed by questions to be replied by the students, such as: “Who will defeat the Jews?” or “How should the Muslims arm themselves in order to defeat the Jews?” Other examples of schoolbook incitement are: a leading question for class debate: “Will Jews and Christians ever acknowledge Islam, and why?”; a school task requiring the students to enumerate four factors that will secure the victory of Muslims over their enemies; a commentary found in a textbook on the Quran, explaining why Prophet Muhammad exiled the Jewish tribe of Abu Nadhir: “thanks to the mercy of Allah, who only exiled them, whereas they in fact deserved torture and death, for they acted against Allah’s will”. [The American demand to revise the educational system] is giving rise to great discontent in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Minister of Education, Muhammad Rashid, denies the intention of modifying any of its educational curriculum, whereas “al-Jazeerah”, a newspaper published in Saudi Arabia, claims that the American curriculum is the one encouraging terrorism. This issue, which has become part of the public debate on the Saudi scene, will certainly not ease the already strained relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States”. (Ha’aretz, 16 January 2002).
$
Manifestations of Incitement and Propaganda at the Current Level
!
Press and electronic media
•
Pastries for the Purim Festival prepared with human blood 48
In an article in the al-Riyadh Saudi daily, Dr. Umayma Ahmad al-Jalahma, a professor at King Faisal University, writes: During the Jewish festival of Purim in March, blood must be drawn from a non-Jew, dried and mixed with dough for the preparation of the festival pastries. The Jewish practice of using human blood to prepare pastries is a well-established fact, throughout the history of mankind, and it is one of the main reasons for the recurring persecution and exile of the Jewish people in Europe and Asia, she explains. Al-Jalahma specifies that needles are entered into the body, extremely slowly, thus causing immense pain which gives the Jewish vampires extreme pleasure and allows them to closely monitor the process of bloodletting. (al-Riyadh on the Internet, 10 March 2002, taken from an article by Dr. Umayma Ahmad al-Jalahma. It should be noted that Saudi press, including the alRiyadh daily, is closely monitored by the regime). •
The chief editor’s reaction:
Turki Abdullah al-Sudeiri, the chief editor of al-Riyadh daily, admitted that it was wrong to publish an article in his paper, claiming that Jews use blood of non-Jews for the purpose of Purim pastries. In an editorial, he mentioned having been out of town when the piece by Umayma al-Jalahma was published. He said a call from the paper’s New York bureau chief alerted him to it. He referred to the article as “unworthy of publication as it is not supported by scientific or historical facts”, and criticized al-Jalahma for having failed to realize that the Jews around the world are not to be compared with those belonging to the Zionist movement, whose aim is to eliminate the Palestinians. He concluded by that “it is wrong to let our differences with the likes of Sharon [the Israeli prime minister] induce us to propagate feelings of hatred against all the Jews.” (AP, 20 March, 2002).
Note: It is not the first time that Saudi intellectuals spread antisemitic material. For instance, Dr. Na’man Abd al-Razzak al-Samara’i, of the Faculty of Education at the King Saud University in Riyadh, published an antisemitic book titled “Freemasonry and Bible Judaism” (London: Dar al-Hikma, 1994):
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Freemasonry and Bible Judaism
$ Moderate voices: Crown Prince Abdallah’s initiative
“Full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories in return for complete normalization of relations between the Arab countries and Israel.”
“Riyadh wishes to inform America and the world that even if one Saudi national – or more – may have turned any region into a target for warfare and bombings, the policy of the Saudi Kingdom, now and always, and in both worlds – the Arab and Islamic – consists in promoting security and prosperity and warding off winds of war, killing and terror.” (from an article in al-Sharq al-Awsat, 21 February 2002).
•
•
The Saudi Crown Prince, Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz, who actually rules the Kingdom, revealed to the New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman that he was considering to submit, during the forthcoming summit of the Arab League in Lebanon at the end of March, a proposal for full Israeli withdrawal from all the “occupied territories” according to the UN resolutions, including withdrawal from Jerusalem, in return for complete normalization of the relations between the Arab states and Israel. (The New York Times, 17 February 2002). The Crown Prince explained that the proposal was intended to convey to the people in Israel that the Arabs do not negate nor despise it, they only object the policy conducted 50
by its leadership against the Palestinians. He added that he had decided to withdraw his proposal when “Prime Minister Sharon carried violence and oppressive acts against the Palestinians to unprecedented levels”, but when asked about his position if a ceasefire agreement could be reached between Israel and the Palestinian Authority prior to the summit, he asserted that “the speech is already written and kept in my desk drawer” (implying that in such a situation, it would be wise to once again consider raising his proposal).
Gulf Emirates $ Exceptional voices The emergence of a public debate on terrorism and Islam in the light of the September 11th events •
The terrorist attacks of September 11th have stirred intellectuals and liberals throughout the Gulf Emirates and induced them to appeal for a kind of reassessment concerning the roots of Islamic “terrorist culture” and the threats that it poses to Muslim society and nation.
•
One of the boldest and more innovative among them is Dr. Abd al-Hamid al-Ansari, the Dean of the Faculty of Shari’a (Islamic Law), Jurisprudence and Islamic Studies at the Qatar University. Al-Ansari, a renowned Islamic thinker, who for years has been warning against fundamentalist Islam, recently published a number of articles in the Qatar press and the leading Arab newspapers, in which he harshly condemns the fundamentalist Islamic movements. In these articles, he did not spare his criticism of the Arab regimes, claiming that the dogmatic way of thinking enforced by these regimes is a breeding ground for such radical movements.
•
Al-Ansari calls upon Muslim society to carry out an in-depth re-evaluation, in view of threats looming over Islam and Muslim states, originating from Bin Laden and his adepts. It seems that al-Ansari’s main goal is to encourage a process of rethinking the relationship between religion and the state. He uses heavily connotative Islamic terminology in order to express his views and prove that the Bin Laden phenomenon is a deplorable deviation from the principles of orthodox Islam. Al-Ansari regards Bin Laden and his supporters as dissident elements, who have split away from the Muslim community and are in fact acting against it. He claims that the right to declare jihad (Islamic holy war) is not given to any person, but is exclusively in the hands of the rulers, those who hold the authority.
•
According to al-Ansari’s views, the Arab countries, by enacting political and intellectual indoctrination and “homogenization”, induce the emergence and expansion of a “terrorist culture”. In this environment, any person who commits the slightest breach of religious laws is considered infidel, any political opponent is deemed a traitor, and anyone making use of the media – a provocateur. The clerics issue fatwas (religious rulings) in order to legitimize their conceptions, and the leaderships are afraid to react. Al-Ansari also expresses his contempt for those who use a variety of arguments in order to justify the terrorist acts, such as poverty, political antagonism and ignorance. He calls for a re-examination of the Islamic education curricula that have led to the development of the phenomena of radicalism and terrorism.
•
Al-Ansari opposes the commonly accepted view among the Arabs, according to which there is a linkage between the American policy in the Middle East and the events of September 11th. He argues that the perpetrators of the attacks did not come from Palestine, they did not 51
represent the Palestinians and did not hurt Israelis. He emphasizes that the United States is a loyal ally of the Muslims, and that relations with it should be based on interests rather than ideology. •
A number of intellectuals and liberal politicians from Kuwait have set out to defend alAnsari’s point of view, among them Dr. Ahmad Bishara, the Secretary General of the “Democratic National Union”, and the intellectual Ahmad al-Rubai. Also in Qatar, some were heard expressing their support of al-Ansari, referring to his as being the “voice of reason” at the time when the country is dominated by the “voice of passion”. The Kuwaiti Dr. Bishara pointed out that al-Ansari’s words express the position of the “silent majority” in the Gulf States, who are sick and tired with the activities of the Islamic elements.
•
On the other hand, al-Ansari was opposed by a large group of intellectuals, politicians and religious leaders from Qatar and Kuwait, among whom the renowned, radical cleric Yusuf al-Qardawi. These regarded al-Ansari’s statements as an attempt to discredit Islam and portray every Muslim as a terrorist. Al-Qardawi argues in this context that internal reforms in Islam are indeed to be encouraged, however, one cannot accept that a foreign country, be it even a superpower like the United States, should be allowed to impose its views on others.
To summarize: The awakening in the Gulf Emirates of moderate elements opposed to the Bin Laden phenomenon, and their appeal to carry out in-depth internal re-evaluation, emanate from the understanding that radical Islam does not pose a threat solely on the Western world, but first and foremost on Arab-Muslim countries and communities. The terrorist attacks of September 11th acted as the catalyst precipitating this process, because of the intense criticism which these acts attracted against Islam. However, the emergence of moderate elements also stems from deeper motives, originating from the on-going tension of the relations between religion and the state in the Muslim countries. This first occurrence of a new perspective is all the more significant when seen in the context of the religious rulings pronounced by the clerics across the Muslim world, in support of Bin Laden. And yet, it should be noted that the moderate camp in the Gulf States is still unable to attract large crowds and create a wider public echo in the Gulf region, let alone the rest of the Arab world.
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The Arab World
Dar al-Fikr, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
Dar al-Fikr, Damascus∗
Dar alFikr alMu’asir, Beirut
Dr. Muna Elias: “Jewish Fundamentalists between the Myths of the Bible and Modern Science (published in 2001).
*∗ Dar al-Fikr Publishing House in Damascus recently developed and released a computer game advocating the killing of Israeli soldiers and settlers. (See chapter on Syria).
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Recurring motives in Arab Literature Israel as a dagger in the heart of the Arab world Israel as a dagger in the heart of the Arab world is a motive often used in Arab hatred literature. Following are two illustrations in books published in Egypt and Lebanon in an interval of ten years.
•
Muhammad Abd al-Mun’im Amer: “Israel… the Myths… Forging History… the Colonial Conspiracy” (al-Maktaba al-Akadimiya, Cairo, 2000).
•
Ghassan Hamdan: “Normalization – the Strategy of Zionist Encroachment” (Dar al-Aman lil-Tiba’ah wal-Nashr, Beirut, 1989).
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History at the Service of Politics The legacy of Saladdin’s victory over the crusaders - a means of advocating the elimination of Israel Syria Following is an excerpt from a commentary broadcast in Radio Damascus, in the Palestine special, broadcast as part of the program “What we learn from Arab Literature”, dealing with the liberation of Jerusalem from the Crusaders by Saladdin: “Dear students from the Arab occupied territories, in Jerusalem there are many places that commemorate Saladdin’s name, such as al-Salahiya School, and the minbar (preacher’s podium) at the al-Aqsa Mosque, which was set on fire by the Jews in the year 1970. Do not forget, brethren, this podium! It is our duty to wage jihad in order to rescue the holy places of Islam that were captured by the Zionist invaders, and to liberate Jerusalem and all the occupied lands in Palestine, the Golan Heights, the West Bank and Southern Lebanon. Jerusalem, which was occupied by the Zionists who set fire to the al-Aqsa Mosque in an act of evil aggression, will return to its owners, because the fate of deceit is to be defeated, whereas the fate of truth is to prevail” (Radio Damascus, 7 February 2002).
The Palestinian Authority Saladdin’s conquests as seen in a Palestinian textbook Source: A textbook for the 7th grade: “History of the Middle Ages”, published by the Palestinian Authority, 2001. Page 69 features a map of Saladdin’s conquests after he defeated the Crusaders in the battle of Hittin, followed by a chapter on Jerusalem and the holy places. The map, which relates to the geographical situation in the 12th Century, shows the current borderlines between the Arab countries, including the West Bank and the Gaza strip. The message indirectly conveyed to the Palestinian student: Israel will be defeated, just like the Crusaders were, and Palestine will be freed just as it was freed by Saladdin…
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Jordan
A “history” textbook: “Saladdin and the Liberation of Jerusalem” published in Jordan. Jerusalem, according to the textbook, is an Arab-Muslim city, built by the Jebusites in “Palestine”. Saladdin rescued it as well as the rest of “Palestine” from the hands of the Crusaders after the battle of Hittin. (Dar Majdalawi lil-Nashr wal-Tawzi, Amman 2001)
Egypt
The legend of the above illustration appearing in an Egyptian book on terrorism: “The modern crusade of the Zionist leadership and the United States” Dr. Hussein Sharif : “International terrorism and its impact on the Middle East during 4000 years”, Part II, p. 448 (The book was published in Egypt in 1997, by the publishing house alHay’ah al-Misriyah al-Ammah lil-Kitab).
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$ Recurring Motives in Arab Caricatures
The Israeli Air Force throwing bombs over a mosque (evoking the al-Aqsa Mosque) and leaving ruins, in an offensive directed against the entire Arab world. [from al-Intiqad (Internet version), Hezbollah’s newspaper, 8 February 2002]
The Israeli Air Force bombing a mosque (evoking the al-Aqsa Mosque) and leaving ruins, in violation of the principles of International Law (Teshreen, Syria, 20 January 2002). Israeli planes throwing bombs over holy sites (a mosque, a church) are a commonly used motive in Syrian caricatures.
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Iran Nowadays, our prestige, solidarity and national interests depend on our ability to confront the cancerous tumor of the Zionist regime… Many of the problems of the Islamic world originate from the existence of the cancerous tumor of the Zionist regime in the giant body of the Islamic world… “ (Keyhan, 1 January 2002).
The Iranian President Khamenei
“The Zionist entity was even expelled from the Western world. The way in which the Zionists of the Western world used their money and their media compelled the leaders of local governments to react by taking violent and inhumane measures, like the ones used in Hitler’s time. (Khabar Television, 30 January 2002, from a speech delivered at a Tehran convention on “the Role of the Media in Support of the Palestinian Intifada”).
Rafsanjani
“Bush has a bird’s brain in a dinosaur’s head” (AFP, the French news agency, 23 February 2002, from a speech delivered
before students at the Tehran University).
!
•
General Characteristics•
The chapter on Iran was written together with Dr. Soli Shahvar,from Haifa University and the Truman Institute, Jerusalem.
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# #
Anti-American incitement and propaganda, which gained pace when the US engaged in the operation in Afghanistan, gathered further momentum after President Bush’s speech, in which he included Iran as one of the three “evil axis” states (29 January 2002). Bush’s speech, along with the Israeli statements in relation to the Iranian threat, stirred in Iran a wave of harsh, aggressive and defying reactions, conveying at times antisemitic messages. The reactions were directed against the United States (“the largest and most abhorred Satan”), Israel (“cancerous tumor”) and the Zionist movement together with the Jewish people.
What is the origin of the bottomless hatred nurtured towards the Jews and the recurring call to annihilate Israel? # The Iranian concept which calls for destroying Israel is rooted in a religious-ideological enmity, drawing directly from the doctrine of Khomeini, the initiator of the Islamic revolution who regarded the Jews as the enemies of Islam from its very inception. Khomeini’s theory, which advocates the struggle against Israel until its complete annihilation, is put into practice by his successors. # Khomeini created a tight linkage between Jews, Zionism and Israel and the process of secularization and “westernization” that took place in the Middle East in general and Iran in particular, during the 19th and 20th centuries. Similar to all the leaders of Islamic movements, Khomeini regarded this process as the most substantial threat to the Muslim nation. According to his belief, it compromised the very foundations of Islam and Muslim society, and led to moral deterioration, social disintegration, political fragmentation and ultimately – economic and political enslavement to the West. # This is where, to his belief, lies the direct responsibility of Zionism for the disasters that have befallen the Muslim world and Iran; and since Zionism has prevailed until this very day, the conclusion is that its very existence prevents the Muslims from fulfilling their spiritual destination and redemption. In view of this, Khomeini ruled that the annihilation of the State of Israel and Zionism is almost prerequisite to solving the problems of contemporary Islam. # More concretely, Khomeini’s deep-rooted hostility towards Israel was based upon four main factors: (1) the fact that Israel and Zionism are part of the Western world, in itself a threat to Islam, its objectives and its strategic assets; (2) the cooperation between Israel and the Shah’s regime, and the threat it posed to Iran’s Islamic identity; (3) the anomaly of a Jewish State ruling places that are sacred to Islam, and (4) the fact that according to Shi’i belief, Jews are unclean. Ever since the Intifada broke out (October 2000), Iran has stepped up its calls for the annihilation of the State of Israel, both in frequency and intensity. Such calls are voiced by the entire gamut of the Iranian political scene, including president Khatami and leading figures identified with the reformist bloc. It should be noted that the terms “annihilation” and “elimination” are used by Iran solely in connection with Israel, and are not applied to any other enemy or adversary. Spreading Khomeini’s messages of hatred in the Arab world
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Name of the book: The author: Publishing House: Publishing year:
“Palestine in Imam Khomeini’s Speeches” Adnan Hussein Abu Nasser al-Awa’el (the book was approved by the Syrian Ministry of Information, Censorship Department, Syrian Arab Republic). 2000.
The book explores the endeavors to annihilate Israel and the manifestations of hatred towards Zionizm and the United States, according to Khomeini’s ideology. The author clarifies: “This is how feelings of hatred against America and Zionism are turned into a kind of intense love for God” (pp. 85-86).
Manifestations of Incitement and Propaganda at the Basic Level Incitement and Propaganda in Iranian Textbooks De-legitimizing the State of Israel • •
Israel is not referred to in the Iranian textbooks as a “state”, but as a “regime”; the reason is that from the Iranian regime’s point of view, the State of Israel has no right of existence, and as such is reduced to being an illegitimate “regime” in “Palestine”. In geography textbooks for the 7th and 8th grades, for instance, the name Israel does not appear on any map. Maps display the name of “Palestine” on the geographical area of the State of Israel. 60
Source: The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Ministry of Education, the Organization for Educational Research and Planning.Geography: First year of Junior High-School (Tehran: the Company for Printing and Publishing School Textbooks in Iran, 2001-2002), p. 12.
Palestine (Israel is not (mentioned)
“Political Map of Asian Countries”, from: The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Ministry of Education, the Organization for Educational Research and Planning. Geography: Second Year in Junior High-School (Tehran, 2001-2002), p. 20. •
In textbooks, Israel is referred to as an anti-social element. A 9th grade textbook on sociology deals, among other things, with the role played by the family nucleus in social life. The family is described as a nucleus which is essential both for securing the welfare of the individual and for the continuity of society. “The regime occupying Jerusalem” (i.e. Israel) is mentioned, along with the former Soviet Union, as “states that attempted to destroy the family structure, but failed”.
Source: The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Ministry of Education, the Organization for Educational Research and Planning. Social Readings: First Year in High-School (Tehran: the Company for Printing and Publishing School Textbooks in Iran, 2001-2002), p. 59. •
In order to demonstrate the above allegation, the book refers the student to the Palestinian issue: “many of your brothers and sisters in occupied Palestine have lost their father, their mother and the rest of their family members because of the barbarity of the evil and ruthless soldiers of the regime which occupies Jerusalem”. The textbook uses this argumentation in order to legitimize the terrorist acts (which he calls “acts of revenge”) to which these Palestinians will resort in retaliation, and encourages the students to assist them: “they [the Palestinians], with the assistance of the rest of the Muslims, are seeking vengeance on their aggressors, to avenge themselves and their families.”
Source: Social Readings: First Year in High-School (Tehran: the Company for Printing and Publishing School Textbooks in Iran, 2001-2002), p. 11.
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Portraying the United States as the enemy of Iran and Islam • •
“The Imam (Khomeini) was a revolutionary leader who saw in the United States an intransigent enemy of Islam and Muslim Iran…” In an 11th grade textbook on the modern history of Iran, the Shah’s regime is described as one that was known worldwide for its “dictatorship and corruption”. Therefore, “no country was willing to accept him [the Shah] on a permanent basis. But the United States, who regarded the Shah as a subdued servant and believed that it could reinstate him into power, invited the Shah, using the pretext of medical care. In view of the United States’ previous involvement and doings in Iran’s internal affairs, and the hostility of the American administration to Islam and the Islamic Revolution, the Shah’s admission to the United States took on the significance of overt support granted by the administration to the enemy of the Iranian people, and of a joint scheme against the revolution”.
Source: The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Ministry of Education, the Organization for Educational Research and Planning. History of Modern Iran: 11th Grade (Tehran: the Company for Printing and Publishing School Textbooks in Iran, 2001-2002), pp. 29-30.
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Portraying the United States as seeking to take control of Islamic states: # “Aggressive governments, in particular the United States, are resorting to tactics of fomenting war in the Middle East, because of its natural resources, especially in oil, and because it is the heart of the Arab world”. # “Among the problems of Islamic countries, one should mention the fact that they are not united… Another problem is the regime occupying Jerusalem (Israel), which serves as a base for the United States and other aggressive powers, was invented with the purpose of taking control of the Muslim territories in this region, and turned the Palestinian people into victims and refugees.” # “If the Islamic states will unite, the Islamic world will be able to face the aggressive superpowers”. Source: The Islamic Republic of Iran, the Ministry of Education, the Organization for Educational Research and Planning. Geography: 11th Grade (Tehran: the Company for Printing and Publishing School Textbooks in Iran, 2001-2002), Part I, p. 25.
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Manifestations of Incitement and Propaganda at the Current Level $ Antisemitic statements • Denial of the Holocaust and using it as leverage for the extortion of funds: “The Zionists assert that they need mental security. After all that was granted to them their mental security is still unsatisfied, and they demand more. There seems to be no end to this extortion. Europe has very bad experience in this respect: Germany has paid DM 150 billion in reparations to the Jews. But Jewish demands are not over yet. They still ask for more. What the Jews have done to Germany, they have also done to other European countries, such as France, Austria, Switzerland and even the Vatican. All have to pay them reparations, and there is no end to it. They demand from every leader in the West to prostrate himself before a monument commemorating crematoria [in concentration camps] and express their consideration on account of a story with no certain authenticity, their purpose being that the Western world should feel indebted to the Jews (IRNA, 31 January 2002, from a speech delivered by the leader Khamenei before guests attending the Communications Conference of Islamic Countries in support of the Intifada).
The News Agency of the Iranian students, who are identified with the reformist bloc in the Iranian regime, published an announcement containing 66 questions and answers dealing with Holocaust denial. The answers to these questions, according to the announcement, were meant to refute “one of the biggest lies in history” (ISNA, 3.3.02). Following are some examples of questions and answers: • “Question No. 1: What are the evidences that the Nazis indeed murdered six million Jews? Answer: there are no evidences, only testimonies of survivors, which are most contradictory… there is no conclusive evidence of the manufacture of soap or lamps from bodies…” • “Question No. 5: Is there any evidence of the use of gas chambers for killing people in the Auschwitz camp? Answer: No!! After [the] Auschwitz [camp] was invaded by the Soviets, they made some changes [in the camp], and one of the rooms was modified to look like a gas chamber”. • “Question No. 6: What was the purpose of [the camp of] Auschwitz if it did not serve as a death camp? Answer: it served as part of a larger labor camp, for the production of fuel, and the inmates were used as labor force…”. • “Question No. 9: Why did the Germans keep the Jews in these camps? Answer: Because the Germans regarded the Jews as a threat to their national security. Jews were among the supporters of communism, which was defeated. Any person who constituted a threat to Germany’s national security was imprisoned, not only the Jews,..” • “Question No. 11: Did the Jews declare war on Germany? Answer: Yes. It was published by newspapers throughout the world. For instance, the London newspaper “Express” in its 24 March 1933 issue published that “The Jews Declared War on Germany”.” • “Question No. 21: What do the Jews have to gain from ‘genocide’ stories? Answer: This issue protects them from criticism as a group, and creates a religious-material relationship between the Jews and their leaders. It also serves as a means of obtaining the American budgetary support grants”. • “Question No. 22: What does Israel stand to gain from this issue? Answer: It is the underlying basis for the millions paid by Germany to Israel and the Jewish survivors. The Jewish Lobby uses this issue in order to dictate the American foreign policy in the Middle East”. 63
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“Question No. 37: How did these people die? Answer: Most [died] from the typhus epidemic that destroyed Europe during the war, and also of hunger and lack of medical care towards the end of the war, as a result of the bombing of access ways [to the camps] by the allied forces…”. “Question No. 66: Where can one find additional information on the “other opinion” concerning events during Word War II? Answer: In the Institute [its name is not mentioned] one can find books, recordings and videotapes on this issue. Address for mail: CA 9265 – New Port Beach, 3739.
Note of the Information Center: The above address is incomplete and unclear. According to an inquiry we conducted, the full name and address are: “Institute for Historical Review”, IHR, P. O. Box 2739, Newport Beach, California CA 92659. This institute, which deals with the denial of the Holocaust, was supposed to organize an international conference in Beirut in December 2000. The Lebanese government banned the conference, following protests from around the world, and it was eventually held in Amman in May 2001. $ Anti-Israeli incitement and propaganda •
A call for the annihilation of the State of Israel: “Today’s generation will witness the liberation of Palestine… Many of the problems of the Islamic world derive from the existence of the cancerous tumor in the body of the Islamic world – the Zionist regime… any compromise on the issue of Palestine will fully contradict the Iranian national interests; today our prestige, our honor and our national interests depend on our unwavering resistance to the cancerous tumor (Khabar Television, 31 December 2001, from a speech delivered by the supreme leader Khamenei during a convention on “Defending the Palestinians”).
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Annihilating Israel (“the cancerous cell”) is a religious duty: # “It is the duty of each and every Muslim to stand up and eliminate this cancerous cell (Israel) by our soul, our money and all existing resources.” # “In view of the illegitimate nature of the Zionist Israeli entity, any economic or political relations entertained by Islamic states with this entity are prohibited according to the holy Muslim law.” # “It is the duty of the Palestinian people and all Muslims to fight the Zionist enemy until the liberation of Palestine through jihad (the holy war) and resistance…” (al-Manar Television, Lebanon, 9 January 2002, excerpts from a speech by the former Minister of the Interior and Majlis delegate, Ali Akbar Mohtashemi-Pour at the opening session of a convention of Muslim religious scholars, held in Beirut in January 2002).
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A call to annihilate Israel in an address to Iranian and Lebanese pilgrims: In an address to a group of approximately two hundred Iranian and Lebanese pilgrims to Mekka, who were holding a demonstration in support of the Intifada (17 February 2002), Ayatollah Mohammadi Rei-Shahri, the head of the Iranian delegation, expressed his country’s support of the Palestinians. During the demonstration, which was also attended by Sheikh Na’im Qassem, Deputy Secretary General of the Lebanese Hizbollah, Rei-Shahri claimed that “if Muslim states will work together to bring about the annihilation of Israel, then they will easily achieve their goal”. (AFP, the French news agency in Arabic, 17 February 2002). The Iranian pilgrims used the demonstration for incitement and propaganda purposes, aimed against Israel and the United States, despite warnings issued by the Saudi authorities to refrain from political manifestations during the pilgrimage.
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$ Anti-American incitement and propaganda
al-Sharq al-Awsat, 12 February 2002
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The United States portrayed as a bloodthirsty Satan : “The Americans want Israel to murder Palestinian children, Muslim children, in front of their father’s eyes…” # “Bush’s last speech was one of a bloodthirsty man! He is a bloodthirsty man… The whole world knows that the big Satan is the United States… The espionage apparatus of the United States, the CIA, is the foremost responsible in the world for the murder of Muslim believers…!” (Radio Tehran, 31 January 2002, excerpts from a speech by the supreme leader Khamenei during a demonstration held in Tehran in support of the Intifada). #
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Incitement during anti-American demonstrations on the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution (11 February): in these demonstrations, the American flag and a puppet representing President Bush were set on fire. Slogans and other phrases voiced during the demonstrations included: “Death to America and to Israel”. “America is incapable of anything.” “If Khamenei will issue an order to wage jihad, all the armies of the world will not be able to stand up to him” (ISNA, 11 February 2002).
“Bush is Dracula” – a demonstration in Tehran on “Revolution Day”
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The West is helpless in the face of suicide bombers, and fears the possibility of Iran withholding cheap energy resources: “Our enemies are in fact the United States and the Imperialistic West… [Bush] claims that democracy was attacked, but these are the words of a man who was elected by a minority of votes, and through the intervention of a judge’s verdict… The West has at its disposal sophisticated technologies, but it is helpless in the face of people who are willing to blow themselves up in order to hurt imperialism… The White House is terrified lest we decide to withhold from it our cheap resources of energy” (Khabar Television, 30 January 2002, from a speech by Rafsanjani during a Tehran convention).
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The United States contributed to the September 11th attack. “We believe that the events of September 11th are a crime against humanity. However, one cannot ignore the many shares which the United States policy had in bringing about this disaster on the American people” (IRNA news agency, 30 January 2002, the Iranian President Khatami in a government meeting). • The activity of al-Qaeda and the Taliban is a direct consequence of American activity: Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in a Friday sermon in Tehran, stated that the operations conducted by al-Qaeda and the Taliban result from the doings of the CIA, the Mossad and the British Intelligence Services. “By establishing al-Qaeda, the United States wanted to exert pressure on the Islamic Revolution, but the same Taliban attacked the US…” (Iranian Television, 8 February 2002). • The CIA is an international terrorist organization: During a meeting with the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the supreme leader Khamenei described the CIA as “one of the largest terrorist centers in the world, which conducts a policy of governmental terrorism in various places around the world”. He added that “in view of the past record of the United States and the war it is currently waging, what authority does it have to determine what is terrorism?!” (Radio Tehran, 26 January 2002). •
Comparing President Bush with Hitler. “With militant statements such as these, Bush reminds of Hitler, because Hitler as well used to pronounce this kind of statements, and he considered the Germans to be the supreme race” (Jomhouri-ye Eslami, 12 February 2002; statement by Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to the supreme leader Khamenei on international affairs, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs).
A caricature in the newspaper “Keyhan”, 27 December 2001: “Bush pronounces the new Christian year a year of war” (Santa’s bag bears the inscription “US Aids”).
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The United States attacks Afghan civilians
A caricature in the newspaper “Keyhan”, 27 December 2001: “The American air raid on the caravan of tribe elders left behind 65 killed. The prime minister of Afghanistan’s interim government: We thank the US for its support”.
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Preaching hate against the United States: “… You should know that not only the Iranians hate you, all the nations of the world abhor the United States… You are an arrogant, conceited, deceitful and hypocrite regime. Do you really expect the countries of the world to feel sympathy towards you?…” (Iranian Television, 7 February 2002, the supreme leader Khamenei in a meeting with the Air Force commanders). Martyrdom and jihad are weapons against the United States: “If in the past we fought against you [the United States] from a small boat in the Persian Gulf, now we shall fight you in a different manner. What we have in store, no technology can defeat: [we have] faith, the passion to become shahid, the passion to meet with God… what do we have to lose by jihad? If we shall kill the enemies, we shall be rewarded by God, so what do we have to lose?” (Iranian Television, 8 February 2002, Rafsanjani in his Friday sermon).
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Threats voiced by Zolqadr, Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards:
Sardar (General) Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr – American interests at stake
" Threatening to set fire to the oil wells in the Gulf: Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr threatened to set fire to the oil wells in the Gulf, should the United States decide to attack Iran. If Iran will be prevented from exporting its oil, then “no oil is to be exported from this region” (Radio Monte Carlo and AFP, the French news agency from Tehran, 10 February 2002). 67
" Threatening to harm American interests: Zolqadr threatened that if the United States should attack Iran, its oil resources or civilians, Iran would harm American interests throughout the world and would not limit its response to its borders. (implying that Iran would not hesitate to mount terrorist attacks against American targets worldwide.) (ISNA, 26 February 2002). •
The United States accused of taking the “warmonger” approach in the Indian SubContinent: in a Friday sermon on 4 January 2002 at the Tehran University mosque, the conservative, influential cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Janati accused the United States of seeking to “ignite the fire” between India and Pakistan in order to consolidate its presence in Asia. He noted that “the Americans and their allies continue to commit their massacres in Afghanistan, and that they are intent on establishing their own military bases in this country…” (AFP, the French news agency from Tehran, 4 January 2002).
Exceptional Voices •
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Mohammad Mohsen Sazgara, one the founders of the Revolutionary Guards in the Islamic Republic of Iran, has during recent years distanced himself from the extremist camp. After he joined the supporters of the reform bloc in Iran, he took one step further and became member of the “third force” – the national-religious movement, of which many leaders and members were arrested by the regime and are currently detained. The following is a fragment of a public message written by Sazgara, which was circulated throughout Internet sites in the Persian language, in Iran and in the world, on 13 January 2002: “The Iranian nation has, throughout history, earned itself a reputation of a nation which seeks to live in peace with other nations and strives to entertain friendly relations with all the countries of the world. The Iranian nation suffers from the fact that throughout the rule of the Islamic regime in Iran, it has been portrayed by world public opinion as a nation supporting terrorism and violence. The Iranian nation resents the violent attitude of the Islamic regime towards the world. What words should the people use? What steps should the people take in order to make the leaders understand that the Iranians do not seek hostility with any country in the world?!…” Mohammad Hassan Mohammadi Ardahali, a member of the religious-national movement, residing in Tehran, published a short article on the Internet calling for a revision of the Iranian policy on the Palestinian issue. Following is an excerpt of the article: " “It seems to me that a revision of the Iranian policy regarding the Palestinian issue is of the essence. In my opinion, the enlightened people of Iran, who on September 11th took to the streets of Tehran to express their solidarity with the families of the victims, in a spontaneous gesture which appeased the anger of the United States, should today express, anywhere in the world, their support of the peace process in the Middle East. Today it should be made public that the Iranian people wish to see durable peace established between Palestine and Israel. The Iranian people condemn the murder of civilians, be it Palestinians or Israelis. They [the people] should express their sympathy to the grieving families of Israeli victims. Those extremist Palestinian groups, which carry out deadly terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians, should be condemned. We should light a candle to commemorate the victims of terrorism, both Israelis and Palestinians, anywhere in the world. Iranians could pay visits to the bereaved families in Israel, send them flowers, offer them their sympathy. I believe that only through such gestures, it is possible to smother the fire of war which is drawing nearer each day, and save the region and the world from a grave crisis”. Source: The Internet site www.iran-emrooz.de, operated by Iranians in Germany, 6 February 2000). 68
