"I'd burn Israeli books myself if I found any in libraries in Egypt." (Farouk Hosni)
"Having killed hundreds of children they [?] have no right to criticize." (Federico Mayor)
More incitement to hatred.
Commenting on the opposition to the appointment of the Egyptian Culture Minister, Farouk Hosni, to the position of Director-General of UNESCO, Federico Mayor Zaragoza, a former Spanish Director-General of UNESCO from 1987 to 1999 said (translated from the French):
"I do not agree with these criticisms, which, incidentally, come from Israeli representatives. Who do they think they are to make such remarks. Having killed hundreds of children they have no right to criticize. It is impossible for them to criticize after what they did in Gaza. "
Source: Saphir News
------------------------------------------------
Farouk Hosni In His Own Words (ADL)
"Normalization? I know quite a bit about you, you have abilities that I hold in high esteem. I follow and am kept abreast. Believe me, I don't hate Israel and under no circumstances am I an anti-Semite. But cultural normalization? Not now."
Q: Why not?
"We have political ties and economic cooperation. In my view, cultural ties are our weapon to pressure Israel into doing more on the Palestinian issue."
(Interview with Smadar Peri, Yediot Ahronot, June 13, 2008)
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"We cannot dance with them, sing together or watch a piece of theatre when there are bloody attacks every day against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip."
(Interview with AFP, May 23, 2008)
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"I would burn Israeli books myself if I found them in Egyptian libraries."
(May 10, 2008)
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"They steal everything: musical heritage, cinema and even clothes and this is why they have to be treated with the same level of hate…"
(Interview to Al-Wasat, London, June 13, 2001)
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"My attitude towards normalization is known and so is my ministry's attitude: we oppose all kinds of normalization… The Ministry of Culture is practically the only official body that has a declared attitude against normalization…"
(Interview to Al-Mashahid as-Siyasi, London, June 10, 2001)
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"How would a normalization of this kind be possible, with such a culture that hates the other and robs its culture?"
(Interview with Al-Mashahid as-Siyasi, June 10, 2001)
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"The Israeli culture is inhuman. It is an aggressive, racist and arrogant culture, based on robbing other people's rights and the denial of such rights…"
(Interview with Al-Mashahid as-Siyasi, London, June 10, 2001)
------------------------------------------------
"Israel never left any eternal heritage for the civilization, in any period of time…" (From his statement in the opening of the Arab specialists gathering for the protection of antiquities in Arab countries
(Qatar News Agency, April 25, 2001).
------------------------------------------------
"Israel is known in the international arena as a state that steals everything and attributes it to itself…"
(Interview with Ruz al-Yousuf, April 21, 2001)
------------------------------------------------
"…They (the Zionists) do not want to commit a cultural invasion, they want to rob our culture and heritage…"
(Interview with the Lebanese As-Safir, December 7, 2000)
------------------------------------------------
"The Israelis do not stop claiming that they built the pyramids, and this is why we need to stand firmly and respond courageously… even if it leads to a crisis because those pirates are committing a robbery… The Israelis want everything…" "…This is the way the Israelis took Palestine… Now they use (this method) regarding the big pyramid. These are continuous projects – people come, steal your history and civilization. This proves that Israel has no history or civilization, since those who have history of their own do not need to rob the history of others …" "…Israel has many political goals… First of all, they steal your civilization and history. Second, they do not have any civilization, i.e. they do not have a country, and do not deserve a country. This is why they create a country by force…"
(Interview with Ros al-Yusuf, May 5, 1997, "Israel is Robbing the Pyramids as it Robbed Palestine")
- Spain's Jewish problem, by Michael Freund
- Spain to limit judges' jurisdiction; includes probe against Israelis
- Hay una carta para Zapatero (Desde Sefarad)
- EU-funded Palestinian NGO leading the 'Spanish inquisition'
- 46 per cent of Spanish have a negative/very negative view of Jews (52 percent in Spain have a negative view of Muslims)
- Catalunya government: a Palestinian holocaust is taking place
- Spanish and Basque NGOs Join Palestinians and AIC in Boycott conference
- Spain : a pacifist country but ... an arms exporter
- Spanish unique expertise on Jewish bankers' genealogy
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Monday, 8 June 2009
Greece: Jewish cemetery vandalized for 3rd time this year
ATHENS (EJP)---A Jewish cemetery in Ioannina, in northwestern Greece, was vandalized for the third time this year.
According to the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, extremists brutally vandalized six tombs – among which that of the mother of the President of the local Jewish community-, destroyed part of a Holocaust memorial situated in the cemetery and daubed it with the blood of a turtle which they previously killed. The desecration occurred early on Wednesday morning, news reports said.
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The president of the Jewish community of Ioninna, Moses Elisaf, who is also a town councilor, urged local authorities "to take measures to arrest the perpetrators" and called upon his fellow citizens "to condemn these violent anti-Semitic attacks."
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The Central Board issued a statement stressing "the responsibility of the local authorities" and urging "all competent authorities to speed up the procedure to arrest the vandals" and the local society to react against the manifestations of anti-Semitism in Ioannina".
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The Board stressed that the attack against the Jewish cemetery "is directly related to the recent court decision to acquit neo-nazi writer Kostas Plevris who incites to acts of violence against the Greek Jews."
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The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece addressed a letter of protest to the Interior Minister asking for the protection of Jewish sites.
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Central Board President Moses Constantinis has blamed the authorities for ignoring the repeated requests for the protection of the cemetery by police. He also pointed out the recent increase of anti-Semitic incidents in Greece. Local representatives of political parties have condemned the attack.
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Hundreds of Jews lived in Ioannina until the outbreak of World War II. Most were deported to concentration camps under the Nazi occupation of Greece.
Hundreds of Jews lived in Ioannina until the outbreak of World War II. Most were deported to concentration camps under the Nazi occupation of Greece.
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Article by Maud Swinnen
Article by Maud Swinnen
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Norway: observations of a Jewish mother
"The indifference is equally surprising and upsetting. During the war in Gaza Hamas’ leader encouraged the killing of all Jews in the entire world. This was also broadcast here in Norway. I thought that important politicians or ministers would stand up and condemn these threats against one of this nation’s small minorities. I actually thought it would be a matter of course. For no ethnic group in the world "has made itself deserving" of extermination even though one may disagree with them. As far as I know there was no clear publicity about this either on the television, the radio or the press. Our own mayor was silent."
An unauthorized translation of a reader’s letter to Norway’s largest daily, Verdens Gang, printed in the paper edition on May 31st. No link to VG available as of today [June 1st].
"Elie Wiesel has made profound statements about the consequences of hatred and indifference. He warns against precisely this. In a democratic country such as Norway where human rights are constantly on the agenda I thought that we Jews would be safe.
I have not let myself be scared by the those who have warned that history may repeat itself. I am by nature an optimist. But after this winter’s events in the Middle East I am no longer as certain and secure anymore. Hatred against Jews all over the world, also in Norway, scares me.
It has among other ways been expressed through demonstrations, headings in the media and from certain politicians. The indifference is equally surprising and upsetting. During the war in Gaza Hamas’ leader encouraged the killing of all Jews in the entire world. This was also broadcast here in Norway. I thought that important politicians or ministers would stand up and condemn these threats against one of this nation’s small minorities. I actually thought it would be a matter of course. For no ethnic group in the world "has made itself deserving" of extermination even though one may disagree with them. As far as I know there was no clear publicity about this either on the television, the radio or the press. Our own mayor was silent.
In 1942 when the Jews were assembled and deported there were allegedly few or none who knew what was happening. This excuse is not valid today. The incitement to kill Jews has been made loud and clear. A lack of response to this is a sort of acceptance. Certain members of our community have also received death threats. Security in and around the synagogue has been strengthened. During the war in the Middle East it was with a heavy heart that I parted from my family every morning in order to go to work. I was fearful of potential people discovering who they were for thereafter to act in accordance with the incitement from the leader of Hamas. This was a tough time for us all and especially our children who now are youths. Much of the security they had felt earlier had gone, and they experienced the situation as very straining.
Some months have now passed since the war in Gaza, and the situation is apparently calm. In spite of this, there are cracks in my security and faith in those who govern this nation. But I hope with all my heart that those who believe history may repeat itself are wrong.
A mother."
Source: Norway, Israel and the Jews
An unauthorized translation of a reader’s letter to Norway’s largest daily, Verdens Gang, printed in the paper edition on May 31st. No link to VG available as of today [June 1st].
"Elie Wiesel has made profound statements about the consequences of hatred and indifference. He warns against precisely this. In a democratic country such as Norway where human rights are constantly on the agenda I thought that we Jews would be safe.
I have not let myself be scared by the those who have warned that history may repeat itself. I am by nature an optimist. But after this winter’s events in the Middle East I am no longer as certain and secure anymore. Hatred against Jews all over the world, also in Norway, scares me.
It has among other ways been expressed through demonstrations, headings in the media and from certain politicians. The indifference is equally surprising and upsetting. During the war in Gaza Hamas’ leader encouraged the killing of all Jews in the entire world. This was also broadcast here in Norway. I thought that important politicians or ministers would stand up and condemn these threats against one of this nation’s small minorities. I actually thought it would be a matter of course. For no ethnic group in the world "has made itself deserving" of extermination even though one may disagree with them. As far as I know there was no clear publicity about this either on the television, the radio or the press. Our own mayor was silent.
In 1942 when the Jews were assembled and deported there were allegedly few or none who knew what was happening. This excuse is not valid today. The incitement to kill Jews has been made loud and clear. A lack of response to this is a sort of acceptance. Certain members of our community have also received death threats. Security in and around the synagogue has been strengthened. During the war in the Middle East it was with a heavy heart that I parted from my family every morning in order to go to work. I was fearful of potential people discovering who they were for thereafter to act in accordance with the incitement from the leader of Hamas. This was a tough time for us all and especially our children who now are youths. Much of the security they had felt earlier had gone, and they experienced the situation as very straining.
Some months have now passed since the war in Gaza, and the situation is apparently calm. In spite of this, there are cracks in my security and faith in those who govern this nation. But I hope with all my heart that those who believe history may repeat itself are wrong.
A mother."
Source: Norway, Israel and the Jews
Friday, 5 June 2009
Cairo speech: Obama mentions anti-Semitism and the Holocaust
"Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust. Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich. Six million Jews were killed -- more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, it is ignorant, and it is hateful. Threatening Israel with destruction -- or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews -- is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve."Source: America.gov
Elie Wiesel expects Obama to be 'very moved' by visit in Buchenwald
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Spain's Jewish problem, by Michael Freund
"Jews constitute less than one-tenth of one percent of Spain's citizenry, and the community maintains a very low profile. Clearly, then, Spaniards' firsthand knowledge of Jews is extremely limited, if not nonexistent. And yet they seem to hate us with unbridled passion."
"And then there was a recent poll commissioned by Spain's Education Ministry, which found that more than 50% of students between 12 and 18 said they would not want to sit next to a Jew in school."
Whereas attention is exclusively focused on Spain, one would be surprise if their Portuguese neighbours didn't feel the same about Jews. The Jewish population in Portugal is reduced to around 1,000-1,200 individuals ... worse than Spain. (See here, here and here)
Source: article in TJP
Ask Jews which country they consider to be the European hotbed of anti-Semitism, and you will probably get a variety of responses. Some will no doubt invoke Poland and Germany, in light of the Holocaust, while others will insist that France has become the home of modern anti-Jewish sentiment on the continent. Still others may argue that the Swiss or the Hungarians are competitive candidates for this dubious distinction.
And yet, if three recent studies and a host of nasty incidents are any indication, then the top spot, as it were, would belong to Spain, which is far and away the most rabidly anti-Semitic country in Europe.
Last fall, the Pew Global Attitudes Project published a wide-ranging study on how Jews and Muslims are viewed in various countries. It found that 46 percent of all Spaniards hold negative views of Jews - by far the highest percentage recorded in any non-Muslim country. The runners-up, Russia and Poland, trailed Spain by 10 or more percentage points.
Pew also found that Spain was the only country in Europe where the percentage of those holding negative opinions of Jews exceeded those with a positive view, with just 37% of Spaniards viewing Jews favorably. By contrast, 50% of Poles, 64% of Germans and 73% of Brits have positive views of Jews.
Ample evidence supporting Pew's findings could be found in a study released in February by the Anti-Defamation League on "Attitudes Toward Jews in Seven European Countries." It revealed that more than half of those surveyed in Spain embrace classical anti-Semitic stereotypes regarding Jewish power, loyalty and money.
And then there was a recent poll commissioned by Spain's Education Ministry, which found that more than 50% of students between 12 and 18 said they would not want to sit next to a Jew in school.
No matter how one looks at these figures, they are indisputably harsh, and signify that anti-Semitism in Spain is profound and deeply-rooted.
WHAT MAKES this phenomenon even more troubling is the fact that there are so few Jews in Spain. With just 20,000 out of a population of some 40 million, Jews constitute less than one-tenth of one percent of Spain's citizenry, and the community maintains a very low profile. Clearly, then, Spaniards' firsthand knowledge of Jews is extremely limited, if not nonexistent. And yet they seem to hate us with unbridled passion.
Events in recent months have unfortunately borne this out. In May, Israeli Ambassador Rafi Shotz was a victim of Spanish anti-Semitism. While walking home after attending a soccer game in Madrid, he was accosted by three men who hurled a torrent of anti-Semitic slurs his way, calling him a "Jewish dog" and "dirty Jew."
In mid-January, the windows of Barcelona's Chabad house were smashed by unknown perpetrators, who sprayed anti-Semitic graffiti on the building. Two weeks later, a man wielding a baseball bat was apprehended after striking a Barcelona synagogue and then attacking one of its employees.
And then, of course, there was the outrageous decision earlier this year by Judge Fernando Andreu of Spain's National Court to investigate senior Israeli defense officials for the 2002 assassination of senior Hamas terrorist Salah Shehadeh. The Spanish parliament later took steps to rein in this judicial adventurism.
Various reasons have been offered in an attempt to explain Spain's rising intolerance. These include deep-seated prejudices rooted in the medieval anti-Semitism of the Catholic Church, the rising political power of the far Left which is hostile to Israel, as well as the Spanish media's unbalanced and often biased coverage of the Middle East.
BUT MORE IMPORTANT, perhaps, than the causes behind this phenomenon is the perennial question: What can be done about it? A key part of the answer may lie with the Bnei Anousim (Hebrew for "those who were coerced") - the descendants of Jews who were forcibly converted to Catholicism centuries ago yet continued to cling to their Jewish identity.
Because of their personal background and historical connection with the Jewish people, many Bnei Anousim feel a strong affinity toward Israel. As citizens of Spain, they are perfectly positioned to serve as goodwill ambassadors for the Jewish state, and many of them are more than willing to do so.
Take, for example, Rafael Perez of Zaragoza. He launched a popular Web site in Spanish, Kolisraelorg.net, which promotes Israel and its cause in Spain's often hostile cyberspace. Others, such as Dr. Itzhak Kalafi and his wife Nuria Guash in Barcelona, blog about Israel and work to counter anti-Zionist propaganda in the local press.
Nevertheless, Israel has yet to make use of their talents and commitment. For reasons known only to itself, the Foreign Ministry has done little to reach out to Bnei Anousim, despite their readiness to help. This oversight is a grave mistake. It is simply unthinkable that Israel would fail to tap into this natural pool of support, especially when the overall atmosphere among the Spanish public is so dour.
Clearly, Spain's Jewish problem will not go away overnight. Indeed, 500 years may have passed since it expelled its Jews, but the country still seems to have trouble tolerating even a small Jewish presence.
But that doesn't mean that more cannot be done to improve the situation, and reaching out to the Bnei Anousim seems like a good place to start.
The writer serves as chairman of Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org), a Jerusalem-based group that reaches out to the Bnei Anousim in Spain, Portugal and South America.
- Spain to limit judges' jurisdiction; includes probe against Israelis
- Hay una carta para Zapatero (Desde Sefarad)
- EU-funded Palestinian NGO leading the 'Spanish inquisition'
- 46 per cent of Spanish have a negative/very negative view of Jews (52 percent in Spain have a negative view of Muslims)
- Catalunya government: a Palestinian holocaust is taking place
- Spanish and Basque NGOs Join Palestinians and AIC in Boycott conference
- Spain : a pacifist country but ... an arms exporter
- Spanish unique expertise on Jewish bankers' genealogy
"And then there was a recent poll commissioned by Spain's Education Ministry, which found that more than 50% of students between 12 and 18 said they would not want to sit next to a Jew in school."
Whereas attention is exclusively focused on Spain, one would be surprise if their Portuguese neighbours didn't feel the same about Jews. The Jewish population in Portugal is reduced to around 1,000-1,200 individuals ... worse than Spain. (See here, here and here)
Source: article in TJP
Ask Jews which country they consider to be the European hotbed of anti-Semitism, and you will probably get a variety of responses. Some will no doubt invoke Poland and Germany, in light of the Holocaust, while others will insist that France has become the home of modern anti-Jewish sentiment on the continent. Still others may argue that the Swiss or the Hungarians are competitive candidates for this dubious distinction.
And yet, if three recent studies and a host of nasty incidents are any indication, then the top spot, as it were, would belong to Spain, which is far and away the most rabidly anti-Semitic country in Europe.
Last fall, the Pew Global Attitudes Project published a wide-ranging study on how Jews and Muslims are viewed in various countries. It found that 46 percent of all Spaniards hold negative views of Jews - by far the highest percentage recorded in any non-Muslim country. The runners-up, Russia and Poland, trailed Spain by 10 or more percentage points.
Pew also found that Spain was the only country in Europe where the percentage of those holding negative opinions of Jews exceeded those with a positive view, with just 37% of Spaniards viewing Jews favorably. By contrast, 50% of Poles, 64% of Germans and 73% of Brits have positive views of Jews.
Ample evidence supporting Pew's findings could be found in a study released in February by the Anti-Defamation League on "Attitudes Toward Jews in Seven European Countries." It revealed that more than half of those surveyed in Spain embrace classical anti-Semitic stereotypes regarding Jewish power, loyalty and money.
And then there was a recent poll commissioned by Spain's Education Ministry, which found that more than 50% of students between 12 and 18 said they would not want to sit next to a Jew in school.
No matter how one looks at these figures, they are indisputably harsh, and signify that anti-Semitism in Spain is profound and deeply-rooted.
WHAT MAKES this phenomenon even more troubling is the fact that there are so few Jews in Spain. With just 20,000 out of a population of some 40 million, Jews constitute less than one-tenth of one percent of Spain's citizenry, and the community maintains a very low profile. Clearly, then, Spaniards' firsthand knowledge of Jews is extremely limited, if not nonexistent. And yet they seem to hate us with unbridled passion.
Events in recent months have unfortunately borne this out. In May, Israeli Ambassador Rafi Shotz was a victim of Spanish anti-Semitism. While walking home after attending a soccer game in Madrid, he was accosted by three men who hurled a torrent of anti-Semitic slurs his way, calling him a "Jewish dog" and "dirty Jew."
In mid-January, the windows of Barcelona's Chabad house were smashed by unknown perpetrators, who sprayed anti-Semitic graffiti on the building. Two weeks later, a man wielding a baseball bat was apprehended after striking a Barcelona synagogue and then attacking one of its employees.
And then, of course, there was the outrageous decision earlier this year by Judge Fernando Andreu of Spain's National Court to investigate senior Israeli defense officials for the 2002 assassination of senior Hamas terrorist Salah Shehadeh. The Spanish parliament later took steps to rein in this judicial adventurism.
Various reasons have been offered in an attempt to explain Spain's rising intolerance. These include deep-seated prejudices rooted in the medieval anti-Semitism of the Catholic Church, the rising political power of the far Left which is hostile to Israel, as well as the Spanish media's unbalanced and often biased coverage of the Middle East.
BUT MORE IMPORTANT, perhaps, than the causes behind this phenomenon is the perennial question: What can be done about it? A key part of the answer may lie with the Bnei Anousim (Hebrew for "those who were coerced") - the descendants of Jews who were forcibly converted to Catholicism centuries ago yet continued to cling to their Jewish identity.
Because of their personal background and historical connection with the Jewish people, many Bnei Anousim feel a strong affinity toward Israel. As citizens of Spain, they are perfectly positioned to serve as goodwill ambassadors for the Jewish state, and many of them are more than willing to do so.
Take, for example, Rafael Perez of Zaragoza. He launched a popular Web site in Spanish, Kolisraelorg.net, which promotes Israel and its cause in Spain's often hostile cyberspace. Others, such as Dr. Itzhak Kalafi and his wife Nuria Guash in Barcelona, blog about Israel and work to counter anti-Zionist propaganda in the local press.
Nevertheless, Israel has yet to make use of their talents and commitment. For reasons known only to itself, the Foreign Ministry has done little to reach out to Bnei Anousim, despite their readiness to help. This oversight is a grave mistake. It is simply unthinkable that Israel would fail to tap into this natural pool of support, especially when the overall atmosphere among the Spanish public is so dour.
Clearly, Spain's Jewish problem will not go away overnight. Indeed, 500 years may have passed since it expelled its Jews, but the country still seems to have trouble tolerating even a small Jewish presence.
But that doesn't mean that more cannot be done to improve the situation, and reaching out to the Bnei Anousim seems like a good place to start.
The writer serves as chairman of Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org), a Jerusalem-based group that reaches out to the Bnei Anousim in Spain, Portugal and South America.
- Spain to limit judges' jurisdiction; includes probe against Israelis
- Hay una carta para Zapatero (Desde Sefarad)
- EU-funded Palestinian NGO leading the 'Spanish inquisition'
- 46 per cent of Spanish have a negative/very negative view of Jews (52 percent in Spain have a negative view of Muslims)
- Catalunya government: a Palestinian holocaust is taking place
- Spanish and Basque NGOs Join Palestinians and AIC in Boycott conference
- Spain : a pacifist country but ... an arms exporter
- Spanish unique expertise on Jewish bankers' genealogy
Monday, 1 June 2009
Norway: Mosque visited by Queen connected to Jamaat-e-Islami
The imam who on Monday received a visit from queen Sonja herself, has participated in the blessing of suicide actions targeting all adult Israelis. Mehboob-ur-Rehman is an imam in the Islamic Cultural Center, which this week received a celebrity from the royal family, in connection with the opening of an art exhibition.
Rehman is an honorary member of the European Fatwa Council, which as late as in 2003 declared a fatwa stating that suicide actions are actions which "please Allah" and that all adult Israelis are legitimate targets.
"The acts of martyrdom which the Palestinians carry out in their resistance fight against the Zionist occupation may not be reckoned as illegal terrorism, even though there should be innocent civilians among the victims" the fatwa declares, according to the London-based Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
Read the whole piece here
Source: Norway, Israel and the Jews
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The Islamic Cultural Center mosque has never hidden where they get their ideological inspiration: from Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, an organization considered to be an extreme group on the extremist side of the religious and political landscape.
When the Norwegian royal family wanted to visit a Muslim community in Norway for the first time ever on Monday, they chose the Islamic Cultural Center. It's unclear if Queen Sonja was aware of the links between the Islamic Cultural Center in Oslo and religious extremist groups in Pakistan.
Spokesperson at the palace Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen says that the Queen was there after having received an invitation to open an exhibition, and added that generally that Royal family doesn't comment on the reasons for their appearances.
Per Sandberg, Deputy head of the Frp (Progress Party), thinks the royal family can naturally visit whomever they want. But, he says, he would have wished the queen didn't legitimize a mosque with radical attitudes. She could have visited a mosque with moderate points of view. It's a paradox that so many Muslims in Norway follow radical movements within Islam after they come to Norway.
Laila Bokhari, researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, says that Jamaat-e-Islami is a fundamentalist and conservative movement. One of the movement's top leaders, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, is, at best, unclear about his attitude towards al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden, according to Bokhari. Ahmad was invited by the Islamic Cultural Center in Oslo in 2004 to give a speech.
Fahrat Taj, originally from Pakistan, is writing a doctoral dissertation on human rights and Islam. She say that the Islamic Cultural Center, via its ideological links to Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, puts itself on the fundamentalist wing. Taj says that in Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami is considered to have connections with al-Qaida. It's typical that Jamaat-e-Islami is now one of three political groups who don't support the army's operations against extremism in the Swat area.
According to the Pakistani press, around 1990 Qazi Hussain Ahmad has several meetings with bin Laden. After the terror attack against the US on September 11, 2001, he said the Jews were responsible. When one of the top leaders of al-Qaeda, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, was arrested in 2003, he was found in the home of then important member of Jamaat-e-Islami. Several experts consulted by Aftenposten emphasize, however, that Jamaat-e-Islami was never a part of bin Laden's terrorist network.
Mehboob ur-Rehman, an imam at the Islamic Cultural Center, sits on the European Fatwa Council headed by Egytpian Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Earlier this year al-Qaradawi congratulated Adolf Hitler for punishing the Jews during WWII.
Read the whole piece here
Source: Aftenposten (Norwegian) and Islam in Europe (English)
See also:
- Norway: Islamic Council rejects Qaradawi
- Oslo: Queen visits mosque
- Oslo: Imam blames 9/11 on US in college lecture
Rehman is an honorary member of the European Fatwa Council, which as late as in 2003 declared a fatwa stating that suicide actions are actions which "please Allah" and that all adult Israelis are legitimate targets.
"The acts of martyrdom which the Palestinians carry out in their resistance fight against the Zionist occupation may not be reckoned as illegal terrorism, even though there should be innocent civilians among the victims" the fatwa declares, according to the London-based Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
Read the whole piece here
Source: Norway, Israel and the Jews
-------------------------------------------
The Islamic Cultural Center mosque has never hidden where they get their ideological inspiration: from Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, an organization considered to be an extreme group on the extremist side of the religious and political landscape.
When the Norwegian royal family wanted to visit a Muslim community in Norway for the first time ever on Monday, they chose the Islamic Cultural Center. It's unclear if Queen Sonja was aware of the links between the Islamic Cultural Center in Oslo and religious extremist groups in Pakistan.
Spokesperson at the palace Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen says that the Queen was there after having received an invitation to open an exhibition, and added that generally that Royal family doesn't comment on the reasons for their appearances.
Per Sandberg, Deputy head of the Frp (Progress Party), thinks the royal family can naturally visit whomever they want. But, he says, he would have wished the queen didn't legitimize a mosque with radical attitudes. She could have visited a mosque with moderate points of view. It's a paradox that so many Muslims in Norway follow radical movements within Islam after they come to Norway.
Laila Bokhari, researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, says that Jamaat-e-Islami is a fundamentalist and conservative movement. One of the movement's top leaders, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, is, at best, unclear about his attitude towards al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden, according to Bokhari. Ahmad was invited by the Islamic Cultural Center in Oslo in 2004 to give a speech.
Fahrat Taj, originally from Pakistan, is writing a doctoral dissertation on human rights and Islam. She say that the Islamic Cultural Center, via its ideological links to Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, puts itself on the fundamentalist wing. Taj says that in Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami is considered to have connections with al-Qaida. It's typical that Jamaat-e-Islami is now one of three political groups who don't support the army's operations against extremism in the Swat area.
According to the Pakistani press, around 1990 Qazi Hussain Ahmad has several meetings with bin Laden. After the terror attack against the US on September 11, 2001, he said the Jews were responsible. When one of the top leaders of al-Qaeda, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, was arrested in 2003, he was found in the home of then important member of Jamaat-e-Islami. Several experts consulted by Aftenposten emphasize, however, that Jamaat-e-Islami was never a part of bin Laden's terrorist network.
Mehboob ur-Rehman, an imam at the Islamic Cultural Center, sits on the European Fatwa Council headed by Egytpian Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Earlier this year al-Qaradawi congratulated Adolf Hitler for punishing the Jews during WWII.
Read the whole piece here
Source: Aftenposten (Norwegian) and Islam in Europe (English)
See also:
- Norway: Islamic Council rejects Qaradawi
- Oslo: Queen visits mosque
- Oslo: Imam blames 9/11 on US in college lecture
Samson and Delilah in Antwerp: a curious and unattractive interpretation, Sarah Nathan-Whyte
"[...] Samson standing triumphantly above the crowd wrapped in a suicide belt, and it was a frankly nauseating moment to see an Old Testament hero portrayed in this manner."
"The Jewish army marches and dances brandishing their automatic weapons in an excess of sexual innuendo, the Philistines are brutally and literally trodden upon, the choreography and movement features Jewish virgins on their backs with their legs spread wide while other male characters sodomise happily, trousers dropped around their ankles ... vulgar and coarse ..."
"How can an audience applaud suicide-bombing which is not a theatrical device but an everyday event for many, and not only in today's Israel or Palestine. It happens every day in Iraq and Afghanistan and many young European soldiers have lost their lives."
Source: article by Sarah Nathan-Whyte at EJP
ANTWERP (EJP) --- The news that Camille Saint-Saëns opera Samson and Delilah was to be given a new production by an Israeli-Palestinian team in Antwerp caused some interest and a certain amount of disquiet, not to say consternation, amongst the Jewish population of this Belgian city and not entirely without justification.
It was a curious and unattractive interpretation causing a dichotomy between political over-simplification and total confusion. The production was directed by veteran Israeli Omri Nitzan and his Palestinian protegé Amir Nizar Zuabi, the young, polite, good-looking and young man born "on the wrong side of the wall".
To be fair his point of view was easier to understand than that of his Jewish colleague.
What was the idea ? Simply to reverse the ethnicities of the protagonists/antagonists... Samson (Torsten Kerl) becomes a Philistine, Delilah the Jewish princess (Marianna Tarasova). So far, so seemingly simple.
What went wrong? Apart from muddle-headed thinking the staging often verged upon the silly, confusing and, to a non-Gentile audience, disturbing. The Jewish army marches and dances brandishing their automatic weapons in an excess of sexual innuendo, the Philistines are brutally and literally trodden upon, the choreography and movement features Jewish virgins on their backs with their legs spread wide while other male characters sodomise happily, trousers dropped around their ankles ... vulgar and coarse ...
The problems much of the audience had, but not all, were manifold, but the details are too numerous to mention in this interpretation.
The final moments of the opera saw Samson standing triumphantly above the crowd wrapped in a suicide belt, and it was a frankly nauseating moment to see an Old Testament hero portrayed in this manner.
The idea of oppressor versus oppressed is scarcely an original idea, but the result of this ill-conceived production was, almost to be expected in today's political climate, one-sided and left many people bewildered and uncomfortable ... how can an audience applaud suicide-bombing which is not a theatrical device but an everyday event for many, and not only in today's Israel or Palestine. It happens every day in Iraq and Afghanistan and many young European soldiers have lost their lives..
Musically the evening was saved by the orchestral playing led brilliantly by Tomas Netopil.
However, much of the blame for the above must be taken by the Flemish Opera itself for the endless publicity on every page, newsletter and programme showing a young stone-throwing Palestinian child (on stage she is needlessly killed). The opera itself was carried along afterwards by a series of debates and lectures, even a Samson and Delilah weekend.
Other reviewers may have seen this differently, but to this one it felt like a successful propaganda exercise.
See also
- Belgian opera shows Jew raping woman in anti-Israel piece
- Belgian Jews criticize Flanders Opera for staging anti-Israel premiere
- View from America: Eyeless in Antwerp - Intifada at the opera
"The Jewish army marches and dances brandishing their automatic weapons in an excess of sexual innuendo, the Philistines are brutally and literally trodden upon, the choreography and movement features Jewish virgins on their backs with their legs spread wide while other male characters sodomise happily, trousers dropped around their ankles ... vulgar and coarse ..."
"How can an audience applaud suicide-bombing which is not a theatrical device but an everyday event for many, and not only in today's Israel or Palestine. It happens every day in Iraq and Afghanistan and many young European soldiers have lost their lives."
Source: article by Sarah Nathan-Whyte at EJP
ANTWERP (EJP) --- The news that Camille Saint-Saëns opera Samson and Delilah was to be given a new production by an Israeli-Palestinian team in Antwerp caused some interest and a certain amount of disquiet, not to say consternation, amongst the Jewish population of this Belgian city and not entirely without justification.
It was a curious and unattractive interpretation causing a dichotomy between political over-simplification and total confusion. The production was directed by veteran Israeli Omri Nitzan and his Palestinian protegé Amir Nizar Zuabi, the young, polite, good-looking and young man born "on the wrong side of the wall".
To be fair his point of view was easier to understand than that of his Jewish colleague.
What was the idea ? Simply to reverse the ethnicities of the protagonists/antagonists... Samson (Torsten Kerl) becomes a Philistine, Delilah the Jewish princess (Marianna Tarasova). So far, so seemingly simple.
What went wrong? Apart from muddle-headed thinking the staging often verged upon the silly, confusing and, to a non-Gentile audience, disturbing. The Jewish army marches and dances brandishing their automatic weapons in an excess of sexual innuendo, the Philistines are brutally and literally trodden upon, the choreography and movement features Jewish virgins on their backs with their legs spread wide while other male characters sodomise happily, trousers dropped around their ankles ... vulgar and coarse ...
The problems much of the audience had, but not all, were manifold, but the details are too numerous to mention in this interpretation.
The final moments of the opera saw Samson standing triumphantly above the crowd wrapped in a suicide belt, and it was a frankly nauseating moment to see an Old Testament hero portrayed in this manner.
The idea of oppressor versus oppressed is scarcely an original idea, but the result of this ill-conceived production was, almost to be expected in today's political climate, one-sided and left many people bewildered and uncomfortable ... how can an audience applaud suicide-bombing which is not a theatrical device but an everyday event for many, and not only in today's Israel or Palestine. It happens every day in Iraq and Afghanistan and many young European soldiers have lost their lives..
Musically the evening was saved by the orchestral playing led brilliantly by Tomas Netopil.
However, much of the blame for the above must be taken by the Flemish Opera itself for the endless publicity on every page, newsletter and programme showing a young stone-throwing Palestinian child (on stage she is needlessly killed). The opera itself was carried along afterwards by a series of debates and lectures, even a Samson and Delilah weekend.
Other reviewers may have seen this differently, but to this one it felt like a successful propaganda exercise.
See also
- Belgian opera shows Jew raping woman in anti-Israel piece
- Belgian Jews criticize Flanders Opera for staging anti-Israel premiere
- View from America: Eyeless in Antwerp - Intifada at the opera
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