An Early "Al-Aqsa is in Danger" Appearance

Extended quotations from this article, "Zionism as told by Rashid Rida":

Muhammad Rashid Rida (b. 1865) established al-Manar (The Lighthouse), a journal dedicated to the religious and political revival of the Muslim world. He remained the journal’s editor and chief writer until his death in 1935...Rida’s geopolitical analyses greatly influenced Hasan al-Banna (1906 – 49), the founder of the Muslim Brothers, and still matter today in Arab political discourse...

...At first (1898) Rida described Zionism as a humanitarian resettlement plan that highlighted the poor material state of Muslims and their disunity and should thus encourage Islamic reform. Then (1902) he exposed Zionism as a political movement that aimed to take over Palestine. Following the Young Turk revolution he warned (1910 – 14) that the ultimate ambition of the Jews was to convert the al-Aqsa mosque into a Jewish temple and cleanse Palestine from all of its Arab inhabitants...

...A reading of Rida’s depictions of Jews as the embodiment of vices and the orchestrators of global-scale conspiracies is useful to the broader discussion on the proliferation of anti-Semitic ideas in the contemporary Arab world. Translations of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion have been available in Arabic since the mid-1920s, and by the late 1920s they were already incorporated as an argument against Zionism. Following the 1948 war, the Protocols proliferated as an explanation for the Arab defeat. However, Rida viewed Jews as the masters of anti-Christian and anti-Muslim conspiracies already at the turn of the century, with no experience of defeat in mind and no foundational hateful European textbook to guide him. It appears that he was acquainted, albeit not through primary sources, with French anti-Semitic expressions as well as with their refutations in France. Anti-Semitic allegations in Istanbul also did not escape him. Ironically and to a large measure, Rida’s developed anti-Semitism reads as accommodation of his original admiration of Jewish virtues with his realization that Zionism was a serious threat...

...The threat of Jewish manipulation of the situation in the Ottoman Empire continued to preoccupy Rida in the months that followed. In December 1910, he presented the Zionist danger in even graver terms: should the Jews realize their plan to take over al-Aqsa, they would expel the Muslims and the Christians from the Holy Land. He urged the Ottoman government not to facilitate Jewish purchase of land or massive migration to Palestine, arguing again that Zionism posed a grave threat...

...Rida had already predicted in the 1910s that Jewish ascendancy in Palestine would endanger al-Aqsa and result in the ethnic cleansing of the Arab inhabitants...Already in October 1928, only days after the tensions over the Wailing Wall began, Rida portrayed events in Palestine as a struggle between Judaism and Islam, as well as between Britain and Islam. In this struggle, the British were assisting the Jews as part of Britains’s “ambitious” and uncharacteristically ill-conceived plan to subordinate the Arab nation and impose British rule on the Arabian Peninsula and the three holiest shrines – in Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. In this struggle, the ultimate goal of the Jews was the destruction of al-Aqsa, the third holiest shrine in Islam, and its replacement with a new Jewish temple (“Fath al-yahud li-bab al-fitna fi al-Quds” [The Jews open the door to turmoil in Jerusalem], al-Manar 29, no. 6 (October 1928): 414 – 16. He argued in this context that the Muslim prophetic evidence for the Muslims’ claim to al-Aqsa was stronger than the prophetic evidence of the Jews, an argument he repeated later)....Rida’s views on Zionism in the months following the riots create the impression that once the focus of the conflict became the future of al-Aqsa, and waves of Muslim support for the Palestinian struggle reverberated in Egypt and elsewhere, the editor of al-Manar, euphoric and combative, took it upon himself to convince his readers – and possibly also himself – that there was no possibility other than the elimination of Zionism by the Arabs.

There you have it.

And from "Arab states, Arab interest groups and anti-Zionist movements in Western

Europe and the US" by Daniel Rickenbacher:

In an al-Manar article appearing on December 2, 1910, [Rida] further warned that the Jews intended to turn the Al-Aqsa into the Jewish Temple and expel the Arab population from Palestine. Thus, the myth of the Jewish plan to take over al-Aqsa was born, a myth which would take full effect in the 1920s. The British war correspondent for the Daily Mail, J.M.N. Jeffries, while travelling in the Middle East in

the early 1920s, reported an interesting experience he had with one of the early propagandists of the Islamic cause in Damascus: “I learned how every pilgrim of any consequence to Mecca had our policy exposed to him. I came to know, in a sparringpartner sort of way, one of the Moslem sheiks chiefly engaged in this. He had just come from Mecca. (…) He was responsible, I had little doubt, for the leaflets distributed to Mecca pilgrims which bore a representation of the Mosque of Omar with either the cross or a Jewish symbol (I forget which) placed at its summit, supposedly, of course, by the British authorities in Jerusalem.” [Joseph Mary Nagle Jeffries, Front Everywhere (Hutchinson & Co., Ltd., 1935), 279–80. 

And see] The picture Jeffries described had been painted in the late 19th century by a Yeshiva, a religious Jewish establishment, for fundraising and decorative purposes. Thus, it bore no connection to the Zionist movement or the British government, nor of course did it express any intent to take over the Haram al-Sharif, the complex of Muslim holy sites on the Temple Mount. Nevertheless, Arab and Islamic propagandists have used it as proof since the 1920s of alleged Jewish plans to take over the Al-Aqsa. In their view, Jewish state-building in Palestine during the 1920s seemed to confirm the correctness of the ‘Jewish War against Islam’ theme...

...The Fourth Palestinian Congress, which was held in Jerusalem in June of 1921, 

Credit

discussed the idea of dispatching delegations to the Middle East to propagandize their struggle and raise money. In June 1922, the first such delegation departed for Mecca, consisting of Abd al-Kadir Muzaffer, Rafiq Tammimi and Amin Nurallah. During a stay in Egypt, they produced a leaflet designed to call attention to the supposed threat, and which included a print of the by that time wellknown picture of the Star of David topping the mosque. After meetings with the religious leadership of the country and Rashid Rida, they published a Fatwa to call for the defense of Al-Aqsa. In Mecca, the delegation took part in the pan-Arab al-Jazirah congress, again raising this issue and resulting in the establishment of ‘Association for Muslim Solidarity’ to defend Al-Aqsa on August 9, 1922. In early 1923, Kamel alBudeiri campaigned among the Transjordan Bedouins using the yeshiva picture. To a significant degree, the spreading of the ‘Jewish War against Islam’ theme in the first half of the 1920s was therefore the consequence of a conscious propaganda campaign...

...In contrast to its propaganda campaign abroad, the SMC pursued its propaganda in Palestine with greater restraint. Thus, the call for the defense of Al-Aqsa did not affect the country until 1928{*}. The public festivities held on the occasion of completion of the renovations of the Islamic holy sites in August 1928 proved the success of the internationalization strategy. The event was attended by many international guests, including Abdullah I of Jordan and Abd al-Hamid Said, the president of the Islamist YMMA in Egypt...

...During the Wailing Wall riots in 1929, the Egyptian branches of the YMMA echoed the Mufti’s propaganda in Palestine, portraying the clashes as a religious struggle. The most popular allegation claimed that the Zionists were intent on destroying the Islamic holy places in Jerusalem and re-erecting their Temple. Moreover, the propaganda cited hadiths to prove Islam’s eternal enmity to the Jews. The major Egyptian newspapers published calls for the defense of Al-Aqsa. Paradoxically, the Jews were accused of seeking to reestablish their ancient kingdom and of spreading Bolshevism at the same time. In al-Manar, Rida began speaking of a “War on Islam” by the British and the Jews, crediting the latter with intent to destroy the three holiest places of Islam. In parallel, the SMC emphasized the Muslim character of Palestine by declaring its sanctity for Islam. This coincided with the now frequent use of the term ‘holy country’ by Muslims, which was probably influenced by the Jewish and Christian designation for the Land of Israel. SMC publications alleged that Zionism sought to eradicate Islam

from Palestine...

{*} I would not agree with that. All through the 1920s, the Mufti interfered with Jewish prayer customs at the Western Wall, specifically preventing benches as well as prayer separation screens (mechitzot).

^

Jewish Snakes and the Temple Mount

The Al-Araby {The New Arab} web site goes anti-Semitic with Jews as snakes:

Also this (h/t):

It gets other anti-Semites going:

Snakes are jinns or non-believers.

And this:

Palestine’s blessing is linked to destruction of the center of global corruption [Jews of Israel], the snake’s head. When the snake’s head of [global] corruption is cut off, here in Palestine, and when the octopus’s [Jew’s] tentacles are cut off around the world, the real blessing will come with the destruction of the Jews, here in Palestine, and it is one of the splendid real blessings in Palestine.”
[Palestinian cleric, Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 13, 2008]

and this.

UPDATE

Here from ADL.

More Arab Anti-Semitism

When the Arabs claim they are not ant-Semitic and that they have nothing against Jew but Zionism mis the problem, tell them about this little item:


Hundreds of settlers break into Yussef’s Tomb performing Talmudic rituals

NABLUS Shchem, (PIC)– Hundreds of Jewish settlers broke into Yussef’s Tomb to the east of Nablus in West bank last night to perform Talmudic rituals under IOF protection.

Eyewitnesses said that 15 military vehicles stormed the eastern part of Nablus, and headed towards Yussef’s tomb to secure the entry of buses and cars carrying hundreds of Jewish settlers who came to perform religious Talmudic rituals.

The sources affirmed that the occupation forces fired stun grenades and tear gas against Palestinian houses in the area. They continued in their rituals till the morning hours, using loudspeakers and loud music during their prayers, caused great nuisance to the residents who threw stones and empty bottles as a response to their provocation.

It should be noted that the Israeli settlers have repeatedly stormed the Tomb which was an Islamic mosque built over a tomb of an Islamic Sheikh named Youssef Dweikat from the town of Balata. It was seized by Israeli settlers just after the occupation of the West Bank in 1967 under the pretext that it contains Tomb of Prophet Youssef.

Remember,

a) "Talmudic rituals" is an anti-Semitic buzz phrase.  Jewish ritual practices stem from the Bible.

b) that Joseph's tomb is in Shchem predates Arab arrival in the country.

c) the Oslo Accords recognized Jewish holy site status of the building in detailing arrangements regarding the Tomb in Article V(2b) of Annex I, which were designed “to ensure free, unimpeded and secure access” to the site.

^

Shots at J Street

From a crime report of Davis, CA:-

10:34 pm – Gunshots were reported heard at J Street Apartments. The caller heard one shot coming from the complex. Nothing else was seen or heard.

By the way, Davis, a city in Yolo County, California, part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Area, is home to USC Davis and

is known for its liberal politics

And by the way,

Jeremy Ben-Ami of J Street clarifies ‘Israel-Firster’ comment

I guess he was a bit too liberal the first time:

Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, released a statement where he sought to clarify his comments in a Washington Post article reporting on accusations that staffers from the Center for American Progress used anti-Semitic and anti-Israel language to attack pro-Israel activists.

In The Washington Post article, Ben-Ami was quoted saying that he had "no problem" with the term "Israel-Firster" and emphasized that it is "a legitimate question"...

In his new statement, Ben-Ami said that "the use of the term 'Israel Firster' is a bad choice of words. The conspiracy theory that American Jews have dual loyalty is just that, a conspiracy theory and must be refuted in the strongest possible way."

^

Horrors! A Jew in the BBC?

Thanks to Daphne, I know, and you now know that there is:

a strong and sometimes violent dislike of Israel is a fact of Egyptian life...

something the reporter was unfortunate enough to discover:-

...the BBC's Thomas Dinham, reporting from Cairo, tells us frankly of increasing antisemitism there, and adds:

'While walking in the street someone pushed me from behind with such force that I nearly fell over.


Turning around, I found myself surrounded by five men, one of whom tried to punch me in the face. I stopped the attack by pointing out how shameful it was for a Muslim to assault a guest in his country, especially during Ramadan.


Relieved that a seemingly random assault was over, I was appalled by the apology offered by one of my assailants. "Sorry," he said contritely, offering his hand, "we thought you were a Jew."


Shaking his head in disbelief on hearing the news, an Egyptian friend sympathised: "That's stupid, you are obviously not a Jew."


The chilling implication I was left with was that, had I been Jewish, the assault would have apparently been justified.'

My, my.

Egypt has sprung its antisemitism.

^

Hitler's Wartime Broadcasts to the Arabs

I've blogged about Herf's book before, but let's have his message again: "The roots of Islamic fanaticism can be traced to Adolf Hitler's radio messages broadcast around the Arab world during the Second World War, according to a new book"


The newspaper report:-

..."The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians would have been over long ago were it not for the uncompromising, religiously inspired hatred of the Jews that was articulated and given assistance by Nazi propagandists and continued after the war by Islamists of various sorts," said Jeffrey Herf, a history professor at the University of Maryland.

In his new book, "Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World", Mr Herf argues that Nazi propagandists offered a message that neatly dovetailed with underlying prejudice.

"Islamic fundamentalism, like European totalitarianism in the 20th century, was and is a mixture of very old and very modern elements.

"It is also a product of a mixture of some indigenous currents in the history of Islam with the hatred of democracy, liberalism and the Jews that were so central to National Socialism.

Mr Herf uncovered 6,000 transmissions, produced under the propaganda minister Josef Goebbels and sent around the Arab world from 1939 to 1945.

The transcripts of the broadcasts were made by the American embassy in Cairo during the war, and classified until 1977 in Washington. But it was not until two years ago that Mr Herf became the first scholar to be given access to the files.

..."The Arab language propaganda produced in wartime Berlin was a significant chapter in the longer history of radical Arab nationalism and militant Islam."

Arab Responsibility for the Holocaust

And thanks to Shlomo Avineri, Professor emeritus of political science, Hebrew University, for reconfiorming another issue I have harped upon:

Here he deals with the Arab responsibility for the Holocaust

One sometimes encounters the Palestinian argument that there is a basic injustice in the fact that they appear to have to pay the price for Europe's crimes during the Holocaust...Yet the Arab argument that places all responsibility on Europe is not completely correct.

When the Arab revolt against British rule in Palestine broke out in 1936, its aim was to change the British position [...and...] in the winter of 1938-39, the British changed their policy...In light of the need to insure the Empire's critical link to India via the Suez Canal, Britain feared that continued violent suppression of the Arab revolt in Palestine would push all Arabs in the region closer to Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It consequently decided to move closer to the Arabs and away from the Jews and Zionism. As Colonial Secretary Malcolm MacDonald explained to the Zionist leadership, the change was prompted not by a British conviction that Arab claims were justified, but rather by realpolitik: There were more Arabs than Jews; the Jews would support Britain against the Nazis in any case, but the Arabs have the option of joining Nazi Germany.

...This was the reason for the 1939 White Paper, which drastically limited the right of Jews to buy land in Mandatory Palestine and placed a ceiling of 75,000 on Jewish immigration. The message to the Arabs was clear: The Jews would remain a minority in Palestine.

...The gates were shut to legal Jewish immigration, the British navy fought illegal immigration and ships seeking to save Jews from the Nazi occupation (such as the Struma) were returned to their port of origin; some of their passengers died at sea, others in the gas chambers.

Guilt for the Holocaust lies with Nazi Germany and its allies. But an untold number of Jews, perhaps as many as hundreds of thousands...were not saved and did not reach Mandatory Palestine because of the position taken by the Arabs: They succeeded in shutting the country's gates during the darkest hour of the Jewish people. Anyone seeking reconciliation between us and the Palestinians must insist that both sides be attentive to the suffering of the other side, and that goes for the Palestinians as well as for us.

Nice Work There

The U.S. Holocaust Museum (USHMM) today removed from its website the falsified biography of the Holocaust era Mufti of Jerusalem. The Museum was criticized for blurring the line between facts and opinion, and in so doing, opening the door to Holocaust denial.

The father of Palestinian nationalism, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Hussayni, was a terrorist and a Nazi collaborator, indicted at the Eichmann Trial. The Museum wrote a web biography which presented al-Hussayni as a moderate supporter of non-violence. Falsifying and omitting key facts from the historical record, including photographs of Hussayni conferring with Hitler, the Holocaust Museum attempted to exonerate him from well documented charges of Nazi collaboration. The Museum’s website stated that his “controversial…relationship with Hitler’s government…has led some to label him a Nazi collaborator and war criminal….”

Within hours of the widespread dissemination to the press and public of HMWatch's press release describing the Museum's whitewash of the Mufti, the Museum removed the article.

The Museum still does NOT have in its archives the infamous November 28, 1941 photograph of the Mufti meeting with Hitler when he obtained Hitler's assurance to exterminate the Jews of the Middle East. Nor does the Museum have a factual biography of the Mufti and his role in creating the Nazi-Palestinian alliance.