Following are excerpts from an interview with Lebanese columnist Jihad Al-Khazen, which aired on CBC TV on January 1, 2012:
Jihad Al-Khazen: In Jerusalem, there are no archeological remains of the Jews or any of their prophets. They have no history. People forget that during Yitzhak Rabin's first term in government, in the early 1980's [sic]… I was in America at the time, studying history at Georgetown University. Rabin excavated under the Haram Al-Sharif, and uncovered the remains of an Umayyad palace. There are no [Jewish] archeological remains. There is no Solomon's Temple or any other temple.
They did not enter our countries, nor did they leave them. They were never in Egypt or in the Sinai. Ask Dr. Zahi Hawwas if he has found any Jewish archeological remains in Egypt or in the Sinai. Modern historians, including some Jews, call these "Torah fairy tales."
The Islamic religion was delivered in the light of history. Divine inspiration would come to the Prophet Muhammad, and he would put it on record that same day. The Christian religion was recorded by Jesus' disciples 40 or 50 years later. They were all still alive. The Jewish religion was recorded after 1,000 years. It's like you and me discussing family tales about the Crusades. The Crusades took place 800 years ago, not 1,000 years.
This religion is a fairy tale. We must sever Islam's times with [the Jews]. Their Prophets are not the prophets of the Muslims. Islamic scholars must have the courage to show that these people are frauds. That religion cannot possibly be true.
Al-Khazen has been saying stuff like this for years. But he is a major columist for London-based pan-Arab daily Dar al-Hayat.
(h/t O)