This is something you don't often see - an Arab at a major Arab newspaper debunking an antisemitic rumor that has become an accepted part of the narrative.
For decades, Arabs have been taught that the Jewish men and women of the IDF, upon conquering the Old City of Jerusalem, went through the Al Aqsa Mosque in a drunken and half-naked state, chanting, "Mohammed is dead, and he left only daughters!"
Even though this story is absurd to begin with, Ali al-Ameem, a Saudi journalist, traces the rumor back to its origin and debunks it thoroughly.
The first mention of the story comes from Iraqi Islamic writer Mahmoud Sheet Khattab in his 1969 book “Arab Military Unity.” He wrote, “When the Jews entered the city of Jerusalem on June 6, 1967, they were chanting in Al-Aqsa Mosque in Hebrew, with the meaning: Muhammad died, he died... He left daughters, and I listened to the silly joking, broadcasting a text from an Arab radio station, and commenting on it by the announcer, translating it to Arabic. Perhaps many Arabs and Muslims listened as I listened to that radio, and felt as I felt that a poisoned arrow hit my liver, which is bleeding blood, bitterness, sadness and pain.”
The story morphed. In a 1970 book by the same author, "Israel's Expansionist Objectives in the Arab Countries" Khattab wrote:
On June 6, 1967, Israel occupied the ancient city of Jerusalem. So the President of the Israeli State, the Prime Minister of Israel and the Ministers of Israel, led by the Israeli Chief Rabbi, proceeded to march towards the Western Wall, and there Moshe Dayan said: Today the road to the city is open.The Jews desecrated the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque by allowing the Israeli male and female soldiers to enter it wearing revealing clothes while they were drunk as if they were in bars or places of prostitution.The Israeli army and the Jews violated the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque. They were chanting in his courtyards on June 6, 1967: Muhammad died, he died... He left behind daughters!
Ameem points out the inconsistencies between these two stories as well as more embellishments that Khattab added in years later. He notes that the phrase "Mohammed dies, and left daughters" only rhymes in Arabic, not Hebrew (Mohammad mat wakhalf banat.) He mentions that it makes no sense for Israelis, who have had women in the army since 1948, would say anything disparaging about Mohammed having only daughters. He points out that if the phrase had been on Arabic radio then many Arabs would have condemned it immediately and not waited until 1969.
Furthermore, Ameem points out, indeed Mohammed did die and leave behind only daughters. Why is that an insult to begin with? It only is insulting since Arabs do not regard women to be as important as men!
Ameem ends off with words I've never seen before in an Arabic article. He says that whenever one hears rumors like this one, one should not believe them unless there is real evidence to back it up.
Things are definitely changing in the Arab world, mostly for the better.
