Amer Abdul Razzaq said that Jews are secretly visiting Iraq, in disguise, to visit the tombs of Biblical figures like Ezra and Ezekiel. This part is actually true, for practical reasons: if they go openly as Jews they just might be killed.
But then he went into conspiracy theory mode against Jews from Iraq claiming their properties that were seized in the 1950s.
Host: Do you agree today that we should invest in this—for instance, by creating tourism for these holy places where visitors can come?AAR: Every day, discussing this topic creates controversy because people will ask, "How can you talk about Jews [owning/visiting property] today?" But we have to admit—both you as a media professional and I as an archaeology expert—that accepting to discuss such a sensitive topic takes a high level of boldness. It requires careful phrasing. When I am asked about this, we must differentiate between Judaism (Jews) and Zionism.Host: Sure, absolutely.AAR: But practically speaking, we cannot easily make that distinction. As an archaeology expert, a human being, and a presenter, do you agree that these properties belong to Jews and that they should repossess them? In my opinion, I do not agree.Host: You don't agree?AAR: I do not agree. Because I do not trust—there are around 13,000 real estate properties—I do not trust them. Can we really separate people from the Zionist entity, which I call a destructive, terrorist movement against humanity and culture? We cannot separate them. They are tied to it, and according to their narratives, they have a promised land. Their religion is tied to their state (Israel), even if they live outside it.Host: Indeed.AAR: I have even heard suggestions not only about reclaiming their old buildings and land, but asking: "Why don't we allow them to buy new properties?" How could we allow them to buy land and risk turning Baghdad or Iraq into a second Palestine? Their projects and plans are extremely dangerous.Host : You mentioned a very important point—asking how Baghdad could be turned into a second Palestine. Do you believe Jews are planning for that today?AAR: Yes, they are planning for that using attractive concepts: brotherhood, peace, accepting the other, the Abrahamic Faith, and integration. Look at how broad and dangerous these concepts are—presented under shiny, beautiful covers, but dangerous to the extreme.
This is not an isolated crackpot. I wrote on my Substack recently that Al Jazeera was pushing the same rumor, and the results can be fatal:
On June 23, Al Jazeera published an article titled “An Israeli Assault on Iraqi Real Estate.” The article described Jewish investors allegedly offering large sums for Iraqi properties and using Arab and foreign intermediaries to conceal their identities. No names were published. An Iraqi company accused of buying two hotels on behalf of Jewish interests publicly denied having any connection to Jews or Israelis.
The article even discussed legitimate Iraqi Jewish property claims, from Jews who had been expelled in the 1950s, as part of the supposedly suspicious activity. Even the possibility of Jews returning to reclaim property was being interpreted as part of a dangerous foreign conspiracy.
Four days later, on June 27, Al Jazeera reported, citing Reuters, that prominent Shiite cleric Ayatollah Kazem al-Haeri had issued a fatwa declaring that the blood of any Jew purchasing Iraqi real estate could be shed.
Conspiracy theories like the “Jews are buying property to take over” aren’t just funny stories we can mock. If Jews are assumed to be collectively attempting to seize territory, an individual Jew buying a house can be treated as an enemy combatant in an imaginary war. The accusation doesn’t have to be true for someone to be killed over it.
Now any Iraqi can kill any Jew and claim that the Jew was planning to purchase Iraqi land, so the fatwa demanded it. They don't need any more evidence than pointing to Al Jazeera.