Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Cairo Jews aren't dhimmified enough, complains Egypt

From AP (h/t Mohammed the Teddy Bear):

Egypt canceled the inauguration of a restored synagogue on Sunday citing objections to Israel's treatment of Muslims in the occupied territories as well as alleged excesses during an earlier ceremony.

Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities spent seven months restoring the ruined Ben Maimon synagogue in Cairo's ancient Jewish quarter and had been set to unveil it to the press Sunday, a week after its rededication in a private ceremony.

Council head Zahi Hawass called off Sunday's event following criticism in the press of the synagogue's rededication ceremony, which was attended by Israeli diplomats as well the American ambassador. The cancellation was largely symbolic as the restoration is complete and the synagogue has been reopened.

"This cancellation comes after what happened during the inauguration by the Jewish community who engaged in activities considered provocative to the feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world, including dancing and drinking alcohol," Hawass said in the statement.

He added that "Muslim sanctuaries in occupied Palestine are subject to aggression by the occupation authorities," citing in particular Israeli security actions on the Temple Mount, known as the Aqsa compound to Muslims, in Jerusalem.

The March 7 dedication ceremony at the synagogue, named after the 12th century rabbi and intellectual Maimonides, was closed to media and included half a dozen Egyptian Jewish families that long ago fled the country. No Egyptian officials attended the ceremony.
A group of about 11 Hassidic Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis also came to Cairo from the United States and Israel and sang at the event. Attendees also said toasts were made.

Egypt's Jewish community, which dates back millennia and at its peak in the 1940s numbered around 80,000, is down to several dozen, almost all of them elderly. The rest were driven out decades ago by mob violence and persecution tied in large part to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In his statement, Hawass lauded Egyptian efforts to restore its Muslim, Jewish and Christian sites without regard to their religion.

"This is proof of the religious tolerance in Egypt, while Muslim sanctuaries in Jerusalem and other Palestinian cities are subject to destruction and sequestration by Israel," he said.

Yes, this is definitely proof of religious tolerance in Egypt. Jews dancing in celebration and drinking wine in a private ceremony with no Egyptian officials present is considered "provocative to the feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world" and therefore must be punished.

Notice how Cairo's remaining Jews are considered responsible for Israel's actions by the tolerant Egyptian authorities.

You see, the remaining couple of dozen Jews in Egypt have perfect freedom of religion - except when Muslims complain about them or when Israel is perceived as doing something offensive. Then all bets are off.

The real censorship (Robin Shepherd)

From Robin Shepherd Online:

...[C]onsider the response to the Palestinian Authority’s decision last week to celebrate the worst terrorist atrocity ever perpetrated inside Israel (the 1978 bus massacres which left 38 dead including 13 children) by naming a central square in Ramallah after its perpetrator, Dalal Mughrabi. That was a statement of values and intent, glorifying mass terrorism and signalling to Israel and the world that the Palestinians can never be trusted to abide by civilised norms. It tells you everything you really need to know about Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians and why peace with them has proved elusive for more than six decades. What follows is a list of the western news outlets that have covered what, I repeat, is an immensely significant and illustrative story:

1. The New York Times. 2. Nobody… That’s right, every other major media outlet in the western world has effectively censored it.

If you really want to understand the reason why Israel faces such appalling demonisation and defamation across the western world, stop and think about this for a moment.
...By leaving the general population in a state of near total unawareness about the realities that Israel confronts in its dealings with the Palestinians, even neutral and unbiased observers are bound to come away with the impression that Israel is the guilty party in this conflict.

This is real censorship. And it works.

Read the whole thing.

Egyptians cancel soccer match with Palestinian Arabs

On March 4th I mentioned that the Egyptian Olympic soccer team intended to travel to Jerusalem to play a friendly match against the Palestinian Arab team near Jerusalem at the end of the month. The Egyptians stressed that they were traveling in such a way so as not to require Israeli visas, and therefore they wouldn't be contributing to "normalization" with the Zionist enemy with which their government signed a peace treaty some three decades ago.

Yesterday, Bikya Masr reported on increasing pressure in Egypt to cancel the match:

The Egyptian Football Association has accepted the invitation to play the Palestinians, adding that its Christian players would visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Muslim players would pay homage to the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. But, here in Egypt, activists and religious leaders are not pleased with the move, arguing that it marks “normalization” with the Jewish state.
“How can they do this, knowing that our Egyptian players will step foot on occupied territory and in Israel itself?” asked Sheikh Mohsen Goma’a, a former al-Azhar cleric who now runs a larger mosque in Imbaba, a poorer neighborhood in Cairo. He questioned if now is the time to play a football match.

“Maybe they should wait and see what happens politically before entering into a match of this kind. There are too many arguments on both sides and here in Egypt to play football when the Jews are doing these things to our Palestinian brothers and sisters,” he added.

Among the worries of Egyptians is that the players will be forced to have Israeli stamps in their passports, however a Palestinian official told local Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm that the players “will not get Israeli visas.” PFA chairman Ameen al-Rajoub added that “the visit to Jerusalem does not mean normalization with Israel. The Israeli occupiers do not want Arabs to visit Jerusalem.”

The Egyptian Football Association told Bikya Masr that this is a match between Egypt and Palestine and “Israel has nothing to do with it. It is not normalization. We are there to play football and show solidarity with Palestine.”

Despite the claims, Egyptians remain worried over the match and how the country will deal with Israeli involvement in the match, visas and traveling throughout the West Bank.

“Sure, they can say that it is between us and Palestine, but who is in charge there? The Israelis,” said Omar. The young activist said there would most likely be more protests and he would participate if the match isn’t reconsidered or “moved to Gaza, where there would be no contact with Israel.”

The Gulf News added:

"The upcoming visit will mean that the Egyptian players will land at an Israeli airport with their passports having an Israeli visa," said cleric Shaikh Mustafa Hussain.

"Thus, the visit will signal Muslims' acceptance of Israel's occupation of Jerusalem," Hussain told Gulf News. "If it is necessary for the team to make the visit, why shouldn't they go to the Gaza Strip to show solidarity with its people who are suffering under a relentless Israeli blockade?"

The visit has, meanwhile, drawn sharp criticism from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, a banned opposition group that nevertheless wields tremendous power. Its members, elected as independents in the parliament, have filed protests with Prime Minister Ahmad Nadeef and chairman of the governmental National Council for Sports, Hassan Saqr, over the visit.

"Going to Jerusalem means that the team will have to apply for Israeli visas," said Ebrahim Abu Ouf, an Islamist MP.

"This visit will offer a reward to the Zionist enemy who builds tunnels under Al Aqsa Mosque in order to demolish it. Moreover, it will imply recognition of Israel's control of Jerusalem. We should be careful not to fall into the trap of normalisation with Israel on the excuse of visiting Al Aqsa Mosque or other holy sites in [occupied] Jerusalem," he added.

Finally, the pressure was too much - and the Egyptian National Sports Council caved to the demands of the extremists. Of course, they cannot admit to that being the reason, instead saying that it was a response to the recent Arab riots in the Jerusalem area:

The National Sports Council (NSC) has called off a friendly match between Egypt's Olympic team and the Palestinian national team, previously scheduled for 28 March.

The cancellation comes as a response to recent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in Jerusalem.

The decision to hold the match faced fierce opposition from politicians and sports professionals, as the Egyptian football delegation will have to get Israeli visas which, critics say, is a form of normalization with Israel.

The political capital that Israel would have received from a football match was negligible - in fact, the Egyptian team planned to turn it into a political statement against Israel by scheduling the match for Land Day and highlighting the separation barrier. On the other hand, the emotional boost that the Palestinian Arabs would have felt being visited by Arab sports heroes would have been huge.

Which just goes to show that the Egyptians hate Israel far more than they love "Palestinians."

In a larger context, it is just one more piece of evidence that the Arab world's support for a "Palestinian" state has little to do with humanitarian concerns and human rights, and everything to do with being another step to destroy Israel.

Israel arrests major terrorist in Ramallah

From Ha'aretz:

Israel Defense Forces soldiers late Saturday arrested a top Hamas official in Ramallah, suspected of leading military cells responsible for the murder of more than 70 Israelis over the course of the second Intifada.

Mahar Udda, 47, has been wanted in Israel for over a decade for his alleged involvement in terror activity including the deadly double terror attack at Cafe Hillel in Jerusalem and at the bus stop near the Tzrifin military base in central Israel on September 9, 2003.

He was one of the founding members of Hamas and built the Islamist movement's military cell in the West Bank in the early 1990s.

He was arrested by the Palestinian Authority in 1998, but released shortly after.

Udda's arrest late Saturday was executed in a joint effort between the IDF, Israel Police and the Shin Bet security service.

The Hamas news article about this is not nearly so upset over his arrest as it is proud that he managed to avoid arrest for over a decade.

Hamas also assumes that the PA was involved in this arrest.

Israeli flag raising in Qatar

The World Indoor Championships are being held now in Doha, Qatar, and Israel is participating.

Here is a picture of a (possibly the only) Israeli athlete at the games. His appearance with the flag caused a stir in Palestinian Arab media, as the readers suffer the shame of viewing such a terrible act.

Good news for Saudi women

From Al Arabiya:

A Saudi woman divorced her husband after he violated a condition in their marriage contract that stipulated he would not marry another woman.

After 20 years of marriage and four children, the wife, who is in her 40s, discovered that her husband had another wife.

The Jeddah Court of Cessation confirmed a ruling issued earlier by the Jeddah Court of First Instance which divorces the plaintiff, the wife, from her husband after he violated one of their marriage conditions rendering the union invalid.

The court also emphasized that the ruling is irreversible. Should the husband ever wish to return to his ex-wife, he would have to pay a new dowry and sign a new contract.

Sheikh Abdullah al-Manei, member of the Council of Senior Scholars, said he endorsed the court's decision.

"All scholars agree that the conditions in marriage contracts are legitimate and that violating them invalidates the contract."

In Islam, a woman is allowed to set the conditions of her marriage as long as they are not in violation of Islamic teachings. She is then entitled to a "conditional divorce" if any of those conditions are not met by her husband.

Let's hope other Muslim women take advantage of this provision in Islamic law and refuse to wed a man unless he makes a similar stipulation.

Weekend open thread

Sorry I didn't post much today. Here's an open thread as a lazy way to make it up to you.

While we are at it, here is Barry Rubin on the "peace talks" and an interesting entry from MEMRI.

Have a great weekend!

Friday Linkdump

Lots of semi-interesting things out there today:

A truly stupid Reuters article that quotes an unnamed Kabbalist about "ominous signs" during Biden's trip to Israel. This article was ignored by the vast majority of online newspapers - but Arab newspapers picked up on it.

Apropos to a recent comment thread on hate speech, free speech and incitement, the National Post speaks about the rights of a truly vile Canadian named Salman Hosain who calls for a new Holocaust.

A review of a book about how the Nazis used propaganda in the Arab world before WWII. Some of the reviewer's side comments are interesting, such as his claim that anti-semitic stories were added to The Arabian Nights tales in the 17th and 18th centuries.

WSJ on the new Hurva synagogue.

Firas Press in Arabic quotes an unnamed Israeli official saying that the only reason that Israel is acceding to US demands for new negotiations with the PA is to calm down the Arab world and unify nations against Iran. Maybe not the only reason but no doubt a very major one.

Saudi court sentences "sorcerer" to death

From the Arab News:

The General Court in Madinah upheld its verdict against 46-year-old accused Arab sorcerer Ali Hussein Subat (aka Scheherazade), saying he deserved death for publicly practicing black magic, thus spreading corruption on the earth.
The judges said they called for the execution of the man for his continuous practice of black magic and that he had been doing it publicly for several years before millions of viewers of a satellite channel.
The court insisted that the magician deserved death in order to make him an example and deterrent for others, especially for foreigners who come to the Kingdom to practice sorcery.
The magician was arrested at a hotel in Madinah two years ago. Members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice seized a talisman where he had written the name of a man, his mother and wife.
Shahrzad acknowledged in front of the general court in Madinah that he had presented a black magic program on the Saudi Sports Channel. However, he claimed that he was practicing black magic during the past eight years in order to treat patients. He also admitted that he had called for the assistance of Satan, Jinn and talisman for his purpose.

"Satan, Jinn and Talisman" would also be a great name for a music group. Maybe country or bluegrass.

The article says that Subat was practicing his magic on the Saudi Sports Channel. You would think that they would cut him some slack; he was just trying to predict who would win the game. He's the Arab world's Jimmy the Greek!

We better keep Sesame Street's Amazing Mumford away from the Anti-Magic Kingdom. Not only does he practice magic, but his magic words are "Allah Peanut Butter Sandwich."

On a more serious note, HRW actually mentioned this case when Subat was arrested two years ago:

In March 2008, Human Rights Watch asked a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Justice to clarify the definition of the crime of witchcraft in Saudi Arabia and the evidence necessary for a court to prove such a crime. The official confirmed that no legal definition exists and could not clarify what evidence has probative value in witchcraft trials. Saudi Arabia has no penal code and in almost all cases gives judges the discretion to define acts they deem criminal and to set attendant punishments.

Islamic Jihad reminds everyone that Jews are inherently evil

The Saraya.ps website, run by Islamic Jihad's Al Quds Brigades, has a useful reference article about how evil and deceptive Jews have been for the past 1500 years.

Since the dawn of Islamic history, since the revelation to the Prophet peace be upon him,... God has revealed a lot of the vile and despicable Jewish ethical traits. An examination of the Quran shows this reality and how they are [guilty of] corruption, and deviation in attitude and behavior, and distance from the right path.

From the description of Jews in the Quran we see their great envy, as it says precisely in the Quran "Or do they envy mankind for what Allah hath given them of his bounty?" (Women, 54)

The Prophet, peace be upon him, was subject to three assassination attempts, only by Jews.

The article then goes on the detail those supposed incidents, including, interestingly enough, "incitement to murder" and "throwing stones."

But don't call them anti-semitic! No, they just hate Zionists and Israelis!

(The third assassination try was an attempt to poison Mohammed, with the wonderful Google autotranslation of "Creamy grilled poison sheep." That would make a great name for a band!)

The newly rebuilt Hurva Synagogue, destroyed by the Jordanian army in 1948 will finally be rededicated next week.

The house of worship was first built in the early 1700s, burned down in 1720, and rebuilt in 1864. Built in the center of the Jewish Quarter, it dominated the Jerusalem skyline (along with the Tiferes Yisrael synagogue.)

Naturally, the Muslims are furious at Jews daring to rebuild a synagogue in a spot that they had lived continuously for well over two thousand years. As I reported a few months ago, what really bugged them was the height of the structure, because in Islamic tradition mosques should always be the tallest buildings in the area. Since the Jewish Quarter is on a hill, the Hurva dome will be higher than the domes on the Al Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock.

Now, however, they have a new reason to seethe. Ever since Ha'aretz reported a (pretty much unfounded) rumor that the Vilna Gaon had predicted that the Third Temple would be built on March 16, 2010, they have been convinced that Israel has evil plans. Saraya, the Islamic Jihad newspaper, says that Hurva is being built on an Islamic neighborhood, and says that the construction of the Third Temple will commence on March 16th. The Al Aqsa Heritage Foundation says that the Hurva dedication will take place on Sunday and Monday, also to be followed by the public start of the building of the Third Temple, as well as more Jews "storming" Al Aqsa for Passover at the end of the month.

Hey, if they are expecting it already, there's nothing to lose by doing it, right?

The likely next Al Azhar leader - a "moderate"

After the death of Sheikh Tantawi, who led Egypt's Al Azhar University, the most likely successor is the current Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Ali Gomaa.

From Gomaa's Wikipedia entry he comes across as being very moderate:

Since taking office Gomaa has issued a number of fatwas and statements that have made an impact in the media. He has issued a fatwa asserting that men and women enjoy equal political rights in Islam, including the right to become president of a modern state.[12]

In November 2006, prof Gomaa ruled that female circumcision (also referred to as female genital mutilation or FGM) should not be applied; this ruling is in accordance with Egyptian law, that also forbids female circumcision. This ruling came about after a conference instigated by research and a documentary on FGM in Somalia by the German action group Target. This fatwa is now also used in Western Europe to combat FGM.[14] On June 24, 2007, after an 11-year-old died under the knife undergoing circumcision, he decreed that female circumcision was not just “un-Islamic” but forbidden.[15]

He has also stated that Islam does not call for and has never known a theocratic state and that there is no contradiction between Islam and liberal democracy saying, “I consider myself a liberal and a Muslim, but this does not mean I am a secularist. The Egyptian [historical] experience has combined liberalism and Islam in the best of ways.” [16]

In 2007 he "unequivocally told the Washington Post that the death penalty for apostasy simply no longer applies."[18]

Gomaa has publicly asserted that the anti-Semitic The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a forgery and made an official court complaint concerning a publisher who falsely put his name on an introduction to its Arabic translation.[19]

Sounds pretty good, right?

Unfortunately, the Wiki entry does not fully address his feelings towards suicide bombing against Israelis. The Nationmaster encyclopedia fills in the blanks:

In an interview with an Egyptian paper “Al-haqiqa” in July 2003, Sheikh Ali Gomaa was asked a number of questions regarding Palestine. He also made some statements regarding the issue which were reported in al-Hayat newspaper on the 30th September 2003. [6] [7]

When asked about the rule of an Egyptian man illegally entering Palestine and carrying out a ‘martyrdom’ operation without the express permission of the head of state he replied that "he is a Shahid [martyr], because Palestine is a special case and not the ordinary case existing in the world… This is because in Palestine there is an enemy that rules the land. This rule is considered a crime by international conventions and resolutions… The world has let the Jews spread corruption throughout the land and they have succeeded in obtaining international legitimacy to territories that were conquered after 1967…Israel is a special case that does not exist [anywhere else] on the face of the earth. We are facing a criminal occupation that is the source of terror."

When asked about the explicit ruling on “martyrdom” operations he replied that "The one who carries out Fedaii [martyrdom] operations against the Zionists and blows himself up is, without a doubt, a Shahid [martyr] because he is defending his homeland against the occupying enemy who is supported by superpowers such as the U.S. and Britain."

In the same interview, referenced above, he was then asked regarding the rule regarding differentiating between civilian and non civilian targets replying that

"The Zionists themselves do not differentiate between civilian and military personnel. They have set the entire people to military service. The civilian settler who occupies land in a state of war is a Harbi [that is, a non-Muslim living in an area regarded as 'Dar Al-harb,' the 'domain of war,' in which Islam does not dominate]. Besides, everyone in Israel, civilians and military personnel, bear arms. That is, they are 'Ahl Al-Qital'[that is, those who deserve to be fought]."

Various other questions and answers from the same interview include:

Question: "Do you differentiate between operations carried out within the 1948 borders and operations carried out within the 1967 borders?" Sheikh Gum'a: "Even Zionists do not differentiate. They occupied the entire territory. We differentiate when there is a difference, [but] there is no difference between Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Hebron."

Question: "Is it permitted to kill an Israeli traveling outside the borders of his land?" Sheikh Gum'a: "Yes, it is permitted to kill him, because he is a Harbi and the Harbi spreads corruption throughout the face of the earth."
Question: "Even if he is wearing a diplomatic uniform, for example?" Sheikh Gum'a: "He can wear a diplomatic uniform as much as he likes, but his blood is permitted. But permitting his blood does not mean that he must be killed; it only permits his killing."

Wikipedia mentions only the last question and quotes another person who says that the sheikh denied making that statement. It also quotes Church Times:

During a press conference on Wednesday, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Ali Gomaa, rejected press reports that he had praised suicide- bombers in Palestine. The reports were wrong and had “muddied the picture. . . We are against any persecution of any minorities,” he said.

That denial is not a denial, it is a non-sequitur.

But so long as you can accept that the word "moderate" has completely different definitions when referring to Arabs/Muslims and when referring to any other human beings, then you can certainly call him a "moderate."

Emiratis freak out over Israeli supermarket ad

From ITN:

This supermarket ad is front-page news at the UAE-based Gulf News, and the reader comments indicate how offended they are by the ad, which hasn't even aired yet as far as I can tell.

Meanwhile, Dubai Police Clown Khalfan is backtracking from his statement that the UAE will stop all Israelis (and Jews) from entering the country, saying that they will be stopped "only if they are Mossad suspects." Of course, since his suspect list keeps growing, that may soon include every white man and woman in the world.

Ramallah central square to be named after child-murderer

From YNet:

The Palestinian Authority decided Wednesday to postpone a ceremony naming Ramallah's central square after Dalal Al-Mughrabi, a female terrorist who carried out a deadly terror attack on an Israeli bus in 1978.

For the time being, a new date has not been set for the ceremony.

The postponement is assumed to be linked to a visit by US Vice President Joe Biden, who is currently in Israel. Earlier in the day, Biden condemned Israel for approving the construction of 1,600 new housing units in east Jerusalem.

In recent weeks, Israel has conveyed harsh messages to the Palestinians regarding the plans for the square's new name. Al-Mughrabi is a popular figure, considered by the Palestinian public to be a major hero of their struggle, with many legends linked to her name over the years.

Her attack killed 37 people, including at least 10 children and American photographer Gail Rubin, shot in cold blood at the beginning of the attack.

Palestine Today quotes Fatah sources as confirming that the square will be named after Mughrabi "despite Israeli threats." The official made it clear that terror attacks have been an integral part of the "Palestinian revolution."

There are girls schools named after Mughrabi in Gaza and Hebron. Summer camps and other institutions are named after her as well.

Anti-semitic, anti-Israel protest at the Waldorf

This is my edit of two videos taken outside the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York on Tuesday night. Thanks to tmdrdd for the footage, and check out his other videos of the event.