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Arson, Anti-Semitism and Gaza
By Adam Shprintzen / January 8, 2009
Reports from throughout the globe seem to point to a significant increase in anti-semitic attacks against Jews in response to the fighting in Gaza. In France, a car strapped with a gasoline bomb rammed a synagogue in Toulouse. While in the outskirts of Paris, a young girl was beaten by a group of teenagers reportedly shouting, "You’ll pay for what the Israelis are doing in Gaza." It is important to note that Mohammed Moussaoui, a French Muslim community leader, condemned the synagogue attack as being inexcusable.
Belgian Jews have also been targeted, including a Molotov cocktail attack on a synagogue, and the stoning of a Jewish day school. Remarkably, as reported by the Copenhagen Post, the headmaster of a school in southern Denmark "publicly admitted he would refuse Jewish parents’ wish to place their child at his school" citing tensions and security concerns for Jewish students.
Meanwhile, in the UK, three youths attempted to light a synagogue on fire in northwest London, while in Sweden a synagogue was also the victim of an arson attack. Even in Australia (has anyone ever met a hateful Aussie outside of the Gibson family?), a Sydney Jewish resident was attacked, while a Melbourne synagogue was the target of anti-Israeli defacement.
In light of the warnings of Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar that Jews "have legitimized the murder of their own children," Jewish organizations are mobilizing in order to re-visit security precautions. All precautions are wise and necessary, of course. In drawing attention to these attacks, organizations face an intriguing balancing act. While these attacks deserve attention, particularly given the violent rhetoric utilized at anti-Israeli rallies, it is also important for those concerned with the spike in anti-semitic violence to avoid polemical comparisons, parallels that Jewish organizations correctly protest on a regular basis.
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About the Danish school, not sure if Adam means to censure the headmaster or deplore the conditions which gave rise to his move. Odense has an especially difficult situation. It has a nest of Muslim thugs nearby (Vollsmose), unemployable, living off welfare in their public housing, violent and restive. The Odense Danes are particularly subjected to criminality by them, so it’s not surprising to see the headmaster react. Even if he’s wrongheaded, I’d give him the benefit of the doubt as to motive.
As for Rabbi Lexner, he may view not admitting Jews as "theoretical," since Jews don’t enroll their children in these schools anyway, but the shooting of the Israelis in the Danish mall is real enough.
Denmark is a friend of Israel and is often alone amongst other Europeans, in refusing to go along with anti-Israeli EF/UN resolutions (not to mention the cartoons). The Danes are sick and tired of violent Arab/Muslim assholes in their midst and have modified their laws to make it easier to exclude and deport them. For this they are tarred as bigots by the usual suspects.
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I don’t doubt for a minute that Ismail believes he can offer a potent defense of the allegedly non-existent foibles of what has become of Islamic civilization – especially given his willingness as a secularist to defend, in part, the goals of a violent, theocratic political movement within the Muslim world. But to claim victim status for Muslims generally or as a whole (all one billion of them) would seem to call for a well-articulated apologia that doesn’t yet appear to have been voiced.
Given the fact that one of the mainstream Islamic beliefs involves an intrinsic sense of conflict with the non-Muslim sphere (dar al Harb), and given the longstanding sense of grievance and/or conflict with what the Arab world unapologetically refers to collectively as "the West", it’s reasonable to agree to terms that lay out a conceptual framework for such a thing as "Western civilization" as an entity separate from that which is claimed and identified with by its discontents. Further, if the alleged deficiencies of Western civilization can be criticized for the benefit of audiences which clearly don’t identify with it, it’s reasonable and manifestly fair to ask why such audiences, especially when they identify with a separate community of over one billion – a number which hardly seems indicative of a vulnerable minority within the world community - can’t be subjected to the same criticism in return.
I suspect that the true Islamophobe is one who is afraid of what Muslims will do or feel if you so much as question their beliefs and conceptual framework for understanding, defining and effectively enforcing what they consider to be civilized norms. Or maybe such a person just thinks less of Islam and of Muslims than he either realizes or cares to admit.
Perhaps he expects less of them in the way of credibly establishing these responsibilities than he does of "others".
Which is it, Ismail?
lbjack:
“to cite Le Monde’s lack of coverage of synagogue attacks as proof that they didn’t happen is like citing Der Stürmer as proof that Kristallnacht didn’t happen”: my point exactly, that’s the problem.
"…they (mosques) were probably left unguarded while the congregants were dancing in the streets…"
Muslims in general applauded the crimes of 9/11.
"So-called Islamophobia, while a debatable case of overreation, is grounded on fact, while anti-Semitism is grounded on the big lie."
So the sort of Muslim-hatred that is analogous to anti-Semitism (i.e., hatred of Muslims qua Muslims) is legitimate.
"…maintaining the fiction that Islam is a religion rather than the articulation and justification, respectively, of an atavistic mindset and its murderous manifestations."
Islam is not a religion, but at best a primitive psychological regression, at worst a criminal enterprise.
"…mosques are notorious nests of terrorist activities."
Not a few, not even some, but the general "mosques".
As I’ve noted on other occasions, the less censorship the better, in my book. But as long as this site is adopting a more muscular stance towards the unacceptable, perhaps it will agree that these sentiments might be considered a tad loathesome?
It’s a good way to maintain our sense of virtue, but to equate attacks on mosques following 9/11 — they were probably left unguarded while the congregants were dancing in the streets — with the endemic anti-Semitism of Europeans and Muslims is like equating a mugging with mass murder.
So-called Islamophobia, while a debatable case of overreation, is grounded on fact, while anti-Semitism is grounded on the big lie. In perspective, the ocassional mosque attack is not an issue; persistant synagogue bombings, cemetery desecrations, and assaults on yeshiva students, is an issue.
The civilized and somewhat feckless West has bent over backwards in maintaining the fiction that Islam is a religion rather than the articulation and justification, respectively, of an atavistic mindset and its murderous manifestations. Thus granted sacrosanct status, mosques are notorious nests of terrorist activities. (And, to be evenhanded, I must admit that synagogues are where the financial meltdown and the attack on Hamas were planned, not to mention where The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was penned.)
By the way, François’s tongue-in-cheek notwithstanding, to cite Le Monde’s lack of coverage of synagogue attacks as proof that they didn’t happen is like citing Der Stürmer as proof that Kristallnacht didn’t happen.
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Actually, my friend’s family ran into some trouble right after 9/11. They are Ashkenazi Jews, but have a dark complection which makes them appear Arab, or Mezrahi.
They were assaulted on the street of San Diego. Thank G-d, they were not hurt.
Still, it seems that whenever a Jew does something wrong (Madoff), everyone extrapolates his fault to the entire nation. You should have seen the amount of anti-Semitic comments on Haaretz.com when that story broke.
The US Commission on Civil Rights has a detailed report about the "dramatic surge" in incidents specifically in response to September 11th, which you can find here:
http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/sac/dc0603/ch1.htm
Fishman,
There actually were quite a few mosque attacks in light of 9/11, not to mention any number of otherwise related hate crimes against Muslim targets (and those perceived as being, ironically enough there was a spate of attacks on Sikhs in the United States). And those attacks (along with others that still occur against mosques–sadly, in December in Jaffa) are just as horrific as the ones outlined above. And anyone of good conscious would recognize just how fundamentally awful such actions are.
I just want to know how many Western Mosques were firebombed after 9/11 or the London bombing, or the Madrid bombing or the Mumbay attack!
Please, please tell me!
Why is that every action of Israel’s has a direct reflection on ALL Jews in the world by default? I thought that the "crimes" of one section of a nation did not indict the entire nation? But if that’s not true…..?
Dear Adam -If you look at Le Monde, not a word about it. The CRIF (union of French Jewish organizations), same thing. Libération and Le Figaro, a word and some comments from Internet users suggesting either a) the accusation of anti-Semitism is fake, how would the aggressors know that the victim is Jewish? or b) it is anti-Semitic to imply that the attack is anti-Semitic, there are anyways no such things as Jews in the Republic, laïcité oblige… So you see, *Jedi hand wave* No such thing as anti-Semitism in France *Jedi hand wave*. Now go get me an orange sherbet.
ouch…condemned the synagogue attack that is of course (and corrected).
"…Mohammed Moussaoui, a French Muslim community leader, condemned the synagogue as being inexcusable."
Geez, a Muslim can’t catch a break around here. Was this a Freudian slip?
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