Can the Arab world leave anti-Semitism behind?

[shira]

<snip>

Some of this hatred was planted by Husseini and some of it long existed, but whatever the case, it remains a remarkable, if unremarked, feature of Arab nationalism. The other day, for instance, about 1 million Egyptians in Tahrir Square heard from Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an esteemed religious leader and Muslim Brotherhood figure whose anti-Semitic credentials are unimpeachable. Among other things, he has said that Hitler was sent by Allah as "divine punishment" for the Jews. His al-Jazeera program is one of that TV network's most popular.

I have read the assurances of scholars and journalists alike that the Muslim Brotherhood has mutated into the Common Cause of Egypt (Jordan, too) and that its anti-Semitism is merely an odd and archaic quirk, like the anti-fluoride positions of some American conservatives. I hope this is the case. But in truth, I put more faith in the staying power of anti-Semitism than I do in the forecasting gifts of my colleagues. If they are right, wonderful. If not, we all have something to worry about.

...

The trouble with democracies is that they tend to cater to the prejudices of the people - not just to their good sense. This explains why almost all the nations of Central and Eastern Europe turned rabidly anti-Semitic when democracy was instituted after World War I. Anti-Semitism was a popular sentiment and it was exploited by unprincipled politicians. The result in Poland, for instance, was the stated policy of declaring the Jews - about 10 percent of the country - personae non gratae. By then, they had been in Poland for only about 1,000 years.

...

Israel's critics have a case. Yet they make no case when it comes to Arab anti-Semitism. The prominence of Qaradawi cannot be reassuring to Israelis. They know that words can be weapons and hate is a killer. Nonetheless, since the days of Husseini, a true Hitlerian figure, Arab nations have shamefully been granted an exception to the standards expected of the rest of the world, as if they were children. If I were an Israeli, I'd be worried. If I were an Arab, I'd be insulted. If I were a critic only of Israel, I'd be ashamed.

more...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/28/AR2011022805199.html

[old mark]

1. It would be a wonderful thing to see peace in that region...for everyone concerned...nt

[LARED]

2. The fact that the Muslim Brotherhood's official slogan is

"Islam is the solution" and is the largest political organization in the Arab world should scare the crap out all clear thinking people.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

3. The short answer is "no".

The long answer is "it's entirely possible that it will become much more localised and less intense, but it won't die out, and for the forseeable future it's likely to remain influential enough to be dangerous in a non-trivial fraction of the Arab world. It's also possible it will get more widespread or intense in places".

One thought is that talking about "anti-semitism in the Arab world" is probably overgeneralising - it's almost certainly a very different issue in different parts of the Arab world.

Incidentally, referring to Husseini as "a true Hitlerian figure" is hyperbole so ludicrous as to pass from the offensive to the risible. "A very bad person", sure. But not Hitlerian in any sense of the word.