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From the Arab Press

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

‘Why do we hate the Jews?’
With anti-Semitism spreading like wildfire in the Arab world, Saudi columnist Hussein Shubakshi opened a debate on the issue. Below are excerpts from his article, which appeared in the Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.

The dimension of the enormous hate we Arabs have for the Jews is puzzling. We must ask ourselves, ‘Why do we hate the Jews?’ A common answer is, ‘We don’t hate the Jews, we hate the Zionists.’

How absurd! Nobody says, ‘O Allah, destroy the Zionists or the Zionistic entity.’ Is our hate of the Jews only a result of the Palestinian problem? This is the main question. There are many indications that Jews lived normally in more than one Arab country.

The prophet Mohammed had good relationships with Jews: he signed contracts with them, attended the funeral of a Jew, married a Jewess and entrusted his armor to a Jewish neighbor. Our religion allows us to eat their food, to trade with them and to marry them. So why do so many people see the Jews as monsters and the reason for every catastrophe?

There are Saudis who studied with Jews, who have been taught by Jewish teachers and have been treated by Jewish physicians. As one of them said: ‘My son had cancer and was healed by a Jewish doctor who showed him great respect. So now somebody comes and tells me that I should hate the Jews? Never!’

Despicable Zionism abuses Palestinian children and commits brutal crimes, but it is something far different than this divine religion and its followers. Under the Umayyads, the Jews obtained important seats in the government. Rabbi Moses ben Maimon [Maimonides] was the first minister among the caliphs.

I know that this issue will open a huge debate, but hopefully with a positive result. Such a new perspective should finally enable us to answer the question, ‘Why do we hate the Jews?’

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