Blogs > EGYPTIAN DEMONSTRATORS' ANTISEMITISM

Feb 7, 2011

EGYPTIAN DEMONSTRATORS' ANTISEMITISM



It is easy to approve of anti authoritarian demonstrations especially ones carried out by young people. It is difficult to face squarely the ugliness unleashed in the streets or the forces pulling the strings. So, the media cheers the demonstrators on while purposefully ignoring the downside of change. That is a pity. For there is a lot of downside and as usual it focuses on the Jews.

John Rosenthal fumes at the manner in which Anti-Semitic imagery draws yawns from Western media and asks whether Democracy or Jew-Hatred? More Evidence of Anti-Semitism at the Egypt Protests. Ironically, it focuses on depicting Mubarak as a Jew or a person who sold out to Jews.

The truth is as I have previously noted and Sharansky more recently reiterated under Mubarak, Egypt became one of the world centers of anti-Semitism. Indeed, if there is something most Egyptians agree on, it is Israel/Jew hatred.

And Egyptians hate and blame not only Israel but the West as whole. Yes, the same West (US) that has poured into Egypt billions in aid. Consider sophisticated Nobel price winner and oppostion leader wannbe Muhammad El Baradei's conspiratorial views:

"Obviously, Israel stands to lose from a democratic Egypt, because a democratic Egypt would be a capable country, which would deal with Israel on equal terms. This is what Israel and the West fear. They fear that Egypt, and the Arab world with it, will become a force that would equal them, and would strive to fulfill their interests, instead of making do with their leftovers. [...]

Yes, Mubarak kept the peace but the price of that peace has been the infection of the populace with the Antisemitic virus. Nothing could serve the Islamist purposes better. Both dictators and fanatics need an"other" against whom to direct the popular anger.

Let us not forget, the increase in food prices (on which Egyptian spend 40% of their income) caused the uprising and the eviction of Mubarak would do little to lower the price of food.

What do I wish to write? Pox on all their houses.

What do I end up writing? We must dare to put our trust in the healing properties of freedom. That means fighting Mubarak autocracy as if there was no Muslim Brotherhood and fighting the Muslim Brotherhood as if there was no Mubarak. Unfortunately, that also means fighting Egypt's Islamist female demonstrators



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