MUHAMMAD "PROMISED" ALL JEWS WILL DIE/update

MEMRI Special Dispatch:

The following are excerpts from an interview with Muhammad Nimr Al-Zaghmout, head of the Islamic Palestinian Council in Lebanon, which aired on Al-Kawthar TV on May 15, 2007:

Muhammad Nimr Al-Zaghmout:"Palestine will be regained only by fighting the Zionists. I'm not saying 'fighting the Jews,' because these people are a bunch of plundering Zionist gangs, who came at the command of Britain, and later of America and Europe. I believe that the only way to liberate Palestine is by jihad."[...]

"The [Arab] initiative came into being at the order of Bush, Blair, and Jacques Chirac. Condoleezza Rice came carrying a stick, and dragged them by the ear... She dragged by the ear all the leaders and the heads of security, and ordered them to come one by one. She said: 'You must do one, two, three, four, five...' She said to all the leaders: 'We want you to come up with an initiative,' and to declare their loyalty and obedience to what's-his-name..."

Interviewer:"Olmert..."

Muhammad Nimr Al-Zaghmout:"Yes. 'Otherwise, here's the stick.' 'We will stop protecting you from Iran.' They made Iran into such a bogeyman... 'We want to protect you from Iran, but if you don't meet our demands we will allow Iran to devour you.' [...]

"If King Abdullah relieves us of his evil, and does not protect the Zionist entity, we will be ready to liberate our country. He should not serve as a border police [defending Israel], he should not fight and kill the mujahideen, and should not prevent the aid from the mujahideen. He should relieve us of his evil, and we know our country's affairs best." [...]

"If you prevent me from waging jihad – [you should remember] that the friend of my enemy is my enemy, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend." [...]

"We are living in times when jihad is called perdition, prostitution is called tourism, cowardice is called wisdom, and collaboration is called diplomacy. By Allah, these concepts have not changed for us. Jihad will remain jihad, cowardice will remain cowardice, treason will remain treason, collaboration will remain collaboration, and prostitution will remain prostitution." [...]

"Our number one enemy is Satan, and then comes the greatest taghout idol, in the form of Bush, Blair, and the Zionist Crusaders. These have become the mentors of our Arab leaders." [...]

"The Koran says: 'Make ready for them what strength you can...' But we say to Allah: We don't want to, because we're afraid that they will call us terrorists. If killing the Zionist Jews, the Americans, the English, and the French in Palestine, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan is considered terrorism – I am the number one terrorist." [...]

"The Prophet of Allah has promised us that the Jews will gather in Palestine, and that the Muslims will fight them, and totally kill them. Even the stone and the tree will say: 'Oh Muslims, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.' You might tell me that I am relying on supernatural hadiths. I believe this is not supernatural but is the core of our belief."

Andrew Bostom sent me an email explaining the origin of the doctrine undergirding Muhammad Nimr Al-Zaghmout pronouncements:

"In my forthcoming book entitled The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism: From Sacred Texts to Solemn History I discuss the Judenhass motifs in Islamic eschatology to which this typically ecumenical Palestinian cleric is referring. The Vajda referred to below, is Georges Vajda, the greatest scholar of the Antisemitic motifs in the hadith. His 70-page essay from 1937 is reproduced in full for the first time in English (from the original French) in the book:"

Vajda’s research further demonstrates how Muslim eschatology highlights the Jews supreme hostility to Islam. Jews are described as adherents of the Dajjâl—the Muslim equivalent of the Anti-Christ—and as per another tradition, the Dajjâl is in fact Jewish. At his appearance, other traditions state that the Dajjâl will be accompanied by 70,000 Jews from Isfahan wrapped in their robes, and armed with polished sabers, their heads covered with a sort of veil. When the Dajjâl is defeated, his Jewish companions will be slaughtered— everything will deliver them up except for the so-called gharkad tree.

Thus, according to a canonical hadith (Sahih Muslim, Book 40, Number 6985), if a Jew seeks refuge under a tree or a stone, these objects will be able to speak to tell a Muslim: “There is a Jew behind me; come and kill him!” 257 Another hadith variant, which takes place in Jerusalem is described by James Robson. 258

…most of the Arabs will be in Jerusalem when Jesus [i.e., Isa, 259 the Muslim Jesus] will descend. The imam will give place to him, but Jesus will tell him to lead the prayers. Afterwards, Jesus will order the door to be opened, and the Dajjal will be seen there will 70,000 armed Jews. The Dajjal will begin to melt, but Jesus will pursue and catch him and kill him at the east gate of Ludd. God will rout the Jews who will find that even the places where they shelter will shout out where they are hiding.

Vajda emphasizes how the notion of jihad “ransom” extends even into Islamic eschatology: 260

Not only are the Jews vanquished in the eschatological war, but they will serve as ransom for the Muslims in the fires of hell. The sins of certain Muslims will weigh on them like mountains, but on the day of resurrection, these sins will be lifted and laid upon the Jews.