| Rosh Hashanah video from Latma Posted: 11 Sep 2012 05:00 PM PDT |
| Horrific tale of anti-semitism at British state school Posted: 11 Sep 2012 03:00 PM PDT From a pseudonymous author at TheJC: As a trainee teacher in an inner-London school in the last two years, I dealt with countless remarks about my religion, ranging from the perplexing to the deeply offensive. After his students drew swastikas all over his classroom, my supervisor said simply: "It's not our job to project our own moral compass on to the students." Had I been any other ethnicity experiencing something similar there would doubtless have been instant outrage and punishment. Sadly, by this point I was used to this kind of reaction.
It began when, mystifyingly, a colleague told students about my religion, and the reasons for my so-called "persistent" absences (for the chagim). Later, other colleagues openly discussed my beliefs with students, without my consent or knowledge. Some were interested, but other pupils subjected me to inappropriate and insulting questions, chants and disruptions. Needless to say, had I wanted to share my private religious beliefs, I would only have done so on my own terms.
I found myself the constant prey of a group of roaming lower schoolers who would verbally abuse me everywhere and anywhere - including in my classroom - with screams of "Hitler! Hitler!" Amazingly, each time I reported an incident, it was ignored. Knowing there would be no consequences, no discipline imposed on them, only encouraged the group. Later, someone scratched "Kill Jews" on to a computer in my classroom. The school got rid of the evidence only after I involved the police.
I could detect no racism towards the other, ethnically diverse staff members. Minor incidents of racist name-calling between students were always swiftly punished. Why were the endless attacks on me ignored?
To my mind, the reason was the undisguised and relentless antisemitism of a number of staff members. Some colleagues concocted tenuous issues relating to my beliefs, others were deliberately and inexplicably provocative, calling me "Christ-killer" and other names. It gets worse from there. I am told that this happened a year ago; the teacher got herself transferred to another school and did not want to make this a big issue at the time. This seems to be anomalous, from what I gather, although there are lesser amounts of anti-semitism - often disguised as "pro-Palestinian" - at other schools. (h/t David T) 
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| Egyptians torch US embassy flag over film that alleges Mohammed was gay Posted: 11 Sep 2012 01:13 PM PDT From Al Ahram: Egyptian protesters on Tuesday took down the American flag from the walls of the US embassy in Cairo during a thousands-strong demonstration held to protest a short film produced by US based Coptic-Christians that critics say demeans Islam and the Prophet Mohammed.
A number of protesters managed to climb atop the walls surrounding the embassy, while others were able to breach the embassy's garden, where they removed an American flag and replaced it with another one bearing the Islamic declaration of faith: "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is the Prophet of Allah."
The Ultras White Knights – hardcore football fans – claimed that members of their group had brought down the US flag. While group members have since retreated from the scene, they say they are planning additional rallies to protest the film.
Many of the more Islamist-leaning protesters had answered calls by Salafist leader Wesam Abdel-Wareth – who is also the president of Egypt's ultra-conservative Hekma television channel – to protest the film 'Mohammed's trial' at 5pm outside the US embassy in Cairo's Garden City district.
Abdel-Wareth, for his part, denied that protesters had managed to breach embassy premises, claiming that the American flag had been torched in front – rather than inside – embassy grounds.
The El-Hekma channel's official Facebook page, meanwhile, has posted a photo of a group of young men removing the flag outside the embassy with a comment that reads: "Ultras Zamalek tear the American flag in front of the embassy."
US embassy spokesman David Linfield, for his part, confirmed that protesters had been able to enter the embassy and remove the flag. He went on to deny rumours, however, that shots had been fired at demonstrators or that anyone had been injured or killed.
Protesters carried signs condemning the alleged insults to Prophet Mohammed, while others vowed vengeance. Some protesters demanded the embassy's closure.
"Obama, Obama there are still a billion Osamas," they chanted in reference to slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.
Other protesters wrote "There is no God but Allah and Mohamed is the Prophet of Allah" on the embassy's main gate, obscuring the sign reading "Embassy of the United States."
"Everyone is here for the Prophet," said protester Osama Abdel-Halim. "Why is it that, in politics, everyone takes to the streets over things like the constitution, but not when the prophet is insulted?"
Protester Mostafa Khallef told Ahram Online: "President Morsi must take steps to prevent the broadcast of this offensive film." I can't find details on the film yet, but here is what is being reported: The controversial film is reportedly being produced by US-based Coptic-Christian Egyptians, including Esmat Zaklama and Maurice Sadeq.
Maurice Sadeq, a Coptic lawyer based in the US, announced earlier this week that the US-based 'High Authority of the Coptic State' would broadcast the 13-minute film on Tuesday to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington. According to Egypt Independent, the film claims that Mohammed was gay. 
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| Tuesday links Posted: 11 Sep 2012 12:00 PM PDT From Ian:
Israel used 17 tons of explosives to destroy Syrian reactor in 2007, magazine says Mossad agents stole key information on Assad's nuclear project from Vienna home of Syrian atomic agency head, New Yorker claims
"These details and the full story of the attack, dubbed Operation Orchard, against Syria's nuclear reactor near al-Kibar in September 2007, were reported in the New Yorker magazine on Monday. Israel has never publicly claimed credit for the strike, and Syria has never acknowledged that its reactor was destroyed." AP Exclusive: Diplomats say UN agency has new intelligence Iran worked on nuclear arms Imagining a Post-Israel Middle East "Getting rid of the Jewish State will not make the region more stable, heal any wounds, deter terrorism or improve the life of even a single Muslim. The killings will go on and so will the tyrannies. All the old crimes and atrocities will continue without the illusion that they are being done for the greater purpose of destroying the collaborators of the Zionist Entity.
The Middle East will not change without Israel. It will be the exact same place that it always was. Unlike George Bailey, Israel did not make the Middle East better. Nor did it make it worse. Israel did nothing to the Middle East. It just tried to survive living in the middle of it and showed everyone else what was possible." Gaza Prepares to Declare Independence (From Palestine) "It's no secret that Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist faction that controls Gaza, has long considered exchanging its underground smuggling tunnels to Egypt for a policy of above-board trade. What has only recently begun to register is that Hamas may be contemplating a bolder political gambit still: Cutting its financial ties to both Israel and the Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank, in preparations for declaring full independence on behalf of Gaza." PMW demands retraction from Corrie family's lawyer Abu Hussein recounted how he once addressed an Israeli judge in court during a case regarding land rights:
"We Palestinians have Canaanite and Phoenician roots which are an integral part of our history, and you [Israelis] are new, you are new occupiers. And there is no proof, in spite of all the digs you have done in Palestine by Zionist archeologists, who until today have not found one proof of their connection to this homeland." VIDEO Brother of French al-Qaeda-inspired killer questioned "French anti-terrorism judges interrogated for the first time on Monday the brother of an al-Qaeda-inspired gunman who killed seven people in March, including three Jewish children, to determine his involvement in the spate of bloody attacks." Fake ad for 'Mengele' weight pills causes furor Jewish groups upset over Estonian paper's use of photo showing emaciated Holocaust survivors; paper calls ad ironic. Muslim Brotherhood official shuns Israelis at international conference Terror gangs said to be planning to attack US and Israeli embassies in Cairo Murdoch Endorses Jerusalem as Israel's Capital News Corp CEO throws support behind King David
"My platform is pretty simple," the News Corp CEO told the audience at the start of his opening address. "If it's good enough for King David, it's good enough for me." For the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Tel Aviv, a sort of homecoming America's masters of funk, rock, and subtle melody delight a huge crowd in the country where their late founding guitarist was born Israel Daily Picture: Blowing the Shofar on the New Year 80 Years Ago
Also: CAMERA in TOI: Cheap shots: Palestinians put kids in the line of fire Jews question their future in Germany (Der Spiegel) (h/t Sophie) People who quoted or linked to EoZ recently: Fake Gaza Art at Aish Obama's Favorite Islamic University Outlaws Judaism in Egypt at FrontPageMag Egyptian newspaper: How Jews control the world at Jihad Watch The Democratic Party and the Betrayal of the Jews at TOI Red Hot Chili Peppers Elicit Evidence of the Massive Gap Between Pro-Palestinian Israelis and Anti-Zionist Arabs at the Augean Stables 
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| ElderToon: Hillary Gets Tough Posted: 11 Sep 2012 10:10 AM PDT Based on: The U.S. is "not setting deadlines" for Iran and still considers negotiations as "by far the best approach" to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said . 
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| Hundreds throw shoes at Fayyad's picture in Hebron Posted: 11 Sep 2012 08:45 AM PDT From Palestine Times, photos of yesterday's protests in Hebron: As if they didn't already accuse Fayyad of being a "Zionist," reports say that Israel is trying to get money from the US and Europe to prop up the PA (since the alternative would be even worse.) Since anything that Israel does is by definition evil, then Israel cooperating with the PA proves that the PA is Zionist. As a result, these brilliant secular protesters are going to open up their lives to be run by Hamas, purely because Hamas is more anti-Zionist. 
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| Egypt ready to buy oil from Iran? Posted: 11 Sep 2012 07:20 AM PDT From Reuters: Iran is in talks to sell crude oil to Egypt, Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi was quoted as saying by the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) on Monday.
Iran has been looking for new buyers for its oil as western sanctions over its disputed nuclear program squeeze sales to long-time customers.
Egyptian Petroleum Minister Osama Kamal told state owned Al-Ahram newspaper earlier this month that Cairo had "no objection" to importing Iranian crude and processing it in Egyptian refineries. There was a similar report on September 6: According to Iran's governor, Iran wants to sell oil to Egypt, days after Egypt said it had no objection to importing crude from the state. Once again, it appears that the new Egypt is quite ready to slap the US in the face. Interestingly, the Saudis say that they would like to lower the price of oil at the same time that Iran wants to raise the price of theirs. 
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| Some Alawites defecting from Syria too Posted: 11 Sep 2012 05:30 AM PDT From Time: [Alawite] members are increasingly breaking rank, as defections swell along with mounting uneasiness about the government's crackdown against what started as a peaceful protest movement.
Captain Umar in Syria is a rebel fighter and an Alawite, and he considers Assad a "butcher." The officer no longer believes the regime's propaganda and says he abandoned his unit after the government began shelling civilian neighborhoods in his hometown. But Umar says it is Assad who is injecting the conflict with a sectarian hue. "Bashar is telling us the Sunnis will slaughter us," he says via Skype from Syria. "He is scaring Alawis and pushing them to the edge. This is why the army is killing the people in the street. They are scared the Sunnis will massacre us."
Umar says that it was the military's daily shelling of civilian areas that pushed him to defect. "I just couldn't see Syrians dying anymore." He refuses to reveal how many Alawite officers have defected, but he does say the "number is significant."
Others with ties to the security forces have also turned their back on the Alawite leadership. Luban Mrai's father is a senior leader in the paramilitary organization known as the shabiha that targets civilians. She recently left the country after experiencing "serious moral and ethical dilemmas" stemming from the targeting of civilians. Today she resides in Istanbul, trying to mobilize support for the rebels. "The regime is using our religion for political ends," she explains in a phone conversation. "Alawis are killing Syrians for no reason. This is wrong."
Leading Alawite intellectuals have abandoned the regime as well. Rasha Omran is one of Syria's better-known poets and has been invited to read her poetry at literature festivals throughout Europe. Since the beginning of the uprising, she has lent her voice and pen to the cause. Omran announced her support of the revolution within days of its eruption on her Facebook page. She marched in protests and spoke out against Assad. "This is a dictatorial regime," she said in a phone call from Egypt. "How can I support a government that kills its citizens?"
Omran wanted to support the revolution by remaining in Syria. But her vocal protests embarrassed a regime trying to project sectarian unity. Because she belongs to a respected Alawite family, the government risked an Alawite backlash if it arrested her. Instead, she says, intelligence agents pressured her to leave the country in a series of visits to her house. She finally left Syria at the beginning of the year. 
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| "We're not against Jews. We're against non-Arab Israeli citizens" Posted: 11 Sep 2012 02:56 AM PDT 972mag's Noam Sheizaf brings us a fantastic example of how Arabs will never accept the existence of Jews as equals in the Middle East. A Jordanian "anti-normalization" group put out a notice to ban all "Zionists" from traveling to Jordan to attend an after-party with a popular Lebanese band called Mashrou Leila (that recently canceled a gig opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Beirut because the RHCP are playing in Israel.) Apparently, many anti-Zionist Israelis are big fans of the band. Well, that's not quite true. The "anti-normalization" letter says it intends to ban all Zionists, but its definition of Zionist is interesting: Finally, we would like to inform you clearly that despite your confirmation and that of your associates here in Amman, that the event you're organizing will not host any Zionists (to be clear we take this stand against all Israeli nationality holders that are non Arab) we are still taking certain measures to ensure that you will abide by your word on this matter, fully realizing and taking into consideration the continuous arguments and justifications in favor of accompanying Zionists to the event here in Amman. We simply reject all Zionists' irrelevant of their race, political or religious orientations or beliefs.
We are very vigilant to all cultural events in Amman and we will have narrow to the ground during Mashrou Leila, so we urge you to keep your word and promise to keep our events and country zionist-free. Now, a number of vehemently anti-Israel Jewish citizens of Israel - people who completely share the Arab desire to destroy Israel and create a single "Palestine" from the river to the sea - were offended by this letter. Here is a dialogue between "Noa" and Jordanians who make it quite clear that if she is a true anti-Zionist, she should leave the country she was born in because she is Jewish: Noa: (Israeli) Cau I ask a question?
how come Zionists are "all Israeli nationality holders that are non-Arabs", but then you say you reject all Zionists, irrelevant of their race and religious orientation"?
I was born Jewish in Israel. I have fought all my life along with my rifaq, the Palestinians of 48′, and other anti Zionist Jews as myself, against Zionism inside Israel.
I refused to serve in the Israeli occupation army and my friends sat in jail 2 years for that refusal. I'm involved with bi-National anti Zionist activism for years, and I can tell you more if you're interesting. you can also ask Palestinian activists from here, they can tell you, I'm sure.
I'm also sure you can guess how the Israeli mainstream treats Jewish anti-Zionists as myself.
But then you call me a Zionist, just for being a non-Arab Israeli – well, these identities are ones I was born with. I chose to be an anti Zionist, and your decision to ignore this choice and see me as a Zionist just for my Jewish family goes against all the other things you say.
Your attempts to set the Palestinians of 48′ apart from their Jewish anti-Zionist allies hurts the possibility of struggle for both sides, and pushes us anti Zionist Jews back to our original community, and away from the connections with the activists who can teach us about the Palestinian reality and fight with us against the Israeli apartheid.
So actually you want me to be Zionist?
Of you just don't care, I was born a Jew and that's all I can ever be?
Palestinian from Jordan ALL CITIZENS OF THE ILLEGAL STATES OF "ISRAEL" ARE A PART OF THE ZIONIST COLONIAL PROJECT, EXCEPT THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE OF PALESTINE, AND SO, ALL THOSE WHO SERVE THE ZIONIST PROJECT ARE ZIONISTS FOR US, REGARDLESS OF THEIR RACE, RELIGIOUS BELIEVES OR DISBELIEVES OR POLITICAL VIEWS, FOR DISAMBIGUATION, ANY NON-ISRAELI JEW IS NOT A ZIONIST, ANY PALESTINIAN JEW IS NOT ZIONIST, AS LONG AS THEY ARE NOT SERVE THE ZIONIST COLONIAL PROJECT BY OTHER MEANS THAN CITIZENSHIP
Noa: How do I serve the Zionist project? I was among the organizers of the refusal movement, of Jewish Israelis who refuse to serve the Israeli army, my male friends sat years in jail because they refused to serve. I was born in Israel and so were my parents. My grand parents were refugees from three different countries – where is that you want to send me? Poland, Romania or Hungary? I have no other citizenship, and I have fought against the Zionist regime more than most of your friends.
So if you still judge me just on the background of my birth, what does it make you?
Palestinian from Jordan YOU CAN ASK FOR YOUR ORIGINAL CITIZENSHIP AS WE SHOULD DEMAND FOR OURS
Noa wanna split me into 3 different pieces?
I belong here, and not going anywhere else.
I believe you need to start to differentiate between Jewish and Zionist. The struggle against Zionism is the struggle to live together in an open and equal democratic state of Palestinians and Jews together, and not the struggle to return back to the past and send all the Jews away in a second Nakba. Otherwise you're no better than the Zionists.
Zeina (Palestinian): Noa, you keep throwing religion into this, while the letter is clearly not making any distinctions on the basis of religion. Rather, it is the Zionist movement that is claiming Palestine as a land for Jews. There were Palestinian Jews coexisting in Palestine with Christians and Muslims long before 1948, for us, it is not about religion. The issue is very simple, any person who came from anywhere else in the world to live in Palestine under the so called name of "Israel" is serving the Zionist project. I don't think I need to remind you that every one of you is living in the place of a Palestinian that was either martyred or expelled. For us, it is Palestine, always has been and always will be. A true anti-Zionist would pick and up and leave the land to its native inhabitants: Muslims, Christians, Jews, or atheists; doesn't really matter as long as they are Palestinian.
Noa: Jaffa is my only homeland, dear Zeina.
Colonialism is different in different contexts, and unlike the French in Algeria, in this context there's no metropolin to return to. The Jews were thrown here because of hirtorical events unconnected to Palestine, but after 3 generations, we've mixed so much, cut all our roots in our previous countries and grown roots in here. That's the reality of our generation, and if you stll think 6 million people need to be uprooted again, and no joined future is possible, well – you sound just like the Zionists to me. 972, which is a magazine by and for Jewish anti-Zionists, is clearly uncomfortable with this exchange showing that no matter how much Jews try to twist themselves into pleasing Arabs, they will still be considered "Zionist." Sheizaf, in order to be able to square his readings of virulent anti-semitism among his friends and heroes, manages to come up with a further fantasy to deepen his cognitive dissonance: At the end, I feel that what the recent Facebook conversation showed is the futility of any form of "dialogue" at this point in time. As long as the political issue remains unsolved, such contacts make both sides more angry and "extreme." The heart of the matter are the issues on the ground – the occupation, the refugee problem – and when these are solved, or even when there are some real steps taken in the right direction, I believe that rhetoric and ideologies will change too, at least in the mainstream. Noam, why resort to putting your head in the sand? The answer may be even simpler. Just read these words out loud: "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet." Now there is a slight chance that you can be the equal you dream of living in a liberal Arab society, as you watch your Jewish - I mean "Zionist" - former friends being shipped out of the Middle East in cattle cars. And when that happens, you can scream Allah Akbar with your fellow "Palestinians" and hope that your embrace of Islam will help you avoid being discriminated against - for another year or two. It's all about "justice," right? (h/t Sasha) 
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