Israel Matzav: Western media ignore anti-Semitism in Egypt

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Western media ignore anti-Semitism in Egypt

Martin Krossel of the David Frum forum worries that the international media is ignoring anti-Semitism in Egypt.

Frum cites two incidents that have largely been ignored by the mainstream media to prove that anti-Semitism in Egypt is being ignored by the mainstream media. I've discussed both of them at length on this blog. One is the appearance of Muslim Brotherhood preacher Yusuf al-Qaradawi in Tahrir Square last Friday in front of two million Egyptians and his promise to 'liberate' Jerusalem. The other was the rape of Lara Logan and the cries of "Jew, Jew" while she was being raped - which were ignored by nearly all mainstream media outlets other than the New York Post.

Nothing new - right? Not according to Frum.

It’s hard to underestimate the significance of either the al-Qaradawi return or the Logan attack. Rubin maintains, “Qaradawi, though some in the West view him as a moderate, supports the straight Islamist line: anti-American, anti-Western; wipe Israel off the map, foment Jihad, stone homosexuals, in short the works.” Qaradawi is 84 years old – two years older than Mubarak. However, Rubin warns, “Make no mistake. Qaradawi is not some fossilized Islamic ideologue. He is brilliant and innovative, tactically flexible and strategically sophisticated. He is subtle enough to sell himself as a moderate to those who don’t understand the implications of his words or who look beneath the surface of his presentation.”

Rubin further asserts, “It is Qaradawi, not bin Laden, who is the most dangerous revolutionary in the world and he is about to unleash the full force of his power and persuasion on Egypt.” Rubin contends that if Qaradawi ends up running Egypt, it will be Israel that will be “left to pay the bill”. Qaradawi declared, during last Friday’s sermon, that he was looking forward to a celebration in Jerusalem was similar to the one in Cairo. And as Rubin pointed out, Qaradawi did not intend the ceremony to take place after the implementation of a negotiated “two-state solution.” Qaradawi has also pledged to keep the border between Egypt and Gaza open, which would make possible the inflow of arms to the Islamic terrorists now ruling Gaza.

The implications of the widespread suppression of the fact that Lara Logan’s attackers shouted anti-Semitic slurs are also profound. From the moment that rebellion broke out in Egypt, the international media almost universally referred to “pro-democracy” protesters, as if the demonstrators in Tahrir Square were today’s incarnation of American’s founding fathers. If only Mubarak, or his military, didn’t stubbornly try to withhold political power from those in the square, Egypt’s road to liberal democracy would be unhindered. The anti-Semitism of Logan’s attackers seriously challenges the validity of this portrayal of the Egyptian crisis.

At a symposium sponsored by the Hudson Institute earlier this month, Samuel Tadros, a founder and executive board member of the Egyptian Union of Liberal Youth, outlined the hurdles that Egypt might encounter on its way to democracy. He argued that while protesters in the street told foreign reporters that they wanted democracy, democracy isn’t defined by Egyptian protestors in the same way it is in the West. In the West, it’s usually thought to require liberal practices and traditions such as the rule of law and an independent judiciary.

For instance, Tadros pointed out that while Egyptian judges are independent, 92% of them voted to exclude women from their “judge’s club”. This decision was supported by the Egyptian government. Tadros also said that there are three political parties in Egypt that describe themselves as and are generally considered to be liberal. The Vice-President of one of these liberal parties actually authored an article titled “Are Jews Human?” He concludes that Jews are actually locusts who should be exterminated. Moreover, Tadros said that Egyptian schools and media had not provided Egyptian citizens with the kind of civic education that would allow them to participate in democratic discourse.

Tadros’ speech was televised by C-SPAN, where unfortunately it was probably not watched widely. An internet search that I conducted didn’t come up with any indication that Tadros had ever appeared on any of the other cable news networks, nor – with one exception – that he had even been mentioned in a major newspaper, such as The New York Times or The Washington Post. (He was the co-author of a 2009 Wall Street Journal op-ed in which he elaborated on the popularity of anti-Semitism among Egyptian “liberals”.) Arguably, Tadros understands Egypt as well as anyone else in America. Why is the press not eagerly seeking his interpretation on the tumultuous events in his native country? Could it be that his argument, like the triumphant return of Qaradawi and the anti-Semitic slurs of Logan’s attackers, successfully throws a wrench into the notion that, without the likes of Mubarak and his cronies on their backs, Egypt’s transition to liberal democracy is assured?

The reason Frum had problems finding things about Tadros is that Tadros is quite young. He's a candidate for a Masters degree and a fellow at the Hudson Institute, which is how he happened to speak at this symposium.

C-Span has decided that this ought to be a fundraiser and not an occasion to get the message out. So they have not put the program on YouTube - only on their own web site. They have made it non-embeddable, but you can buy the DVD for $30 (No, I doubt any of you will rush out to do that).

But you can watch the speech. If you go here, Tadros is the first speaker in an hour and a half program. He speaks from about 6:37 to 16:51 (and Lee Smith is the next speaker, which will make you want to stay longer). The Q&A is at the end - I have not watched it.

The Hudson Institute has put part of Smith's speech on their website. Maybe they will put Tadros' speech up as well.

And yes, I agree with Frum - the fact that these two incidents are being ignored by most of the mainstream media is deeply troubling.

Read the whole thing.

Labels: Arab democracy, David Frum, Egyptian regime change, Lee Smith, Samuel Tadros